Not long after my Venezuela trip, I was tasked with a South African trip. At first I didn't want to go, wasn't really interested in a 16 hour flight. Once the trip started it was OK. I highly recommend South African Airlines. They know what they are doing, and they make the trip as pleasant as humanly possible.
The plane ride was great (for a 16 hour flight that is). There's a TV on each headrest, making the TV watching experience a little more pleasant. Not only that, but they have tons of new release, on-demand movies for your viewing pleasure. You can definitely watch many movies on a 16 hour stretch! The interactive system also has music channels as well as games. There's probably about 20 games loaded in the system. I'm not talking about Super Mario Bros. here, but a game is a game when you're stuck in a plane.
The one drawback during this trip was the layover in Washington Dulles airport. Horrible airport, bad layout, and service. 2-hour layover and I almost didn't make it to the plane. If you have a choice, do not use that airport.
I fists stayed in Johannesburg for a couple of days before heading out to Lichtenburg. While in Lichtenburg, I went to the Game Breeding Grounds for a braai(BBQ) . One of the locals took me for a tour of the grounds and I came real close to some amazing animals. From rhinos to wildebeests, they have it all. We actually came so close to the rhinos that they almost rammed the car. Pretty intense adventure.
So glad you enjoyed it all - and yes, it is a pretty phenomenal but strange country!