Sun City | |
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Sun City
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Sun City shown within North West | |
Coordinates: 25°20′25″S 27°5′27″E / 25.34028°S 27.09083°ECoordinates: 25°20′25″S 27°5′27″E / 25.34028°S 27.09083°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | North West |
District | Bojanala |
Municipality | Moses Kotane |
Established | 1979 |
Government | |
• Type | Ward 14 |
• Councillor | Lebogang Jafta Masilo |
Area | |
• Total | 4.89 km2 (1.89 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,299 |
• Density | 270/km2 (690/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 40.1% |
• Coloured | 7.6% |
• Indian/Asian | 13.2% |
• White | 37.0% |
• Other | 2.2% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Tswana | 30.8% |
• English | 24.0% |
• Zulu | 14.3% |
• Afrikaans | 12.6% |
• Other | 18.2% |
PO box | 0316 |
Sun City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
Sun City was developed by the hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of his Sun International group of properties. It was officially opened on 7 December 1979; at the time it was located in the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana.
As Bophuthatswana had been declared an independent state by South Africa's apartheid government (although unrecognized as such by any other country), it could provide entertainment such as gambling and topless revue shows which were banned in South Africa. These factors, as well as its relatively close location to the large metropolitan areas of Pretoria and Johannesburg, ensured that Sun City soon became a popular holiday and weekend destination. The United Nations had imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa in condemnation of apartheid. To overcome this, Kerzner offered substantial financial incentives to performing artists to use Sun City as a venue. Several famous performers disregarded the boycott and performed at the venue, such as the Beach Boys,Linda Ronstadt,Cher,Millie Jackson,Liza Minnelli,Frank Sinatra (1981),Paul Anka,Status Quo,Rod Stewart (July 1983), and Elton John (October 1983).