Beginning 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, then located in the
Bantustan of
Bophuthatswana. As Bophuthatswana had been declared an independent state by South Africa's
apartheid government (although unrecognised as such by any other country), it could provide entertainment such as gambling and
topless revue shows, which were banned in South Africa. 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. During apartheid, Sun City imposed severe restrictions on the ability of black South Africans to enter the Sun City area legally.
Music performances and boycotts 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 acts disregarded the boycott and performed at the venue, such as
The Beach Boys,
Linda Ronstadt,
Millie Jackson, and
Boney M. (1984). British rock band
Queen's series of performances at the venue in October 1984 in transgression of the boycott caused considerable controversy, prompting criticism in the British music press, a fine from the
Musicians' Union and their inclusion on the United Nations'
blacklisted artists. Following the criticism, Queen strongly defended their decision, saying they "play to anybody who wants to come and listen" and were "a very non-political group", but donated to a school for the deaf and blind to assert their philanthropic values. In 2021, drummer
Roger Taylor voiced regret for the Sun City shows, stating that "We went with the best intentions, but I still think it was kind of a mistake." On 25 October 1980, Sun City's "Superbowl" hosted a racially mixed world heavyweight boxing championship fight between champion American
Mike Weaver and challenger South African
Gerrie Coetzee. Weaver won the fight by knockout in the 13th round, successfully defending his
World Boxing Association world heavyweight title. In 1985,
E Street Band guitarist
Steven Van Zandt made the venue the focus of his music-industry activist group
Artists United Against Apartheid. Forty-nine top recording artists collaborated on a song called "
Sun City", in which they pledged they would not perform at the resort because of their opposition to apartheid. Additionally,
Simple Minds included the song as part of a live medley on their
Live in the City of Light double album in 1987. The same year,
Black Sabbath played six shows in Sun City with a short-lived line-up featuring original guitarist
Tony Iommi, keyboardist
Geoff Nicholls, then-new vocalist
Tony Martin, and a rhythm section with drummer
Terry Chimes (
The Clash) and bassist
Dave Spitz (
Great White).
Skytrain In January 1986 the Skytrain people mover, built with
Otis Hovair technology, took its first trip on a line that connects a remote parking lot to the Entertainment Centre. Two trains of three cars shuttle on the route. According to Sun City staff, the skytrain no longer operates due to high maintenance costs and lack of parts.
Post-apartheid Sun City has continued since Bophuthatswana was re-incorporated in the new South Africa in 1994. The resort has four hotels: • Sun City Hotel or The Main Hotel • Cascades Hotel; • The Cabanas; • The Palace of the Lost City. Sun City has the Vacation Club which is a hotel but also sold in a
timeshare scheme. Sun City also has two international-standard 18-hole golf courses, the
Gary Player Country Club and the Lost City Golf Course, both designed by Gary Player. The Gary Player Country Club is home to the
Nedbank Golf Challenge (formerly the Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Challenge) that is held annually. The Sun City resort has hosted various concerts and events, including the
Miss South Africa and Miss South Africa Teen Pageant. These pageants take place annually in Sun City's Super Bowl Arena and the Valley of Waves. It also hosted
Miss World pageant five times, from 1992 to 1995, and 2001. The resort was also the site of the
Sun City Agreement. In 2001, Sun City was the site of the 2nd
IIFA Awards. Held at the Arena, it honoured both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in
Bollywood, for that year. Also on that year on 19 May, Irish vocal pop band
Westlife held a concert for their
Where Dreams Come True Tour supporting their album
Coast to Coast. In 2014, the film
Blended starring
Drew Barrymore and
Adam Sandler premiered on the premises after being filmed mostly at the resort, as was the 2017 film
10 Days in Sun City. In 2022, the World Classic Powerlifting Championships 2022 was held in Sun City. In 2024, the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships and the World Masters will also be held in Sun City. == See also ==