At the Window on Robben Island

After Mr Mandela's release, the whole world wanted to see South Africa.

I was fortunate to be looking after some of the people who came. They were heads of state, royalty, world champion sportsmen and business leaders. I handled every arrangement for them, from the hotels to, on some days, the road closures.

It was demanding work. Every detail had to be right, because every guest was forming a view of the country through what we did. For many of them it was their first look at South Africa. For South Africa, it was a moment to welcome the world back.

That work took me to Robben Island with Mr Mandela and his guests. I filmed him walking B Section with our group. B Section is where political prisoners were held in solitary confinement. Ahmed Kathrada, who was imprisoned on the island alongside him, was with us that day.

One of our guests, Lennox Lewis, stood at the window of the cell where Mandela was held. I stood at the same window, on the same visit. Standing there, on a visit with the man who had lived behind it, is something I have never forgotten.

I still have the footage. I return to it now and then. It reminds me what those years taught me about this business.

Trust in this business is built one guest at a time, over decades. Nobody can buy it, and nobody can shortcut it. The guests who came in those years trusted us with their safety, their time and their first impression of a country. That kind of trust is earned in the small things. A car that arrives when it should. A plan that holds when the day changes. A host who knows when to step forward and when to stay out of the frame.

That lesson has stayed with me through everything I have built since. It shapes how we work at Visitors to Africa today. We plan private journeys for one to six guests, and small groups of up to twelve. Every trip is planned personally, because that is the only way I know to earn the trust a guest places in us.

This story is part of my Daily Vlog series, episode 23. I would like to hear your story too. What is the most memorable place your work has ever taken you?

If you are thinking about a journey to South Africa, or would simply like to talk through an idea, please get in touch. I would be glad to hear from you.

John Sparks