10 Things you should know about Sun City

Sun City is a brand founded by Sol Kerzner. Here are 10 Things you should know about Sun City.

1. Sun City is also called The Lost City.
2. It is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa.
3. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg.
4. Sun City was developed by the hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of his Sun International group of properties.
5. It was officially opened on 7 December 1979, then located in the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana.
6. As Bophuthatswana had been declared an independent state by South Africa’s apartheid government it could provide entertainment such as gambling and topless revue shows, which were banned in South Africa.
7. Those 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.
8. The United Nations had imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa in condemnation of apartheid.
9. To overcome this, Kerzner offered substantial financial incentives to performing artists to use Sun City as a venue.
10. Several acts disregarded the boycott and performed at the venue, such as the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Millie Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Status Quo, Rod Stewart, and Elton John.