Name: Kingsley
Near Glencoe,Kranskop
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The Glencoe Stock Theft Unit, assisted by the Glencoe Dog Unit and the ... The suspects stole 88 sheep from a farm in the Kingsley area
Where to stay:
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Kimberley (D 11)
Name:Kimberley
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The Blue Train arrives at Kimberley station. Guests disembark and assemble at the railway museum from where they will be ushered to the bus, which will take them to the centre of Kimberley to join an old tram for a ride down to the mine.
Guests arrive at the Open Mine Museum for a tour of the mine. Guests are first taken to the Diamond Die to try their luck to win a diamond, after which they will several interesting and historical sites as well as taken onto an enclosed ramp on the edge of the Kimberly hole.
Guests depart from the Open Mine Museum for Kimberley station, where they are greeted with a glass of sherry. The Blue Train departs Kimberley station for Cape Town. After this exciting tour, guests are welcome to refresh themselves and enjoy pre-dinner drinks served at any one of the lounges.
http://www.trainsafari.co.za/blue-train-cape-pretoria.html
Where to stay:
Google count:
Date:
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The Blue Train arrives at Kimberley station. Guests disembark and assemble at the railway museum from where they will be ushered to the bus, which will take them to the centre of Kimberley to join an old tram for a ride down to the mine.
Guests arrive at the Open Mine Museum for a tour of the mine. Guests are first taken to the Diamond Die to try their luck to win a diamond, after which they will several interesting and historical sites as well as taken onto an enclosed ramp on the edge of the Kimberly hole.
Guests depart from the Open Mine Museum for Kimberley station, where they are greeted with a glass of sherry. The Blue Train departs Kimberley station for Cape Town. After this exciting tour, guests are welcome to refresh themselves and enjoy pre-dinner drinks served at any one of the lounges.
http://www.trainsafari.co.za/blue-train-cape-pretoria.html
Where to stay:
Kenilworth (A 16)(A 16)
Name: Kenilworth
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An attraction which draws visitors to Kenilworth is the Kenilworth Racecourse. The oldest race course in the country, it is home to the J&B Met (held in late January each year), an event which draws more than 50,000 spectators. Numerous other national horse races are held at Kenilworth throughout the year.
Kenilworth is bordered by Wynberg to the south and Claremont to the north. Kenilworth railway station is on the main line from Cape Town to Simon's Town. Main Road (which runs from Central Cape Town through to Simon's Town) runs through Kenilworth, and the suburb can also be accessed from the M5 freeway.
wheretostayinsa.co.za
Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (KRCA) is an area of approximately 52 ha and is situated in the centre of Kenilworth Racecourse.
Where to stay:
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An attraction which draws visitors to Kenilworth is the Kenilworth Racecourse. The oldest race course in the country, it is home to the J&B Met (held in late January each year), an event which draws more than 50,000 spectators. Numerous other national horse races are held at Kenilworth throughout the year.
Kenilworth is bordered by Wynberg to the south and Claremont to the north. Kenilworth railway station is on the main line from Cape Town to Simon's Town. Main Road (which runs from Central Cape Town through to Simon's Town) runs through Kenilworth, and the suburb can also be accessed from the M5 freeway.
wheretostayinsa.co.za
Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (KRCA) is an area of approximately 52 ha and is situated in the centre of Kenilworth Racecourse.
Where to stay:
Kentemade (B 15)
Name: Kentemade
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By Terri-Liza Fortein
Four Cape Town families have issued summonses against Metrorail, claiming about R5-million in damages after a series of tragedies.
Attorneys for Miriam Adolf, Berendina Fuller, Christopher and Renette Hellings and Mzobanzi Maci filed the summonses in the Cape High Court on Tuesday.
On June 18 2001, Adolf and Fuller's husbands - Cornelius Adolf and Marthinus Fuller - boarded a Metrorail commuter train at Bellville station intending to disembark at Unibell station.
While the two builders were travelling home a gang of armed men stormed into the carriage they were travelling in and robbed several passengers of their possessions.
Cornelius Adolf and Marthinus Fuller were beaten, stabbed and both thrown off the moving train between Pentech and Unibell Stations.
Both men died as a result of their injuries.
Miriam Adolf of Belhar is taking action against Metrorail in her personal capacity and on behalf of the couple's three children. She is claiming damages totalling R1-million.
Miriam Adolf's neighbour, Berendina Fuller, is claiming damages in the region of R800 000 for loss of support, general damages and future medical costs.
Three days before the deaths of Cornelius Adolf and Marthinus Fuller, Cape Technikon student Ross Hellings was travelling From Cape Town Station to Monte Vista.
Between Ysterplaat and Kentemade stations Hellings, 20, fell through the open doors of the Metrorail carriage he was travelling in.
He sustained serious head injuries and was airlifted to the Milnerton Medi-Clinic, where he died the next day.
Hellings's family are claiming about R700 000 in damages.
Mzobanzi Maci of Gugulethu fell from a Metrorail commuter train on June 21 while travelling from Cape Town to Heideveld station.
The Metrorail carriage Maci was travelling in when he fell was apparently overcrowded and although the train was in motion, the doors of the carriage allegedly remained open.
He contends that as a result of the extreme overcrowding, commuters in the carriage were pushing and shoving and Maci was pushed out of the open doors.
After the fall his right leg was amputated, his ribs were fractured and he also had a large cut in his back and still suffers from severe backache.
Maci uses a prosthetic limb, but he hopes to acquire a better artificial limb to help facilitate easier movement.
He is claiming about R2,6-million in damages for loss of earnings, pain and suffering, disability and disfigurement and medical costs.
•This article was originally published on page 5 of The Cape Argus on June 16, 2004
Other interesting info:
With respect to the route alignment, current planning assessment makes
provision for a proposed initial service from the Blaauwbergsvlei area to
terminate in Cape Town Station. The proposed service will operate on the
current Atlantis rail corridor that links to the Bellville – Monte Vista/Woodstock –
Cape Town lines at a locality between Kentemade and Acacia Park Stations.
Where to stay:
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
By Terri-Liza Fortein
Four Cape Town families have issued summonses against Metrorail, claiming about R5-million in damages after a series of tragedies.
Attorneys for Miriam Adolf, Berendina Fuller, Christopher and Renette Hellings and Mzobanzi Maci filed the summonses in the Cape High Court on Tuesday.
On June 18 2001, Adolf and Fuller's husbands - Cornelius Adolf and Marthinus Fuller - boarded a Metrorail commuter train at Bellville station intending to disembark at Unibell station.
While the two builders were travelling home a gang of armed men stormed into the carriage they were travelling in and robbed several passengers of their possessions.
Cornelius Adolf and Marthinus Fuller were beaten, stabbed and both thrown off the moving train between Pentech and Unibell Stations.
Both men died as a result of their injuries.
Miriam Adolf of Belhar is taking action against Metrorail in her personal capacity and on behalf of the couple's three children. She is claiming damages totalling R1-million.
Miriam Adolf's neighbour, Berendina Fuller, is claiming damages in the region of R800 000 for loss of support, general damages and future medical costs.
Three days before the deaths of Cornelius Adolf and Marthinus Fuller, Cape Technikon student Ross Hellings was travelling From Cape Town Station to Monte Vista.
Between Ysterplaat and Kentemade stations Hellings, 20, fell through the open doors of the Metrorail carriage he was travelling in.
He sustained serious head injuries and was airlifted to the Milnerton Medi-Clinic, where he died the next day.
Hellings's family are claiming about R700 000 in damages.
Mzobanzi Maci of Gugulethu fell from a Metrorail commuter train on June 21 while travelling from Cape Town to Heideveld station.
The Metrorail carriage Maci was travelling in when he fell was apparently overcrowded and although the train was in motion, the doors of the carriage allegedly remained open.
He contends that as a result of the extreme overcrowding, commuters in the carriage were pushing and shoving and Maci was pushed out of the open doors.
