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Gauteng - Johannesburg |  |
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Central Gauteng Province Set on the great highveld plains of the north-central interior, at an altitude of 1,763 metres above sea level, Johannesburg is South Africa's largest city, capital of Gauteng Province and the fast-beating industrial, financial and commercial heart of the country. The greater metropolitan area encompasses much of what is known as the Witwatersrand, the 'ridge of white waters' which contains what is probably the world's richest deposits of gold, and from which the city drew its prosperity during the early decades of relatively short life - and still does today, though to a somewhat lesser degree. Surrounding central Johannesburg are a score and more satellite centres - Nigel, Springs, Germiston, Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan in the east; Soweto, Roodepoort, Randforntein, Krugersdorop, Westonaria, Carletonville in the west. Beyond, to the north, are Midrand, a new and fast-developing urban area, and the 'jacaranda city' of Pretoria, the National Administrative Capital. To the south, around the Vaal River, is another heavily industrialised conurbation whose principal hubs are Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark. Together, these cities and towns occupy just 2 percent of country's land area, but contain a quarter of its population and generate around 40 per cent of its gross domestic product. Johannesburg was founded on gold, and there is still something of the old digger days about the place, the legacy visible in the old mine-dumps, now clothed in modest coats of greenery, that rise above the flattish landscape; in its vast and untidy sprawl of smokestack industries; in the vitality of its people. But for all its bustle and brashness the city has some real claims to stylish sophistication in the way it conducts and enjoys itself. Splendid malls beckon the shopper; the nightlife is exciting; hotels and restaurants are of international quality; museums and galleries flourish; and the music scene - jazz, rock, new-wave, indigenous mbaqanga - is both lively and adventurous. Moreover, Greater Johannesburg is surprisingly well endowed with public parks and gardens (around 600 of them). Indeed it is possible to follow the park-like course of Braamfontein Spruit from the close-in suburb of Melville north to a point beyond Sandton - a distance of some 25 kilometres - without once touching concrete. With its four million plus trees, Johannesburg is said to be the world's most lavishly embowered metropolis. The central area itself, on the other hand, boasts few of the public squares and open spaces that grace other cities which have grown up in more leisurely and thoughtful fashion. Streets are choked with traffic, the pavements crowded with pedestrians and informal traders, and many shops, hotels, financial houses and service industries have migrated to the outer suburbs (notably upmarket Sandton in the north). But imaginative plans for urban renewal are on the drawing board, and central Johannesburg may well rise again, phoenix-like, to reclaim its pre-eminent status in the business, social and artistic life of the country.
Johannesburgers are blessed with a wonderful climate. The city lies in the summer-rainfall region; in normal years and on most days from December through to February, and sometimes into March, thunderstorms begin to build up after lunchtime to produce torrential late-afternoon downpours. The deluge is accompanied by a great deal of noise and fierce flashes of lightning, and occasionally preceded by brief but violent (and destructive) showers of hail. Summer days are hot, though rarely too hot - the city's altitude modifies the temperature. Winter days are crisp, clear-skied, invigorating; winter nights chilly and sometimes bitter. Johannesburg enjoys an average of about nine hours sunshine throughout the year. Temperature: Summer (January) daily average maximum 26.3 degrees Centigrade; daily minimum 14.3 degrees Centigrade; winter (July) average daily maximum 16.5 degrees Centigrade; daily minimum 4.1 degrees Centigrade. Temperature extremes recorded: 45.0 and -5.6 degrees Centigrade. Rainfall: January average monthly 137 millimetres; July 11 millimetres. Highest recorded daily rainfall: 100 millimetres.
