The Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg, where Michael Jackson stayed during his HIStory World Tour in October 1997, remains abandoned nearly three decades after it closed. State-owned company Transnet announced plans to sell the Carlton Centre complex as part of a wider disposal of properties it no longer considers essential to its operations.
Jackson performed two concerts at Johannesburg Stadium on 10 and 12 October 1997. The tour also included two concerts in Cape Town on 4 and 6 October, followed by a final show in Durban on 15 October. Once one of South Africa's most prestigious luxury hotels, the Carlton welcomed guests including Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Whitney Houston and François Mitterrand.
Opened on 1 October 1972, the 30-storey Carlton Hotel was once considered one of the finest hotels in the country. It formed part of the Carlton Centre complex, a major Johannesburg landmark that combined luxury accommodation, offices and shopping facilities. The main hotel tower closed in December 1997, with the remaining Carlton Court annex shutting its doors in April 1998.
Government departments and public-sector organisations were given the first opportunity to express interest before the property could be offered to private investors. A previous attempt to sell the complex had failed, and no confirmed redevelopment plan for the former hotel has been announced.
Based on reporting by mjvibe.com and co.ug.