After the fall his right leg was amputated, his ribs were fractured and he also had a large cut in his back and still suffers from severe backache.
Maci uses a prosthetic limb, but he hopes to acquire a better artificial limb to help facilitate easier movement.
He is claiming about R2,6-million in damages for loss of earnings, pain and suffering, disability and disfigurement and medical costs.
•This article was originally published on page 5 of The Cape Argus on June 16, 2004
Other interesting info:
With respect to the route alignment, current planning assessment makes
provision for a proposed initial service from the Blaauwbergsvlei area to
terminate in Cape Town Station. The proposed service will operate on the
current Atlantis rail corridor that links to the Bellville – Monte Vista/Woodstock –
Cape Town lines at a locality between Kentemade and Acacia Park Stations.
Where to stay:
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Kendal (H 8)
Name: Kendal
Source: http://www.eskom.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=170
History: Construction of Kendal began in July 1982 with its last unit coming into operation in 1993. Kendal is currently the largest coal-fired power station in the world and holds several Eskom performance records.
General: Kendal has an indirect dry-cooling system, which means that it uses significantly less water in its cooling processes than the conventional wet cooled power stations. The station's cooling towers are the largest structures of their kind in the world with a height and base diameter of 165m.
Kusile is the name for a new coal fired power station previously known by the working name of Project Bravo: This is a new coal fired power station project located to the West of the R545 between the N4 and N12 freeways near the exisitingKendal Power Station. It comprises of six units rated at approximately 4800 MW installed capacity. The first unit is planned forcommercial operation in 2012 with the last unit in operation by 2015/2016
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Source: http://www.eskom.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=170
History: Construction of Kendal began in July 1982 with its last unit coming into operation in 1993. Kendal is currently the largest coal-fired power station in the world and holds several Eskom performance records.
General: Kendal has an indirect dry-cooling system, which means that it uses significantly less water in its cooling processes than the conventional wet cooled power stations. The station's cooling towers are the largest structures of their kind in the world with a height and base diameter of 165m.
Kusile is the name for a new coal fired power station previously known by the working name of Project Bravo: This is a new coal fired power station project located to the West of the R545 between the N4 and N12 freeways near the exisitingKendal Power Station. It comprises of six units rated at approximately 4800 MW installed capacity. The first unit is planned forcommercial operation in 2012 with the last unit in operation by 2015/2016
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Where to stay:
Kempton Park (G 9)
Name: Kempton Park
Source: http://www.kemptalk.com/history_of_kempton_park.htm
Prior to the Great Trek of the 1830's, the area on which Kempton Park now stands was known only to hunters and nomad cattle farmers. The first seeds of the Kempton Park story were planted when, on 25 October 1859, the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Z.A.R.) issued a title deed for part of the farm Zuurfontein on which Kempton Park would develop many years later.
The discovery of gold in 1886 some 50 kilometers west of Zuurfontein stimulated, amongst others, the building of a railway line, which would serve as a link between the Transvaal gold fields and the east coast. On 25 June 1890, the Z.A.R. government granted a concession for the building of a railway line from Pretoria, bypassing Johannesburg on the east and directed to the Vaal River by the shortest route. The main line cut directly through the farm Zuurfontein, thus forging another link in the destiny of the yet unborn township of Kempton Park.
One of the stations established was at Zuurfontein. Zuurfontein station soon became a gathering place for resident farmers in the area where they collected their supplies.
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Source: http://www.kemptalk.com/history_of_kempton_park.htm
Prior to the Great Trek of the 1830's, the area on which Kempton Park now stands was known only to hunters and nomad cattle farmers. The first seeds of the Kempton Park story were planted when, on 25 October 1859, the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Z.A.R.) issued a title deed for part of the farm Zuurfontein on which Kempton Park would develop many years later.
The discovery of gold in 1886 some 50 kilometers west of Zuurfontein stimulated, amongst others, the building of a railway line, which would serve as a link between the Transvaal gold fields and the east coast. On 25 June 1890, the Z.A.R. government granted a concession for the building of a railway line from Pretoria, bypassing Johannesburg on the east and directed to the Vaal River by the shortest route. The main line cut directly through the farm Zuurfontein, thus forging another link in the destiny of the yet unborn township of Kempton Park.
One of the stations established was at Zuurfontein. Zuurfontein station soon became a gathering place for resident farmers in the area where they collected their supplies.
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Sunday, December 6, 2009
Kemp (J 10)
Name:Kemp
On the line from Overvaal to Vryheid
Overvaal
Panbult
Kemp
Piet Retief
Paul Pietersburg
Mahulumbe
Sikame
Vryheid
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On the line from Overvaal to Vryheid
Overvaal
Panbult
Kemp
Piet Retief
Paul Pietersburg
Mahulumbe
Sikame
Vryheid
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Kelso (L 15)
Name: Kelso
Kelso, South Coast KZN South Africa.
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Sphelele Mhlongo (18) and a 16-year-old youth, both from Umlazi Township in Durban, appeared in the Scottburgh Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 18 November 2008, on two counts of armed robbery in Pennington. Mhlongo also appeared in court for a further charge of attempted armed robbery in Kelso Railway Station. Both cases have been remanded until Tuesday, 25 November 2008, for bail applications. The accused remain in police custody.
It is alleged that on Monday, 17 November 2008, at approximately 14:30, Mr Ashton Schaper (19) of Pennington was traveling from Amanzimtoti to Kelso by train when two unknown men approached him as the train neared the Kelso Railway Station. One of the men pointed a pistol at him and demanded his cellphone. When Mr Schaper stood up to them, they realised that he was no easy target and fled.
On the same day at about 16:00, three suspects allegedly robbed Ms Jabulisile Bonita Myende (31) of a purse and cellphone and Ms Liziwe Lubelwana (37) of a cellphone and cash. They were held at gunpoint. The victims were at the Dolphin Drive bus stop in Pennington for transport to go home from work. The suspects fled when the victims reported the incident to the passengers in a taxi that had driven into the bus stop. The taxi gave chase and apprehended a young person.
Source: http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=12603
Where to stay:
Kelso, South Coast KZN South Africa.
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Date:
Historic fact:
Other interesting info:
Sphelele Mhlongo (18) and a 16-year-old youth, both from Umlazi Township in Durban, appeared in the Scottburgh Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 18 November 2008, on two counts of armed robbery in Pennington. Mhlongo also appeared in court for a further charge of attempted armed robbery in Kelso Railway Station. Both cases have been remanded until Tuesday, 25 November 2008, for bail applications. The accused remain in police custody.
It is alleged that on Monday, 17 November 2008, at approximately 14:30, Mr Ashton Schaper (19) of Pennington was traveling from Amanzimtoti to Kelso by train when two unknown men approached him as the train neared the Kelso Railway Station. One of the men pointed a pistol at him and demanded his cellphone. When Mr Schaper stood up to them, they realised that he was no easy target and fled.
On the same day at about 16:00, three suspects allegedly robbed Ms Jabulisile Bonita Myende (31) of a purse and cellphone and Ms Liziwe Lubelwana (37) of a cellphone and cash. They were held at gunpoint. The victims were at the Dolphin Drive bus stop in Pennington for transport to go home from work. The suspects fled when the victims reported the incident to the passengers in a taxi that had driven into the bus stop. The taxi gave chase and apprehended a young person.
Source: http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=12603
Where to stay:
Kei Road (H 14)
Name: Kei Road
Kei Road was founded as a stop-over to the Kei River.
Kei Road: It is a village situated 27km north-east of King William's Town
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Kei Road was founded as a stop-over to the Kei River.
Kei Road: It is a village situated 27km north-east of King William's Town
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Keimoes (B 11)
Name: Keimoes
Source : http://www.northerncape.org.za/getting_around/towns/Keimoes/
The origin of this little oasis’s name is in dispute. Legend has it that Klaas Lukas, a Koranna river-people leader, established a village on the banks of the Orange River near the Tier Mountains. He called the village Keimoes (mouse nest) after the colonies of mice living there.
