Since the discovery of gold near Johannesburg in the late nineteenth century, South Africa has been closely associated in the Western mind with the precious metal and the riches it represents. However, the outstanding Gold of Africa Museum (daily 10am-5pm; R20), 96 Strand St, just off Buitengragt, focuses on a completely different side to gold - the exquisite artworks crafted by nineteenth- and twentieth-century African goldsmiths from Mali, Senegal, Ghana and the Cote d'Ivoire. Arguably the most important such collection in the world, it was acquired in 2001 from the Barbier-Meuller Museum in Geneva. Now housed in the beautifully restored Martin Melck House , it traces Africa's ancient gold routes, and includes several hundred beautiful items - precious masks, crocodiles, birds, a gold crown and human figures; the highlight is the sculpted Golden Lion from Ghana that is the symbol of the museum. There's also a small auditorium with a continuous film show , a wine cellar , where you can have a snack, a coffee and quaff a glass of Cape wine in a beautiful courtyard garden, a studio where goldsmiths practise their art and a shop where you can buy postcards, gold leaf and beautiful little souvenirs.