Glorified Fantasies and Masterpieces of Deception on Importing <scp>L</scp>as <scp>V</scp>egas into the ‘New <scp>S</scp>outh <scp>A</scp>frica’

Abstract

Abstract With the end of apartheid, J ohannesburg and other S outh A frican cities are now part of a new global race to become ‘world‐class’ tourist and business centers. At the center of this development is the importation of V egas‐style spectacle by local entrepreneurs, firms and other city boosters who create fantasyscapes such as the E mperor's P alace and G rand W est. Financed and run by S outh A frican impresarios — whose luxurious empires transcend the continent — these resorts represent not only the globalization of gaming but the way in which S outh A frican cities see themselves within the worldwide urban hierarchy. As such, this article seeks to untangle the global and local aspects of importing fantasy into the ‘new S outh A frica’.