A more probable origin lies in the Nama words ‘gei’ (great) and ‘mus’ (fountain or eye). Semantics aside, Keimoes is a picturesque little town often described as a lost piece of the Boland.
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Source : http://www.northerncape.org.za/getting_around/towns/Keimoes/
The origin of this little oasis’s name is in dispute. Legend has it that Klaas Lukas, a Koranna river-people leader, established a village on the banks of the Orange River near the Tier Mountains. He called the village Keimoes (mouse nest) after the colonies of mice living there.
A more probable origin lies in the Nama words ‘gei’ (great) and ‘mus’ (fountain or eye). Semantics aside, Keimoes is a picturesque little town often described as a lost piece of the Boland.
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Where to stay:
Keetmanshoop (A 9)
Name:Keetmanshoop
Source: http://www.hunche.com/South_African_Railway_Namibia.htm
the Quiver Tree Forest, situated 14 kilometers outside Keetmanshoop, on the farm Gariganus. These prehistoric-looking trees grow up to 7 meters high and have attractive yellow flowers which appear in June and July.
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Just after the turn off from the main road look out for the original Witputs farmhouse ruins on your left. The owner, Reinier Coetzee, was apparently the last person to ever see Adolf Lüderitz alive. On the right is the police garrison that patrols the area up to the Sendelingsdrift gate. On the hill behind the building there are remnants of old South African World War One trenches and ruins. General Manie Maritz stayed at Witputs for three months to train horses for the Schutztruppe. Maritz was charged with treason in the 1920's for having joined the German forces in South-West Africa in 1914.
The Maritz Rebellion:
The Maritz Rebellion (Boer Revolt) (Five Shilling Rebellion), took place in South Africa in 1914 at the start of World War I, in which men who supported the recreation of the old Boer republics rose up against the government of the Union of South Africa. Many government members were former Boers who had fought with the Maritz rebels against the British in the Second Boer War, which had ended 11 years earlier. The rebellion failed, and the ringleaders received heavy fines and terms of imprisonment.
The outbreak of hostilities in Europe in August 1914 had long been anticipated, and the government of the Union of South Africa was well aware of the significance of the common border South Africa shared with the German colony of South-West Africa. Prime Minister Louis Botha informed London that South Africa could defend itself and that the Imperial Garrison could depart for France. When the British government asked Botha whether his forces would invade German South-West Africa, the reply was that they could and would.
South African troops were mobilised along the border between the two countries under the command of General Henry Lukin and Lt Col Manie Maritz early in September 1914. Shortly afterwards, another force occupied the German port of Lüderitz.
When the South African government offered to invade the German colonies, the commander-in-chief of the Union Defence Force, general Christiaan Beyers resigned, writing, “It is sad that the war is being waged against the ‘barbarism’ of the Germans. We have forgiven but not forgotten all the barbarities committed in our own country during the South African War,” referring to the atrocities committed by the British during the Boer War. A nominated senator, general Koos de la Rey, who had refused to support the government in parliament over this issue, visited Beyers. On September 15 they set off together to visit major JCG Kemp in Potchefstroom, who had a large armoury and a force of 2 000 newly trained men, many of whom were sympathetic to the rebels’ ideas.
Although it is not known what the purpose of their visit was, the South African government believed it to be an attempt to instigate a rebellion, as stated in the Government Blue Book which covers the historic event. According to general Beyers, it was to discuss plans for the simultaneous resignation of leading army officers in protest against the government’s actions, similar to what had happened in Britain two years earlier in the Curragh incident over the Irish Home Rule Bill. On the way to the meeting de la Rey was accidentally shot by a policeman at a road block set up to look for the Foster gang. At his funeral, however, many Nationalist Afrikaners believed and perpetuated the rumour that it was a government assassination, which added fuel to the fire, which was even further inflamed by Siener van Rensburg and his controversial prophecies.
General Maritz, who was head of a commando of Union forces on the border of German South-West Africa, allied himself with the Germans and issued a proclamation on behalf of a provisional government which stated that "the former South African Republic and Orange Free State as well as the Cape Province and Natal are proclaimed free from British control and independent, and every White inhabitant of the mentioned areas, of whatever nationality, are hereby called upon to take their weapons in their hands and realize the long-cherished ideal of a Free and Independent South Africa." It was announced that Generals Beyers, De Wet, Maritz, Kemp and Bezuidenhout were to be the first leaders of this provisional government. Maritz's forces occupied Keimoes in the Upington area. The Lydenburg commando under General De Wet took possession of the town of Heilbron, held up a train and captured government stores and ammunition. Some of the prominent citizens of the area joined him, and by the end of the week he had a force of 3000 men. Beyers also gathered a force in the Magaliesberg; in all, about 12,000 rebels rallied to the cause.
Where to stay:
Source: http://www.hunche.com/South_African_Railway_Namibia.htm
the Quiver Tree Forest, situated 14 kilometers outside Keetmanshoop, on the farm Gariganus. These prehistoric-looking trees grow up to 7 meters high and have attractive yellow flowers which appear in June and July.
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
Other interesting info:
Just after the turn off from the main road look out for the original Witputs farmhouse ruins on your left. The owner, Reinier Coetzee, was apparently the last person to ever see Adolf Lüderitz alive. On the right is the police garrison that patrols the area up to the Sendelingsdrift gate. On the hill behind the building there are remnants of old South African World War One trenches and ruins. General Manie Maritz stayed at Witputs for three months to train horses for the Schutztruppe. Maritz was charged with treason in the 1920's for having joined the German forces in South-West Africa in 1914.
The Maritz Rebellion:
The Maritz Rebellion (Boer Revolt) (Five Shilling Rebellion), took place in South Africa in 1914 at the start of World War I, in which men who supported the recreation of the old Boer republics rose up against the government of the Union of South Africa. Many government members were former Boers who had fought with the Maritz rebels against the British in the Second Boer War, which had ended 11 years earlier. The rebellion failed, and the ringleaders received heavy fines and terms of imprisonment.
The outbreak of hostilities in Europe in August 1914 had long been anticipated, and the government of the Union of South Africa was well aware of the significance of the common border South Africa shared with the German colony of South-West Africa. Prime Minister Louis Botha informed London that South Africa could defend itself and that the Imperial Garrison could depart for France. When the British government asked Botha whether his forces would invade German South-West Africa, the reply was that they could and would.
South African troops were mobilised along the border between the two countries under the command of General Henry Lukin and Lt Col Manie Maritz early in September 1914. Shortly afterwards, another force occupied the German port of Lüderitz.
When the South African government offered to invade the German colonies, the commander-in-chief of the Union Defence Force, general Christiaan Beyers resigned, writing, “It is sad that the war is being waged against the ‘barbarism’ of the Germans. We have forgiven but not forgotten all the barbarities committed in our own country during the South African War,” referring to the atrocities committed by the British during the Boer War. A nominated senator, general Koos de la Rey, who had refused to support the government in parliament over this issue, visited Beyers. On September 15 they set off together to visit major JCG Kemp in Potchefstroom, who had a large armoury and a force of 2 000 newly trained men, many of whom were sympathetic to the rebels’ ideas.
Although it is not known what the purpose of their visit was, the South African government believed it to be an attempt to instigate a rebellion, as stated in the Government Blue Book which covers the historic event. According to general Beyers, it was to discuss plans for the simultaneous resignation of leading army officers in protest against the government’s actions, similar to what had happened in Britain two years earlier in the Curragh incident over the Irish Home Rule Bill. On the way to the meeting de la Rey was accidentally shot by a policeman at a road block set up to look for the Foster gang. At his funeral, however, many Nationalist Afrikaners believed and perpetuated the rumour that it was a government assassination, which added fuel to the fire, which was even further inflamed by Siener van Rensburg and his controversial prophecies.