On a mid-winter's day in 1886 George Harrison, an Australian, and his friend George Walker, a wandering couple working as casual builders on the farm Langlaagte, accidentally stumbled on the Witwatersrand fabulous gold reef, and word of the discovery spread like the proverbial bush fire. Within weeks the fortune-seekers from all parts of the country, and indeed all parts of the world, were congregating on the flat, treeless veld, in their hundreds at first, then in their thousands and finally, when it became clear that this wasn't just another golden bubble, that a new El Dorado was in the making, in their tens of thousands. These first residents divided themselves up into three camps: Ferreira's (later renamed Jeppestown), Biccardsburg (later Fordsburg) and Doornfontein. Each was laid out as a self-contained village; collectively they were named in honour of three well-known figures of the time - the surveyor Johannes Rissik, his assistant Johannes Joubert, and the Transvaal Republican President Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger. During the early years it was generally believed that the main reef, though rich, was limited and would in due course be worked out, so no real provision was made for future development. The first town plan was simplicity itself: streets ran east-west and north-south, regardless of the land's contours; the first diggers' tents and shacks gave way to only slightly more enduring structures of mud and wattle. But as time went on the proven ore reserves, and the mines, grew larger; the magnate J.B. Robinson found the deeper seams; the new cyanide extraction process revolutionised mining methods, and Johannesburg's residents began to think seriously about planning for permanence. With keen awareness of the priorities, they established the first stock exchange (in an open area known as 'Between the Chains') and the first racecourse (at Turfontein) in 1887; the following year saw the inauguration of the first school, the first hospital, the Globe theatre and the famed Wanderers Club. By the early 1890s the 'Randlords' - Robinson, Cecil Rhodes, Barney Barnato, financier Alfred Beit, the Wernher family and others - were adding enormously to their fortunes, creating financial empires that were soon to become household names, among them Union Corporation, Johannesburg Consolidated Investments ('Johnnies'), and General Mining and Finance. 'Millionaire's Row' developed around Parktown, an area of luxurious mansions 'with skylights and turrets and scrolled verandahs and gilded tips to their fences'. Most of them had electricity, introduced to the young city in 1890. By contrast, fortune failed dismally to smile on the men who actually discovered the gold. Harrison sold his claim for just ten pounds and disappeared into oblivion, leaving his mark in the annals as one of history's greatest losers. Walker fared slightly better - his claim fetched 350 pounds, after which he went to work on the diggings and then slipped into poverty. He was eventually granted a small allowance and, in the year of his death (1924), a Chamber of Mines pension. Nor did Johannesburg African residents enjoy much of the bonanza. By 1904, the year the first 'urban location', Pimville, was formally established, the city's black population numbered 60,000; within the next seven years it would grow to 112,000 (286,000 in the wider Witwatersrand area). These were the official figures; the real ones were undoubtedly much higher). Most township folk were deemed to be temporary workers, migrant labourers who returned each year to the rural areas; wages were low, rentals relatively high, amenities pitifully few, and the seeds of future disharmony began to germinate at an early stage. Within three years of its birth, Johannesburg was the country's largest town. In 1928 it formally became a city, and is now the third biggest on the African continent (after Cairo and Alexandria). It's had a chequered history, peopled by many outstanding, sometimes strange, occasionally outrageous characters, the story punctuated by often dramatic events. Notable among the latter was the so-called 'red revolt' of 1922, when white miners and others rose in open revolt against the government (153 people, 72 of them members of the state forces, were killed during the confrontation, 534 wounded), and the Soweto students' rebellion of 1976, which shook the apartheid establishment to its core and contributed significantly to the eventual political transformation of the country. Johannesburg is home to, among much else, the Gauteng legislature (formerly the city hall), a number of internationally known mining houses, to Africa's biggest stock exchange (commonly referred to as Diagonal Street), to three universities and numerous other tertiary institutions, to the South African Broadcasting Corporation's headquarters (at Aukland Park, west of city centre), and to the people of Soweto, the country's most extensive high-density residential area.
Air Johannesburg international airport is located at Kempton Park, north-east of the city and 45 kilometres south-east of Pretoria, which it also serves. South African Airways (SAA) and numerous other national airlines operate scheduled flights between the airport and all five continents; SAA and other (private) airlines offer frequent services to major regional and domestic centres (including Sun City and the Kruger National Park). Road and Rail National highways connect Johannesburg with Pretoria, 60 kilometres to the north, and all other major Southern African centres. Driving from airport into the city can be a bit confusing for the first-time visitor: follow the signs to Germiston and then loop right onto the N2 running along the central area's southern fringes. Bus and train services link Johannesburg with Pretoria, Durban and all other major regional destinations. City Travel Johannesburg's layout is fairly symmetrical, the thoroughfares running roughly east-west and north-south. Getting around the city, though, can be rather confusing and, in rush-hour, an irritating business, partly because the traffic is so thick and partly because the central area has so many one-way streets. Once you escape from the hub, however, things become a lot easier. The urban freeway system, notably the M1 North and South and the M2 East and West, is linked to the bypass system and to the national highways. Other major routes are well signposted, and armed with a good map you should have little difficulty in finding you way around Johannesburg's suburbs and the adjoining towns. Parking: Metered spaces are invariably in short supply in city centre, though one can usually find room in one of the half-dozen or so major parking garages. Probably the cheapest and easiest means of access is via the park-and-ride system, which enables you to leave your car at a designated parking area on the fringes and use the regular bus service into town. Buses: The services are adequate, and relatively cheap. Most of the routes pass through Eloff Street. The routes, though, tend to radiate out from city centre, and cross-suburban travel can be tricky. Taxis: Johannesburg is big and busy enough to warrant fleets of cruising metered (conventional) taxis, but they steadfastly stick to their ranks. Best option is to hire one by phone. The so-called 'black taxis' - minibuses - do cruise along certain routes, and can be hailed. They're fast, sometimes too fast, and are usually sociably crowded. Car hire: The major, internationally known rental companies are well represented in Johannesburg and at the airport. Local car-hire services offer similar rates. Consult hotel reception or the Yellow Pages. Trains: Suburban services link the city with the higher-density dormitory areas and are not too well geared to the needs of the average visitor. Regular services, though, do connect Johannesburg with Pretoria, and with other major outlying centres.
