Tag Archive for Johannesburg

Nelson Mandela’s Lesson on Love

NelsonMandelaSquareTKflatJr copyR

GLOBAL VIEWS: I was just in South Africa a few weeks ago and had lunch in Mandela Square in Sandton City, a commercial and entertainment hub in the heart of Johannesburg. A jovial bronzed statute of Nelson Mandela towers almost twenty feet above the sidewalk cafés and exclusive boutiques. People of different nationalities co-mingle as they dine and shop under foot. Adjacent to the luxurious Michelangelo Hotel, the statute and Square represent a South Africa that Nelson Mandela helped create – where all are considered equal under the constitution and the country itself can participate freely in the global economy.

Focus on… South Africa

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town

PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS: In the 1990s, I spent time in Johannesburg and Cape Town with my mom. I was participating in the Harvard Business School International Alumni Conference and then we spent additional time exploring. A couple of good friends showed us around Jo’burg – giving us the “insider’s tour” – one taking us into the townships and the other to key business sites and wonderful restaurants.