General Maritz, who was head of a commando of Union forces on the border of German South-West Africa, allied himself with the Germans and issued a proclamation on behalf of a provisional government which stated that "the former South African Republic and Orange Free State as well as the Cape Province and Natal are proclaimed free from British control and independent, and every White inhabitant of the mentioned areas, of whatever nationality, are hereby called upon to take their weapons in their hands and realize the long-cherished ideal of a Free and Independent South Africa." It was announced that Generals Beyers, De Wet, Maritz, Kemp and Bezuidenhout were to be the first leaders of this provisional government. Maritz's forces occupied Keimoes in the Upington area. The Lydenburg commando under General De Wet took possession of the town of Heilbron, held up a train and captured government stores and ammunition. Some of the prominent citizens of the area joined him, and by the end of the week he had a force of 3000 men. Beyers also gathered a force in the Magaliesberg; in all, about 12,000 rebels rallied to the cause.
Where to stay:
Katlehong (G 10)
Name: Katlehong
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
Other interesting info:
Amnesty hearings
The "whites only" bus terminus at Germiston during July
1988 – One (1) count of Malicious damage to property;
The Benoni Wimpy Restaurant on 30 July 1988 – One (1)
count of murder, sixty six (66) counts of attempted murder
and one (1) count of arson;
The South African Police (SAP) barracks, MNISI Section,
in Katlehong in September 1988 – an undetermined number
of counts of attempted murder and one (1) count of arson.
The Railway line near Katlehong during September 1988 –
One (1) count of malicious damage to property;
The Electrical Sub Station near Katlehong during
September 1988 – One (1) count of arson.
The attacks on the Railway line and the Electrical Transformer at Katlehong Railway station and the Sewer Tank at Boksburg were designed to cause damage to these structures, because they were both regarded as strategic mechanisms, the destruction of which was intended to adversely affect the apartheid machinery and cause serious embarrassment and inconvenience. More importantly, it was intended to instil fear within the public and lessen the confidence in the apartheid system. This was not disputed.
Where to stay:
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
Other interesting info:
Amnesty hearings
The "whites only" bus terminus at Germiston during July
1988 – One (1) count of Malicious damage to property;
The Benoni Wimpy Restaurant on 30 July 1988 – One (1)
count of murder, sixty six (66) counts of attempted murder
and one (1) count of arson;
The South African Police (SAP) barracks, MNISI Section,
in Katlehong in September 1988 – an undetermined number
of counts of attempted murder and one (1) count of arson.
The Railway line near Katlehong during September 1988 –
One (1) count of malicious damage to property;
The Electrical Sub Station near Katlehong during
September 1988 – One (1) count of arson.
The attacks on the Railway line and the Electrical Transformer at Katlehong Railway station and the Sewer Tank at Boksburg were designed to cause damage to these structures, because they were both regarded as strategic mechanisms, the destruction of which was intended to adversely affect the apartheid machinery and cause serious embarrassment and inconvenience. More importantly, it was intended to instil fear within the public and lessen the confidence in the apartheid system. This was not disputed.
Where to stay:
Kaserne (F 9)
Name: Kaserne
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
"The Vickers Road shelter is being constructed on the site of an old railway station in area of Kaserne that is directly adjacent to a hostel. There were reports that hostel dwellers fired shots at the persons who were tasked with setting up the camp over the weekend," it said.
"The international standards of refugee camps are not met," Rachel Cohen, the head of mission for the MSF in South Africa, told the Mail & Guardian Online earlier on Monday.
Bishop Paul Verryn of the Central Methodist Church said: "The place [the shelter] is really next to the hostels which were probably involved in the xenophobia attacks. We also heard that shots were fired from the hostels. And third, the hostels are not being consulted."
M&G June 2008
Other interesting info:
SA Railway Maps: http://www.sa-transport.co.za/trains/maps/railway_maps.html
Where to stay:
Google count:
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"The Vickers Road shelter is being constructed on the site of an old railway station in area of Kaserne that is directly adjacent to a hostel. There were reports that hostel dwellers fired shots at the persons who were tasked with setting up the camp over the weekend," it said.
"The international standards of refugee camps are not met," Rachel Cohen, the head of mission for the MSF in South Africa, told the Mail & Guardian Online earlier on Monday.
Bishop Paul Verryn of the Central Methodist Church said: "The place [the shelter] is really next to the hostels which were probably involved in the xenophobia attacks. We also heard that shots were fired from the hostels. And third, the hostels are not being consulted."
M&G June 2008
Other interesting info:
SA Railway Maps: http://www.sa-transport.co.za/trains/maps/railway_maps.html
Where to stay:
Karino (K 8)
Name: Karino
karino is named after an existing train station and is situated some 15 km east of nelspruit at the crocodile river
Karino, a settlement in Mpumalanga
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karino is named after an existing train station and is situated some 15 km east of nelspruit at the crocodile river
Karino, a settlement in Mpumalanga
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Friday, December 4, 2009
Karibib (A 6)
Name: Karibib
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karibib
Early history
The earliest settlers in the Karibib district were missionary Johannes Rath and his family, who arrived in Otjimbingwe on 11 July 1849. Six years later, in 1855, rich copper deposits were found in the Khomas Highlands, and the Walwich Bay Mining Company was founded in Cape Town, with its offices in Otjimbingwe, to exploit the deposits at the Matchless Mine, which then were transported from Otjimbingwe to the port at Walvis Bay. By 1860, the copper deposits were yielding too little for further mining activities, and subsequently the mine closed down and sold its buildings in Otjimbingwe to Charles Andersson for £1500.
Originally, Karibib was nothing but an unknown waterhole belonging to the Hereros. The waterhole and the surrounding 200 square kilometres was later sold by treaty by the Herero headman of Otjimbingwe to Mr Eduard Hälbich of Otjimbingwe. In addition to the settlement of debt, Zeraua received two ox-wagons with 36 oxen and some other compensation in consumable and clothing.
In 1899 Karibib received a second waterhole to cater for increased needs. After the railway reached Jakkalswater, a military outpost of 4 soldiers was opened in Karibib in 1899 to safeguard the approaching railway. In 1900, the town's population was only 10, and further developments occurred at the expense of Otjimbingwe, as the ox-wagons which used to travel via Otjimbingwe to Swakopmund, now travelled via Karibib. By the time the railway from Swakopmund to Windhoek had reached Karibib on 30 May 1900, the government moved the district council from Otjimbingwe to Karibib.
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karibib
Early history
The earliest settlers in the Karibib district were missionary Johannes Rath and his family, who arrived in Otjimbingwe on 11 July 1849. Six years later, in 1855, rich copper deposits were found in the Khomas Highlands, and the Walwich Bay Mining Company was founded in Cape Town, with its offices in Otjimbingwe, to exploit the deposits at the Matchless Mine, which then were transported from Otjimbingwe to the port at Walvis Bay. By 1860, the copper deposits were yielding too little for further mining activities, and subsequently the mine closed down and sold its buildings in Otjimbingwe to Charles Andersson for £1500.
Originally, Karibib was nothing but an unknown waterhole belonging to the Hereros. The waterhole and the surrounding 200 square kilometres was later sold by treaty by the Herero headman of Otjimbingwe to Mr Eduard Hälbich of Otjimbingwe. In addition to the settlement of debt, Zeraua received two ox-wagons with 36 oxen and some other compensation in consumable and clothing.
In 1899 Karibib received a second waterhole to cater for increased needs. After the railway reached Jakkalswater, a military outpost of 4 soldiers was opened in Karibib in 1899 to safeguard the approaching railway. In 1900, the town's population was only 10, and further developments occurred at the expense of Otjimbingwe, as the ox-wagons which used to travel via Otjimbingwe to Swakopmund, now travelled via Karibib. By the time the railway from Swakopmund to Windhoek had reached Karibib on 30 May 1900, the government moved the district council from Otjimbingwe to Karibib.