Johannesburg Art Gallery The city leading public gallery, adjacent to Joubert Park, is home to a fine variety of traditional and modern South African works and to paintings by Dutch, French and English painters. Also ceremonial and decorative African artifacts, ceramics, woodcuts, posters and furniture. Of special note are the towering wooden sculptures of Venda artist Jackson Hlungwani. Special exhibitions; guided tours on offer; ongoing events include musical recitals, poetry readings, cultural seminars, workshops. Bernberg Museum of Costume On the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Duncombe Road; on show are fashions - clothes, shoes, hats, parasols, fans, jewellery and other accessories - from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. War Museum The National Museum of Military History, near Zoo Lake in Saxonwold, focuses on the two world wars; a small section is devoted to Umkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC's armed wing during the liberation struggle. Displays take in fighting vehicles, aircraft, weapons, medals, a gallery of war art and a splendid array of other militaria; among items of special interest is the first operational jet aircraft, the Messerschmidt Bf-262 night-fighter. Adler Museum of the History of Medicine Located at the time of writing in the South African Institute for Medical Research, Hillbrow, but scheduled for relocation to Wits University medical school. Displays relate to early medicine, surgery, dentistry, pharmacy, African herbal and spiritual medicine. Of interest is the world's first iron lung, and re-creations of an early pharmacy and an African umuthi (medicine) shop. Museum Africa Part of the Newtown Cultural Complex (see below) and arguably Johannesburg's premier showcase. The museum, housed in the Old Market building, replaced, changed and expanded the well-known Africana Museum in 1994 and now covers an enormous range of subjects, telling the story of the subcontinent from the Big Bang (the beginning of time) to the age of the microchip. There are special displays relating to South Africa's liberation struggle; to township life ('Johannesburg transformations'); to the mining industry; to the story of Sophiatown, the lively 'black' suburb that was demolished by government edict in the later 1950s (the area was renamed Triomf), and to the early inhabitants of the region. Also on view are prints, paintings, photos, relics and much else pertaining to the history and culture of the regions between the Zambesi River in the north and Cape Agulhas in the far south. The displays are innovative, and highly imaginative; soundtracks of kwela and other local music are a feature. Newtown The area bounded by Pim, Goch, Bezuidenhout and President streets is in the vanguard of the urban renewal campaign, conceived as a microcosm of the New South Africa. This 'cultural hotspot' includes MuseumAfrica (see above) and a number of rejuvenated warehouses and other old buildings that serve as exhibition and demonstration centres, among them the Workers' museum and the Artists' Proof studio (print shops). Here, too, you'll find restaurants, jazz and other clubs, pubs, speciality shops, the Bensusan Museum of photography, the Museum of South African Rock Art, and the Market Theatre Complex (see below). On Saturdays the area, pleasantly shaded by palms, is given over to the Johannesbug's main street market. Market Theatre Complex Part of the Newtown cultural enterprise (see above) incorporates three auditoriums that cater for all tastes: there's a lot of local, sometimes experimental drama on offer but the calendar includes everything from classical theatre to drawing-room comedy. Stage productions, though, are only part of the scene. The 90-year-old building, next door to MuseumAfrica (see above), originally did duty as the 'Indian fruit and citrus market', and is full of character; the adjacent precinct is noted for its shopping arcade, bistro, Kippie's jazz bar (Kippie Moeketsi, 1924-1958, was one of South Africa's most celebrated and best-loved musicians), the Rembrandt van Rijn Art Gallery (the city's leading non-commercial art venue; there's usually plenty of fine, fresh talent on show); the