Sun City is a luxury casino and resort, situated in the North West Province of South Africa ( former Bophutatswana bantustan). It is located about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
The prohibition of gambling within South Africa borders was finalised with the South African Gambling Act, 1965 which outlawed all forms of gambling, excluding the placement of bets in horse racing.
Theoritically the Bantustans were independent countries, never recognized as it by the United Nations and the generalitty of all countries, which allowed them to have rules and laws of their own, and not to be subject to South African laws legislation, in particular as regards the prohibition of gambling.
Four of the South African Bantustans—Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei (the so-called "TBVC States")—were declared independent, but this was not recognized outside South Africa.
There was a clever south african business man,Sol Kelzner, who knew how to take advantage of these divergences.
Bophutatswana, was granted nominal sef-rule in 1972, before gaining nominal independence in 1977.
Lucas Mangope,the President of Bophutatswana, and Southern Sun hotel group founder, Sol Kelzner, established a mutually benefitial relantionship to create casinos within the borders of the bantustan. Despite SAR prohibition, casinos began to operate in South Africa’s apartheid-era bantustans towards to the late 1970s and started operating in the Bantustans of Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda. Sun International established Sun City in Bophuthatswana in 1979.

Lucas Mangope and Sol Kerzner at the Sun City Golf 1982 (South African History Archive)
Sun City was shared 50% /50% by Bophuthatswana Government and Sun International. Sun City had become a meca where white South Africans could take advantage of facilities that were banned in South Africa. Bophuthatswana became a tourist haven, and even a train service was introduced on 1979 to bring passengers from Pretoria to Sun City. The casino at the Sun City was one of the largest in the world when it opened its doors in 1979 ( With 48 gaming tables at the time).

In 1994 with the political changes in the country the bantustans were incorporated in South Africa and subject to its general law.
Despite this integration, SUN CITY saw its license “renewed” and continued to operate.

When it opened in 1979, Sun City—with four hotels, a 6,000-seat arena and a 46-acre manmade lake for water sports—became a favored destination for South africans in Johannesburg and Pretoria who wanted to escape their nation's moral restrictions and gambling. Bophuthatswana’s president, Lucas Mangope, and Southern Sun hotel group founder, Sol Kerzner, established a mutually beneficial relationship to create casinos within the borders of the bantustan.
Sol Kerzner, founder of Southern Sun and Sun City, had already set his plans for a casino in motion with meetings with Lucas Mangope dating back to 1976. He would establish casino resorts in Bophuthatswana, Ciskei and Transkei and dominate the casino trade in southern Africa.
The homeland territories, though only nominally independent, allowed for gambling to flourish.
Hotelier Sol Kerzner utilised the political and moral landscape of apartheid South Africa, and drew on bantustan “independence” to establish several casinos in select bantustans.. Sol Kerzner, owner of the resort and casino Sun City, is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s wealthiest self-made men.

The late South African president Nelson Mandela declared Kerzner “by far the greatest entrepreneur in this country’s tourist history”. A descendant of Jewish Ukrainian immigrants, Kerzner is colloquially known as ‘the Sun King’, so named after his company and resorts which all boast “sun” in the name. Kerzner expanded his business portfolio of hotels into the bantustans, building casinos under his company name, Southern Sun. In 1977, a host of casinos began to pop up in the homelands. By 1984, Sun International had secured a true monopoly of the hospitality industry, with 18 hotels and 12 casinos across four states in southern Africa, including in the TVBC states.
Sol Kelzner met with Mangope and his cabinet to make a presentation for a hotel, man-made lake, golf course and mono-rail in the Bophuthatswana bushveld in 1976. According to Kerzner, Mangope and Southern Sun was awarded the casino concession.

The start of construction ( construction was made in a short two years period)
The investment was enormous for the time, totalling R35 million. . Sun City fell under Southern Sun subsidiary Southern Sun Hotels (Bophuthatswana) Ltd. and it was jointly owned by the corporation and the Bophuthatswana government, through the BNDC.
One of the largest motivating factors to travel to Sun City was gambling. It was outlawed in South Africa, and the country’s citizens had to travel to Swaziland to satisfy this habit. It was apparent to international audiences that Bophuthatswana’s Sun City had become a sanctioned space where South Africans could take advantage of facilities that were banned in South Africa.

Sun City opened its doors for business on 7 December 1979.
Guests could arrive at the resort through various modes of transport; every day thousands of guests made their way through Sun City’s gate into an oasis, which stood in sharp contrast to its surrounding impoverished communities. A train service was introduced shortly after the resort opened in 1979 to bring passengers from Pretoria to Sun City. An airport was built.
Kerzner provided a scarce product to an eager and wealthy client base. His profits hinged on the illegality of gambling in South Africa. The casino at the Sun City hotel was one of the largest in the world when it first opened its doors in 1979. It contained 48 gaming tables; 30 American roulette, 13 blackjack, 4 punto banco and 1 chemin de far.
The casino’s popularity and overcrowding soon made it apparent that more tables were needed to cope with the influx of gamblers. The existing floor area did not allow for more tables to be added so a new addition was built and took the form of the Salon Privé in 1984. This private area catered for Sun City’s loyal customers and high rollers. Once the area was completed the number of tables increased to 68, with 36 roulette, 23 blackjack, 6 punto banco and 2 dice. In 1985, Sun City had a total of 747 slot machines with 284 of the machines in the main hotel’s casino and the remaining 463 held in the Entertainment Centre
The UN imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa in condemnation of apartheid. Despite this, many famous performers chose to flout the boycott and performed at the venue.
The boycott forced Kerzner to pay millions of dollars to attract international entertainers to Sun City. It is said that Sinatra and Stevie Wonder received $2 million for a weekend of shows…Lot of money for those times …if it is true.
Sun City hosted numerous Miss World editions .

Golf tournaments with the best world players , first class boxing matches…..
There were a host of attractions that brought tourists, both local and international, through the gates of Sun City during its first decade
SUN CITY was the heaven…
Post-apartheid Sun City has continued to flourish since Bophutatswana was re-incorporated in the new South Africa in 1994.Now is part of North West Province
The resort has four hotels, namely, Sun City Hotel, Cascades Hotel, The Cabanas and the Palace of the Lost City.
Sun City also has two international-standard 18-hole golf courses, and lots of more attrations, like an animal reserve ( Pilanesberg).
In 1994, Sol made his first major acquisition outside of Africa: The Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas and transformed the property into the extravagant Atlantis Resort.

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