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Karasburg (A 10)
Name: Karasburg
There are three main routes that lead into Karasburg. From Grünau in the West, Onseepkans in the South and the B3 main road that leads to the South African border in the East. The town lies 710km south of Windhoek, 862km North of Cape Town and 110km West of the Ariamsvlei border post. Karasburg is the only relatively large town south of Keetmanshoop in Namibia.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karasburg
via Karasburg and Grunau to Holoog
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Seeheim: A little-known fact is that during the forties and fifties Seeheim was larger and of greater prominence than Keetmanshoop. It had a railway station, several churches and shops, a school, three hotels and a flourishing residential area. Then in the late fifties, the town gradually fell into decline. The school closed down and the residents began to leave. During 1974 the B2 was re-directed and the Seeheim Hotel finally shut shop.
After standing empty for 30 years, Zirkie Kloppers renovated the building and brought it back to life. The furniture(all of which is brand new and made by Zirkie himself), the curtains and other fittings as well as the new outbuildings for additional accommodation have been styled to suite the turn-of-the-century architecture and atmosphere of the original stone building.
For visitors interested in the historical aspects of the surrounding, there are ruins to explore, while the activities of the Schutztruppe are evidenced by an evocative of rusting ammunition scattered in the surrounding foothills. Future plans include the restoration of two historical railway dwellings to accommodate groups and families, and the development of camping facilities.
Where to stay:
There are three main routes that lead into Karasburg. From Grünau in the West, Onseepkans in the South and the B3 main road that leads to the South African border in the East. The town lies 710km south of Windhoek, 862km North of Cape Town and 110km West of the Ariamsvlei border post. Karasburg is the only relatively large town south of Keetmanshoop in Namibia.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karasburg
via Karasburg and Grunau to Holoog
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Date:
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Other interesting info:
Seeheim: A little-known fact is that during the forties and fifties Seeheim was larger and of greater prominence than Keetmanshoop. It had a railway station, several churches and shops, a school, three hotels and a flourishing residential area. Then in the late fifties, the town gradually fell into decline. The school closed down and the residents began to leave. During 1974 the B2 was re-directed and the Seeheim Hotel finally shut shop.
After standing empty for 30 years, Zirkie Kloppers renovated the building and brought it back to life. The furniture(all of which is brand new and made by Zirkie himself), the curtains and other fittings as well as the new outbuildings for additional accommodation have been styled to suite the turn-of-the-century architecture and atmosphere of the original stone building.
For visitors interested in the historical aspects of the surrounding, there are ruins to explore, while the activities of the Schutztruppe are evidenced by an evocative of rusting ammunition scattered in the surrounding foothills. Future plans include the restoration of two historical railway dwellings to accommodate groups and families, and the development of camping facilities.
Where to stay:
Kapiri M'poshi (F 3)
Name: Kapiri M'poshi
Kapiri Mposhi is a small town in Zambia. Located north of Lusaka, it stands on the Great North Road and is significant for the railway connection between Zambia Railways line from Kitwe to Lusaka and Livingstone and eastern terminal (New Kapiri Mposhi) of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority from Dar-es-Salaam since 1976.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_Zambia
Kapiri Mposhi on the ZR line is no station, just some tracks out in the field, but the train staff got me a taxi, and the taxi driver knew the TAZARA train would leave at 14.54, and it was only 2 km to New Kapiri Mposhi station, from where these trains leave.
The TZR train runs through a beautiful landscape, and in Tanzania I saw a lot of antelopes, buffaloes and giraffes. Already when leaving New Kapiri Mposhi the “Mukuba Express” (Copper in the Bemba language) was two hours late. We were supposed to arrive Dar-es-Salaam Thursday morning. In the afternoon the engine broke down, one station from Dar-es-Salaam. Everybody, except a young Bermudan-English couple with two small children and a lot of luggage and I, went the last 10 km or so by minibus. Finally a new engine arrived and pulled us in to Dar-es-Salaam TAZARA at 6. p.m.
http://www.africaguide.com/forums/read.php?21,18636
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Other interesting info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_Zambia
Where to stay:
Kapiri Mposhi is a small town in Zambia. Located north of Lusaka, it stands on the Great North Road and is significant for the railway connection between Zambia Railways line from Kitwe to Lusaka and Livingstone and eastern terminal (New Kapiri Mposhi) of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority from Dar-es-Salaam since 1976.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_Zambia
Kapiri Mposhi on the ZR line is no station, just some tracks out in the field, but the train staff got me a taxi, and the taxi driver knew the TAZARA train would leave at 14.54, and it was only 2 km to New Kapiri Mposhi station, from where these trains leave.
The TZR train runs through a beautiful landscape, and in Tanzania I saw a lot of antelopes, buffaloes and giraffes. Already when leaving New Kapiri Mposhi the “Mukuba Express” (Copper in the Bemba language) was two hours late. We were supposed to arrive Dar-es-Salaam Thursday morning. In the afternoon the engine broke down, one station from Dar-es-Salaam. Everybody, except a young Bermudan-English couple with two small children and a lot of luggage and I, went the last 10 km or so by minibus. Finally a new engine arrived and pulled us in to Dar-es-Salaam TAZARA at 6. p.m.
http://www.africaguide.com/forums/read.php?21,18636
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Other interesting info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_Zambia
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Kameel (C 9)
Name: Kameel
Vryburg.
Kameel is situated in the north western part of the Limpopo Province, close to the Botswana border 85km north of Thabazimbi – about 2hr45mins drive from Johannesburg
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Vryburg.
Kameel is situated in the north western part of the Limpopo Province, close to the Botswana border 85km north of Thabazimbi – about 2hr45mins drive from Johannesburg
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Kalomo Junction (E 4)
Name: Kalomo Junction
Zambia
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Zambia
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Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Kalkrand (A 8)
Name: Kalkrand
Source: http://www.southernnamibia.com/kalkrand.htm
Kalkrand is situated between Rehoboth and Mariental on the B1 national road. In this town you will find a well equipped petrol station and mini supermarket.
It's the perfect place to spend some time meeting the local people and wandering around. A new craft centre will be functioning soon.
http://www.petermerrington.co.za/PJM-Motorcycles-Zambia.shtml
The next day, stopping for a coke at Kalkrand, I found my front engine mounting bar come loose and very nearly lost. A local lent his hydraulic lift and we eased the engine back into position and tapped the bar back. Wired up the thread where a nut had fallen off, and muttered about whoever had left the lock-washer off. Passing north of the Tropic of Capricorn the winter air is at least five degrees warmer than back in the Cape. I rendezvoused with Harvey and Rick at the due time in the light of a full moon beneath the gothic mass of the Kristus-Kirche in Windhoek, and next day found a BMW dealer and the needful special thread nuts and lock-washers.
TransNamib Transport Museum. The museum is situated in the Windhoek Railway Station and was built from 1912 to 1913. In front of the building is the narrow-gauge locomotive (vintage 1900), that used to operate between Swakopmund and Windhoek.
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Source: http://www.southernnamibia.com/kalkrand.htm
Kalkrand is situated between Rehoboth and Mariental on the B1 national road. In this town you will find a well equipped petrol station and mini supermarket.
It's the perfect place to spend some time meeting the local people and wandering around. A new craft centre will be functioning soon.
http://www.petermerrington.co.za/PJM-Motorcycles-Zambia.shtml
The next day, stopping for a coke at Kalkrand, I found my front engine mounting bar come loose and very nearly lost. A local lent his hydraulic lift and we eased the engine back into position and tapped the bar back. Wired up the thread where a nut had fallen off, and muttered about whoever had left the lock-washer off. Passing north of the Tropic of Capricorn the winter air is at least five degrees warmer than back in the Cape. I rendezvoused with Harvey and Rick at the due time in the light of a full moon beneath the gothic mass of the Kristus-Kirche in Windhoek, and next day found a BMW dealer and the needful special thread nuts and lock-washers.