Electric Workshop (venue for the annual Arts Alive Festival), and the Megamusic Centre (live performances). Breweries Centenary Centre Next to but not really part of the Newtown Complex (see above); the centre celebrates South African Breweries' 100th birthday (in the 1990s) but takes you back six millennia, to the very beginning of beer-making and drinking. Features include a 1960s' township shebeen, a gold-rush type pub and a greenhouse nurturing hops and barley; there are pleasant views of the bustling streets below from the taproom. African Medicine. In traditional African society the herbalist fills the role of doctor, prescribing a variety of herbs and other medicinal flora (according to modern science, many of these floral sources have proven curative properties). Also bones, animal skins and other tools of the trade. The non-initiated can catch a glimpse of this mysterious world at the KwaZulu Muti Museum of Man and Science, a display-cum-shop at 14 Diagonal Street. Parktown Tours An insight into how the early Randlords lived (see History, above) on either a conducted walk or bus tour. Many of the early mansions have disappeared but some have survived in all their opulence; architectural styles were heavily influenced by the noted Sir Herbert Baker; some of the gardens are quite splendid. Your knowledgeable guide will probably belong to the Parktown & Westcliff Heritage Trust. Wits University The campus of the university of the Witwatersrand, set on the 'ridge of white waters' itself (curiously, the institution started life in Kimberley, and moved to its present site in the 1920s) has much to offer the visiting sightseer, including museums of African art, anthropology, palaeontology (Wits, which counted the great Raymond Dart among its alumni, is home to one of the world's leading research units into human origins), geology, medicine, music. Of special interest is the herbarium; the Gertrude Posel gallery (important figurative carvings, ritual and ceremonial works, beadwork from a variety of Southern African traditional communities); other galleries displaying African art collections from further afield; and the planetarium. The latter offers multivisual star shows; much of the cosmos is viewed through the computerised eyes of Viking, Mariner, Voyager, the Hubble telescope and other space explorers; also time-travel to ponder the mysteries of the Pyramids, Stonehenge, the Star of Bethlehem and other ancient wonders. Theatre and music feature prominently on the university's calendar. Zoo Lake This pleasant stretch of water and its surrounds, on either side of Jan Smuts Avenue in the upmarket suburb of Saxonwold, is one of Johannesburg's prime leisure areas; there's boating on the lake, strolling and picnicking on the trim lawns. It's also a periodic venue for open-air markets, art exhibitions, all-day concerts (mainly rock and jazz). On the east side of the road are the Johannesburg Zoological Gardens, which serve as home to about 3,000 different species of mammal, reptile and bird, some of which are classified as endangered. The ape house and seal enclosure are well worth a visit. Within the grounds is the museum of South African Rock Art; close by is the War Museum (see above). Johannesburg Botanical Garden This pleasant stretch of highveld countryside, next to the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve, is famed for its rose plants (said to be the world's largest rose display), and sections devoted to bonsai, herbs and medicinal plants. You'll also see a wealth of lovely (mainly exotic) trees. Fountains, pools and the hedge display add interest. Close by is Emmarentia Dam (watersports, model boats). The whole area is part of the Braamfontein Spruit 'green lung' (see further on). Randburg Waterfront Johannesburg's imaginative, fairly new 'inland harbour' development, just off the M20, offers a splendid number and variety of restaurants that, together, range through almost the entire culinary spectrum. There are also some sociable pubs, live-music venues, shops, craft market, movie houses, a children's funfair and entertainment area, a 50-metre long series of musical fountains, and small-scale boating and watersports on the man-made lake.