TransNamib Transport Museum. The museum is situated in the Windhoek Railway Station and was built from 1912 to 1913. In front of the building is the narrow-gauge locomotive (vintage 1900), that used to operate between Swakopmund and Windhoek.
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Kalkfeld (A 6)
Name: Kalkfeld
http://www.aato.co.za/namibia/kalkfeld.html
Kalkfeld is a town, west of Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region.
In Kalkfield, an out of the way place on the railway line north, there is a cluster of small, shallow rock depressions that are footprints from another world.
These dinosaur footprints, on a farm near Kalkfield, are judged to be between 150 and 185 million years old and have been declared a national monument.
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http://www.aato.co.za/namibia/kalkfeld.html
Kalkfeld is a town, west of Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region.
In Kalkfield, an out of the way place on the railway line north, there is a cluster of small, shallow rock depressions that are footprints from another world.
These dinosaur footprints, on a farm near Kalkfield, are judged to be between 150 and 185 million years old and have been declared a national monument.
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Kalkbaai (A 17)
Name: Kalkbaai
http://www.goodcemeteryguide.com/aboutkalkbay.html
The railway station where Anthony Loxton pondered his options in THE GOOd CEMETERY GUIDE is a real railway station which stands on the edge of the Indian ocean and is very much in use. If you stand on the Kalk Bay platform and look to the left you can see the false bay coastline all the way to Muizenberg where shark monitors are posted on a hill to warn swimmers if a curious white shark comes in too close, and if you look over to the right you can see Simonstown, a picturesque historical village that is home to a naval base and Boulders Beach where you can swim alongside African penguins.
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http://www.goodcemeteryguide.com/aboutkalkbay.html
The railway station where Anthony Loxton pondered his options in THE GOOd CEMETERY GUIDE is a real railway station which stands on the edge of the Indian ocean and is very much in use. If you stand on the Kalk Bay platform and look to the left you can see the false bay coastline all the way to Muizenberg where shark monitors are posted on a hill to warn swimmers if a curious white shark comes in too close, and if you look over to the right you can see Simonstown, a picturesque historical village that is home to a naval base and Boulders Beach where you can swim alongside African penguins.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Kalbaskraal (b15)
Name: Kalbaskraal
Kalbaskraal
Established during 1898 when a railway crossing was erected between Malmesbury and Cape Town on the farm Spes Bona. Kalbaskraal is a small village with an unstructured, rural appearance and a population of about 100 people. Unfortunately, Kalbaskraal is the victim of modern technology and the railway was replaced by road traffic and trucks. Kalbaskraal has a railway line running along the length of the town.
Die Kraaltjie Multi Purpose Centre has a soup kitchen and produce beautiful hammocks and biltong cutters.
Contact number: 022 481 3561.
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Kalbaskraal
Established during 1898 when a railway crossing was erected between Malmesbury and Cape Town on the farm Spes Bona. Kalbaskraal is a small village with an unstructured, rural appearance and a population of about 100 people. Unfortunately, Kalbaskraal is the victim of modern technology and the railway was replaced by road traffic and trucks. Kalbaskraal has a railway line running along the length of the town.
Die Kraaltjie Multi Purpose Centre has a soup kitchen and produce beautiful hammocks and biltong cutters.
Contact number: 022 481 3561.
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Monday, November 30, 2009
Kakamas (B 11)
Name: Kakamas
Originally build by a church and named after the Khoi word for 'poor pasture', the name today reflects poorly on a fertile valley in the lower Orange River, graced with vineyards, cotton and lucerne fields
An unforgettable combination of the mighty Orange (Gariep) River and the desolate barrenness of the Kalahari.
http://www.places.co.za/html/kakamas.html
Google count:
The small town of Kakamas was built on the sheer hard work and determination of a couple of impoverished stock farmers at the end of the 19th century.
In 1897, the Dutch Reformed Church started a “colony” on the farms Soetap and Kakamas on the banks of the Orange River for white people who had lost everything as a result of the drought.
Ignoring the criticism of qualified engineers about their building methods, the farmers continued to construct the water canals by hand that are still used to supply the town and surrounding area with water for irrigation. For their efforts they were each awarded the right to one of the irrigation plots. The men worked extremely hard even taking the yoke themselves, rather than wasting precious time in launching a time consuming search for oxen and donkeys grazing somewhere in the veld.
The exceptional dry piling of the stone along rocky slopes can still be seen today. By dry piling instead of excavating through rock, the farmers were able to cut the overall costs of the canals considerably.
The ingenuity of the workers under the leadership of Japie Lutz is aptly demonstrated in the workmanship at the water tunnels in the northern canal.
Mr Piet Burger perfected the water wheel that was widely used in Kakamas. This pumping device almost led to a court case about patent rights, when a blacksmith who used to live in Kakamas registered the patent in 1922.
The Commission that ran the “colony” planned ahead and in 1912 building operations on a hydro-electric power station and turbine in the northern canal were started. Ultimately the power station, built to look like an Egyptian temple, generated so much electricity that the Kakamas town management liased with Upington about the possibility of Kakamas supplying this neighbouring town with electricity too!
Thanks to irrigation from the Orange River farmers from the Kakamas area are now prime exporters of table grapes to Europe and England. The region also exports raisins, oranges and dates.
The name Kakamas was originally given to a drift that was known as Takemas or T’Kakamas since 1779. The name means “place of the raging cow” – probably referring to an incident when a raging cow stormed the Korana while they were herding their cattle through the drift.
Source - http://www.greenkalahari.co.za/kakamas/index.htm
Date:
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You have to know the story of "kakamas peaches"
Interestingly, one single Kakamas peach tree (the canning variety of peach known as the Collins - a natural mutation found growing here) is the progenitor of 3 quarters of all the trees supplying the South African peach canning industry!
To some the town's name originates from the Khoi word, "gagamas" (brown), referring to the red clay of the area with which women daub their faces. To most, though, Kakamas is a Koranna word meaning "poor pasture" and "vicious, charging ox". Legend has it that grazing in the vicinity was poor and, when cattle were driven through the river's drifts, some consistently turned on their drivers.
Source: http://www.places.co.za/html/kakamas.html
Where to stay:
Originally build by a church and named after the Khoi word for 'poor pasture', the name today reflects poorly on a fertile valley in the lower Orange River, graced with vineyards, cotton and lucerne fields
An unforgettable combination of the mighty Orange (Gariep) River and the desolate barrenness of the Kalahari.
http://www.places.co.za/html/kakamas.html
Google count:
The small town of Kakamas was built on the sheer hard work and determination of a couple of impoverished stock farmers at the end of the 19th century.
In 1897, the Dutch Reformed Church started a “colony” on the farms Soetap and Kakamas on the banks of the Orange River for white people who had lost everything as a result of the drought.
Ignoring the criticism of qualified engineers about their building methods, the farmers continued to construct the water canals by hand that are still used to supply the town and surrounding area with water for irrigation. For their efforts they were each awarded the right to one of the irrigation plots. The men worked extremely hard even taking the yoke themselves, rather than wasting precious time in launching a time consuming search for oxen and donkeys grazing somewhere in the veld.
The exceptional dry piling of the stone along rocky slopes can still be seen today. By dry piling instead of excavating through rock, the farmers were able to cut the overall costs of the canals considerably.
The ingenuity of the workers under the leadership of Japie Lutz is aptly demonstrated in the workmanship at the water tunnels in the northern canal.
Mr Piet Burger perfected the water wheel that was widely used in Kakamas. This pumping device almost led to a court case about patent rights, when a blacksmith who used to live in Kakamas registered the patent in 1922.
The Commission that ran the “colony” planned ahead and in 1912 building operations on a hydro-electric power station and turbine in the northern canal were started. Ultimately the power station, built to look like an Egyptian temple, generated so much electricity that the Kakamas town management liased with Upington about the possibility of Kakamas supplying this neighbouring town with electricity too!
Thanks to irrigation from the Orange River farmers from the Kakamas area are now prime exporters of table grapes to Europe and England. The region also exports raisins, oranges and dates.
The name Kakamas was originally given to a drift that was known as Takemas or T’Kakamas since 1779. The name means “place of the raging cow” – probably referring to an incident when a raging cow stormed the Korana while they were herding their cattle through the drift.
Source - http://www.greenkalahari.co.za/kakamas/index.htm
Date:
Historic fact:
Other interesting info:
You have to know the story of "kakamas peaches"
Interestingly, one single Kakamas peach tree (the canning variety of peach known as the Collins - a natural mutation found growing here) is the progenitor of 3 quarters of all the trees supplying the South African peach canning industry!
To some the town's name originates from the Khoi word, "gagamas" (brown), referring to the red clay of the area with which women daub their faces. To most, though, Kakamas is a Koranna word meaning "poor pasture" and "vicious, charging ox". Legend has it that grazing in the vicinity was poor and, when cattle were driven through the river's drifts, some consistently turned on their drivers.
Source: http://www.places.co.za/html/kakamas.html
Where to stay:
Kafue (F 4)
Name: Kafue
Kafue is a town in the Lusaka Province of Zambia on the north bank of the Kafue River, after which it is named. It is the southern gateway to the central Zambian plateau on which Lusaka and the mining towns of Kabwe and the Copperbelt are located
Kafue is Zambia's oldest park and by far the largest. It was proclaimed in 1950 and is spread over 22 400 square kilometres - the second largest national
www.zambiatourism.com/travel/nationalparks/kafue.htm
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Kafue is a town in the Lusaka Province of Zambia on the north bank of the Kafue River, after which it is named. It is the southern gateway to the central Zambian plateau on which Lusaka and the mining towns of Kabwe and the Copperbelt are located
Kafue is Zambia's oldest park and by far the largest. It was proclaimed in 1950 and is spread over 22 400 square kilometres - the second largest national
www.zambiatourism.com/travel/nationalparks/kafue.htm
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Ka Dake (L10)
Name: Ka Dake
Ka Dake Station, Swaziland
http://www.geonames.org/935064/ka-dake-station.html
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Ka Dake Station, Swaziland
http://www.geonames.org/935064/ka-dake-station.html
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Kabwe (F 3)
Name: Kabwe
Kabwe: world's most polluted place
Source: http://www.afrol.com/articles/22087
Kabwe, the second largest city in Zambia, has found itself on the top-ten of a new list of "the world's worst polluted places" due to very high lead concentrations left over from previous mining operations. Average blood levels of lead among children in some townships are five to ten times the level considered dangerous.
Kabwe is one of six towns situated around the Copperbelt, once Zambia's thriving industrial base. In 1902, rich deposits of lead were discovered here, leading to a century-long mining operation that never bothered too much about environmental standards and public health.
As a result, Kabwe this week landed at fourth place on a list published in a report by the New York-based Blacksmith Institute, which describes the ten most polluted places on earth. Most places, the report says, are not even well known within their own country, with Russia providing three out of the ten sites.
The Zambian town is an especially ugly example of how large-scale pollution in a developing country affects the health of thousands of poor families and in particular children. Neither colonial authorities nor the post-independence government bothered to provide security for Kabwe residents.
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Kabwe: world's most polluted place
Source: http://www.afrol.com/articles/22087
Kabwe, the second largest city in Zambia, has found itself on the top-ten of a new list of "the world's worst polluted places" due to very high lead concentrations left over from previous mining operations. Average blood levels of lead among children in some townships are five to ten times the level considered dangerous.
Kabwe is one of six towns situated around the Copperbelt, once Zambia's thriving industrial base. In 1902, rich deposits of lead were discovered here, leading to a century-long mining operation that never bothered too much about environmental standards and public health.
As a result, Kabwe this week landed at fourth place on a list published in a report by the New York-based Blacksmith Institute, which describes the ten most polluted places on earth. Most places, the report says, are not even well known within their own country, with Russia providing three out of the ten sites.
The Zambian town is an especially ugly example of how large-scale pollution in a developing country affects the health of thousands of poor families and in particular children. Neither colonial authorities nor the post-independence government bothered to provide security for Kabwe residents.
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Friday, November 27, 2009
Kaapmuiden (L 8)
Name: Kaapmuiden
Source: http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsmpl/kaapmuiden.php
The route along the N4 between Nelspruit and Malelane passes a number of uninspiring little towns, few of which are particularly appealing to visitors, although Kaapmuiden (Cape mouth) - essentially a small farming village with little more than a particularly good butcher, if you happen to know the lie of the land from locals, to distinguish it - is worth a stop to sneak a look at some of the beautiful old-style tin roofed houses that line the main street.
A colourful silo, once abandoned but still visible from the N4, has been painted with abandon to attract visitors to the town that once served as a junction on the Pretoria to Delagoa Bay railway line. The area around Kaapmuiden is farm land dedicated to sugarcane, subtropical fruit and vegetables; and local farmers tend to make jovial hosts at accommodation that is ideally placed considering that the Kruger National Park is just 25 kilometres away.
The beautiful De Kaap River provides some excellent fishing opportunities in deep pools, whilst a local mountain reserve - some 20 farms have combined to form an eco reserve that allows the free roaming of game such as rhino, kudu, nyala and buffalo - provides some good local game viewing. Hiking trails and bike routes abound in the area, and there are golf courses at Leopard Creek and Malelane
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Source: http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsmpl/kaapmuiden.php
The route along the N4 between Nelspruit and Malelane passes a number of uninspiring little towns, few of which are particularly appealing to visitors, although Kaapmuiden (Cape mouth) - essentially a small farming village with little more than a particularly good butcher, if you happen to know the lie of the land from locals, to distinguish it - is worth a stop to sneak a look at some of the beautiful old-style tin roofed houses that line the main street.
A colourful silo, once abandoned but still visible from the N4, has been painted with abandon to attract visitors to the town that once served as a junction on the Pretoria to Delagoa Bay railway line. The area around Kaapmuiden is farm land dedicated to sugarcane, subtropical fruit and vegetables; and local farmers tend to make jovial hosts at accommodation that is ideally placed considering that the Kruger National Park is just 25 kilometres away.
The beautiful De Kaap River provides some excellent fishing opportunities in deep pools, whilst a local mountain reserve - some 20 farms have combined to form an eco reserve that allows the free roaming of game such as rhino, kudu, nyala and buffalo - provides some good local game viewing. Hiking trails and bike routes abound in the area, and there are golf courses at Leopard Creek and Malelane
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
Kaallaagte (G 11)
Name: Kaallaagte
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Kaalfontein (G 8)
Name: Kaalfontein
Two skirmishes took place in Kempton Park during the Anglo-Boer War, both in January1901. The first known as the Battle of Zuurfontein took place next to the ZuurfonteinStation in the morning The second, known as the Battle of Kaalfontein, took place in theafternoon at Kaalfontein Station. Gen Beyers commanded the Boers. CommandantDuvenage, who was wounded at the Battle of Kaalfontein, was involved with bothclashes.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:L0eQioilKgMJ:www.deat.gov.za/soer/reports/ekurhuleni/Report/AppendixF%2520Summary%2520of%2520Known%2520Arts,%2520Culture%2520and%2520Heritage%2520Site..pdf+%22Kaalfontein+Railway+station+History%22&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=za
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From: http://www.everitt-kemptonpark.co.za/property-in-kempton-park.shp
Exciting things were happening in the Transvaal. Gold prospecting had been on the go for some years and, in 1886, George Harrison made the first discovery of the gold reef at Langlaagte, some 50 kilometres west of Zuurfontein. Further gold finds were recorded and within months the whole reef to the south of Zuurfontein was alive with activity. This was the start of the Golden City, Johannesburg, and the beginnings of the Witwatersrand. The momentous discovery of gold in vast quantities became the first major event to influence the future development of Kempton Park. The railway line The next important and historic incident which was to have a permanent effect on the shaping of the town was the building of the railway line. It had long been a Voortrekker ideal to build a rail link between the Transvaal and the east coast and with the opening of the goldfields it became a vital priority. On 25th June 1890, the Z.A.R. government granted a concession to the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatskappij to build a railway line from Pretoria, bypassing Johannesburg on the east and directed to the Vaal river by the shortest route. It is interesting to note at this point that simply because of the desire to find the shortest geographical route to the sea, the railway line was designed to bypass Johannesburg completely.