Gold Reef City This vibrant 'living museum' and theme park, an evocative re-creation of Johannesburg during its golden heyday, ranks as one of the country's most visited tourist venues. You'll find Gold Reef City some way to the south of city centre, on the site of old Crown Mine, which yielded nearly 1,300 tons of gold during its long and honourable life (it also held the world shaft-sinking record for a time). Among the more static attractions are period houses, miners' cottages, replicas of the celebrated Theatre Royal, an early brewery, tea parlour, stock exchange, pub, newspaper office, Chinese laundry (thousands of mainland Chinese labourers, known locally as the 'Celestials', were brought in to work the mines in the early 1900s), a cooperage and an apothecary (pharmacy). More animated are the Victorian funfair; the gold-pouring demonstrations, the trips underground, the mine dancing ('gumboot' performances that were once a joyful part of the worker's life), musical shows, street entertainers, rides on steam train and horse-drawn omnibus, the nightclubs, pubs, beer gardens and restaurants. You'll also find plenty of speciality shops (gold and diamond jewellery, brassware, glassware, copperware, leatherwork, lace, coins, stamps, curios and much else). The upmarket hotel is attractively appointed in 1890s style. Mine Tours The old Crown Mine can be explored as part of your visit to Gold Reef City (see above); most other underground trips are arranged through the Chamber of Mines (excursions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays). Lunch is included in the package; visitors should be fairly fit: the walks can be a bit strenuous. Pioneer Park Pleasant for an afternoon of quiet pleasure; the park's most prominent feature is Wemmer Pan, where the local rowing club goes through its paces; next door is a miniature city called Santorama; the illuminated musical fountain is a delight. Bruma Lake In Bedfordview; the man-made lake is the setting for Fisherman's Village, which boasts cobbled and garlanded streets, 'ethnic' (mainly European) restaurants, speciality shops and a boardwalk. You can find pretty well anything you want in the close-by fleamarket. Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary Near Victory Park and the suburb of Blairgowrie; a prime destination for enthusiastic birders. Two small dams attract more than 200 different avian species. The sanctuary is part of the Delta Park conservation scheme, which encompasses the Wild Life Society's headquarters, Exhibition Halls, Natural History Museum. It's also part of the Braamfontein Spruit 'green lung' (see below). Braamfontein Spruit Johannesburg green lung, stretching north from Melville for about 25 kilometres to the Klein Jukskei River - which makes it the country's longest urban nature trail. The 'spruit' is a small stream that flows past numerous pleasant outdoor venues, including Melville Koppies Nature Reserve. Lion Park Technically part of Randburg but well to the north of that suburb's hub. Here, along the 10-kilometre drive, you can see lions, of course - they mate and laze around in natural surrounds but don't hunt (they're fed) - and also other wildlife, including zebra, wildebeest, antelope, ostrich. Sandton Johannesburg's most upmarket component, rich, fashionable, commercially progressive, fast-growing. To get there, take Jan Smuts Avenue north. Focal point is Sandton City, a dense concentration of offices, splendid shopping concourses, cinemas, restaurants, coffee houses, five-star hotel. Nearby is Sandton Square, a modern, marbled, Italianesque piazza catering for business, leisure, the arts and for the more affluent shopper. Nearby (on Pretoria Avenue) is Die Ou Kaaphuis (the Old Cape House), a fine homestead that serves as something of a period museum and, in its extension, as a furniture exhibition centre. The Organic Market in Bryanston, just west of Sandton, is also worth a visit. Alexandra Near to but in sharp contrast to Sandton, Alexandra and the surrounding high-density areas are among the poorest, most crowded of Gauteng's suburbs, though there are serious plans for upgrading it. Many of its shacks line the banks of the Jukskei River, which sometimes floods. The township, many of whose residents are immigrants from Mozambique, has lively street-markets, an exuberant nightlife and an entertaining community radio station, but at the time of writing it remained unwise for visitors to explore the area without a guide. Roodepoort This large 'suburb'(actually, for long a city in its own right) on the metropolitan area's western fringes, was an early gold-mining settlement, now known for its pleasant lake area and its museums. Part of the lake has been fenced off as a wildfowl sanctuary (and an important breeding ground for herons, among others). The civic museum focuses on gold and the settlement's early history; the National Railway and Steam Museum contains a splendid selection of locos, coaches and rail equipment. Soweto Also a separate city, though part of greater Johannesburg. Soweto has a dramatic story to tell, and much to show the visitor. See separate entry.
Johannesburg serves as a convenient base for tours - some close, others fairly distant - into the broader north-eastern region. Pretoria is well worth exploring; so are the lovely Magaliesberg hills to the west and, beyond, Sun City and the Pilanesberg Park. Among other options: Krugersdorp and Surrounds The mining town of Krugersdorp, which lies to the west of Johannesburg, is a pleasant enough destination (its museum is worth visiting), but it's nearby Sterkfontein that draws the interest. It was here, and in nearby Kromdraai and other cave complexes, that the celebrated scientist Robert Broom worked for more than 40 years, eventually (in 1947) unearthing the skull of a million-year old ape-man later identified as Australopithecus africanus. The discovery, and others like it elsewhere, changed scientific theory about human origins. Then, in the 1990s, the foot-bones of an even older hominid were found in deposits dating back a full 3.5 million years, indicating that members of the human family lived in the area at least half a million years earlier than was previously thought. More important, the bones of what became known as 'Little Foot' is the first evidence to emerge of a 'missing link', an evolutionary transitional stage between ape and human. The bones are in fact part of what promises to be a complete or near-complete skeleton, which is now being excavated (this is a long and complicated process) and which represents one of the most exciting discoveries ever to be made in the annals of paleoanthropology. Sterkfontein and its neighbours were recently elevated to the status of World Heritage Site. Sterkfontein has a Site Museum, but the complex offers much besides scientific importance: part of it comprises huge, cathedral-like chambers (largest is the Hall of Elephants) and a mysterious underground lake that features prominently in local African lore. The Krugersdorp area also has much to offer the game-viewer, especially in the NdaBushe Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, and in the Ngonyama Lion Lodge & Krugersdorp Game Reserve (where four of the 'big five' - lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino - can be seen). Hartbeespoort Dam A favoured weekend and day-trip destination for families from both Johannesburg and Pretoria. The dam, at the foot of the Magaliesberg hills less than an hour's drive from either city, is popular among campers, picnickers, fishermen, dinghy sailors and watersports enthusiasts. The area may be uncomfortably crowded at times but one can always find a secluded spot. There's a pleasant scenic drive around the perimeter; the dam and some parts of its bank have been set aside as a Nature Reserve (the Oberon section is renowned for its bird life); the nearby aquarium is worth visiting for its crocodiles, performing seals and freshwater fish. Vaal River and Dam The river, South Africa's second largest after the Orange, forms Gauteng's southern boundary with Free State Province. The broad, deep waters of the dam attract yachtsmen, owners of powerboats, water-skiers and freshwater anglers; the willow-shaded river-banks are well developed for tourism, boasting hotels, resorts and a myriad leisure and sporting facilities (including fine golf courses). Kruger National Park South Africa's premier game sanctuary is about three hours' drive to the east. There are scheduled flights from Johannesburg International Airport; Johannesburg's tour operators offer an attractive range of package trips. See separate entry.
Conventional theatre is under pressure in South Africa (like many 'non-essentials', it suffers from a shortage of funding), but the Johannesburg scene remains both lively and professional. Major venues include the Market Theatre Complex (see above), the Civic Theatre in Braamfontein, Wits University, and the Alhambra Complex (encompassing the Richard Haines, Rex Garner and Alhambra auditoriums) in Doornfontein. Consult the local newspapers for programme details for these and for orchestral, opera and ballet performances. Choral music features prominently in the city's arts calendar. There's plenty of live jazz, rock and other modern music to choose from in and around Johannesburg. The scene is innovative and invigorating, the standards high; African mbaqanga (once known as 'township music') and its myriad variations and offshoots give city nightlife a distinctive flavour. Again, newspapers will tell you what's on. Jazz at Kippie's, in the Market Theatre centre, is a perennial favourite but only one of a great many venues. Sporting facilities are on a par with those of other major cities around the world. Johannesburg has excellent golf courses, bowling greens, health centres. Spectator sports: the city's rugby stadium is Ellis Park; the cricket ground Wanderers; soccer can be watched at various venues.
Johannesburg is well known for the size and sophistication of its shopping malls; largest is the Eastgate complex; other notables include the Hyde Park, Randburg Waterfront, Cresta (Randburg) and Sandton City malls. For less conventional shopping: Roadside Vendors and pavement traders offer an eclectic variety of goods; prices are very competitive, some ridiculously so. Oriental Plaza The Indian market in Main Road, Fordsburg is a colourful cluster of about 300 stores, stalls, eateries and flower, fruit and vegetable markets. An attractive venue for the bargain hunter; the emphasis is generally but not exclusively on Eastern merchandise; some of the fabrics are exquisite; a minaret, clock-tower and peacock fountain add atmosphere. Markets Again, plenty to choose from. Contact the Johannesburg Publicity Association for information. Worth mentioning are Market Africa (the largest),opposite the Market Theatre complex in Newtown, every Saturday;
Johannesburg is surrounded by industrial and residential centres. Pretoria lies about 60 kilometres to the north; between the two cities is Midrand; to the south are Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark. |
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JOHANNESBURG Western Cape
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