A junction linking the Witwatersrand and Johannesburg to the main line was established at Germiston. Significantly, however, the main line passed directly over the farm Zuurfontein, thus forging another link in the destiny of the yet unborn township of Kempton Park. The route of the railway line, decided upon by the concession-holders and the government commissioner, resulted in the establishment of stations at Irene, Kaalfontein and Zuurfontein. This was to eventuate in Zuurfontein becoming a gathering place for the resident farmers in the area and thus local community life had its first origins.
The Kaalfontein/Zuurfontein blockhouse [G] was a hexagonal three-storeyed stone blockhouse, covered by a low-pitched 'umbrella' corrugated roof with a wide eaves projection over the walls. In the photograph, the first floor entrance and access ladder and the loopholes at all three levels are clearly visible, with two officers and four other ranks posing in front, but the exceptional feature of this blockhouse must be the three bell-shaped 'shields with projecting gun barrels' positioned on each visible wall face between the first and second floor loopholes. Were these designed to scare the enemy into believing that the blockhouse was protected by Maxim guns? The site was on the outskirts of present-day Kempton Park.
Summary
The British masonry blockhouses of the South African War are the swansong of a castle and fort-building tradition which stretches back over 1 000 years and embraces a large part of the world. No more stonework fortifications were to be built by the British after this war. In the context of the very sophisticated fortification technology current in Europe and the United States of America during the nineteenth century, these are small and simple structures, designed to counter an enemy armed with rifles and no artillery. They served their purpose and were successful in that, whilst 'the wrecking of the railways reached a maximum in November and December 1900',(19) it has been stated that not a single important railway bridge was demolished by the Boers during Kitchener's command.(20) Together with the more numerous lines of corrugated blockhouses, they were, in a large measure, responsible for restricting the movement of the commandos, which terminated the guerrilla phase of the war.
As examples of stonework construction, these blockhouses are well-built and are fine specimens of the stonemason's art. The use of local stone, often quarried close to the site, produces a wide array of colours in different parts of the country, and these buildings fit in with their surroundings. The survival of so many examples testifies to their solid construction and the considerable variation of design types highlights the ingenuity and the wide degree of latitude given to the Royal Engineer officers who planned these interesting structures. They are an important contribution to the built environment and to our historic heritage and remain a highly visible reminder of the war.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol106rt.html
Other interesting info:
The varying terrain of Modderfontein's topography proved ideal for training in horsemanship, which was based largely on the best methods of cavalry training used in the British Army and the best methods of horse care and grooming. Instruction was also given in basic veterinary care and in coping with common equine ailments, especially South African horse sickness. Practical training included the shoeing of horses and training was given in gymkhana techniques such as 'tent pegging' with lances. Long distance route marches were undertaken to Dam III, Swanepoel's bridge over the Jukskei River on the road to Johannesburg, to Zourfontein Station (now Kempton Park), Halfway House and to Kaalfontein Station. Night riding was done to Dam III and back. All of this was done to form a bond between rider and mount.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol121kk.html
Where to stay:
Two skirmishes took place in Kempton Park during the Anglo-Boer War, both in January1901. The first known as the Battle of Zuurfontein took place next to the ZuurfonteinStation in the morning The second, known as the Battle of Kaalfontein, took place in theafternoon at Kaalfontein Station. Gen Beyers commanded the Boers. CommandantDuvenage, who was wounded at the Battle of Kaalfontein, was involved with bothclashes.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:L0eQioilKgMJ:www.deat.gov.za/soer/reports/ekurhuleni/Report/AppendixF%2520Summary%2520of%2520Known%2520Arts,%2520Culture%2520and%2520Heritage%2520Site..pdf+%22Kaalfontein+Railway+station+History%22&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=za
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Date:
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From: http://www.everitt-kemptonpark.co.za/property-in-kempton-park.shp
Exciting things were happening in the Transvaal. Gold prospecting had been on the go for some years and, in 1886, George Harrison made the first discovery of the gold reef at Langlaagte, some 50 kilometres west of Zuurfontein. Further gold finds were recorded and within months the whole reef to the south of Zuurfontein was alive with activity. This was the start of the Golden City, Johannesburg, and the beginnings of the Witwatersrand. The momentous discovery of gold in vast quantities became the first major event to influence the future development of Kempton Park. The railway line The next important and historic incident which was to have a permanent effect on the shaping of the town was the building of the railway line. It had long been a Voortrekker ideal to build a rail link between the Transvaal and the east coast and with the opening of the goldfields it became a vital priority. On 25th June 1890, the Z.A.R. government granted a concession to the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatskappij to build a railway line from Pretoria, bypassing Johannesburg on the east and directed to the Vaal river by the shortest route. It is interesting to note at this point that simply because of the desire to find the shortest geographical route to the sea, the railway line was designed to bypass Johannesburg completely.
A junction linking the Witwatersrand and Johannesburg to the main line was established at Germiston. Significantly, however, the main line passed directly over the farm Zuurfontein, thus forging another link in the destiny of the yet unborn township of Kempton Park. The route of the railway line, decided upon by the concession-holders and the government commissioner, resulted in the establishment of stations at Irene, Kaalfontein and Zuurfontein. This was to eventuate in Zuurfontein becoming a gathering place for the resident farmers in the area and thus local community life had its first origins.
The Kaalfontein/Zuurfontein blockhouse [G] was a hexagonal three-storeyed stone blockhouse, covered by a low-pitched 'umbrella' corrugated roof with a wide eaves projection over the walls. In the photograph, the first floor entrance and access ladder and the loopholes at all three levels are clearly visible, with two officers and four other ranks posing in front, but the exceptional feature of this blockhouse must be the three bell-shaped 'shields with projecting gun barrels' positioned on each visible wall face between the first and second floor loopholes. Were these designed to scare the enemy into believing that the blockhouse was protected by Maxim guns? The site was on the outskirts of present-day Kempton Park.
Summary
The British masonry blockhouses of the South African War are the swansong of a castle and fort-building tradition which stretches back over 1 000 years and embraces a large part of the world. No more stonework fortifications were to be built by the British after this war. In the context of the very sophisticated fortification technology current in Europe and the United States of America during the nineteenth century, these are small and simple structures, designed to counter an enemy armed with rifles and no artillery. They served their purpose and were successful in that, whilst 'the wrecking of the railways reached a maximum in November and December 1900',(19) it has been stated that not a single important railway bridge was demolished by the Boers during Kitchener's command.(20) Together with the more numerous lines of corrugated blockhouses, they were, in a large measure, responsible for restricting the movement of the commandos, which terminated the guerrilla phase of the war.
As examples of stonework construction, these blockhouses are well-built and are fine specimens of the stonemason's art. The use of local stone, often quarried close to the site, produces a wide array of colours in different parts of the country, and these buildings fit in with their surroundings. The survival of so many examples testifies to their solid construction and the considerable variation of design types highlights the ingenuity and the wide degree of latitude given to the Royal Engineer officers who planned these interesting structures. They are an important contribution to the built environment and to our historic heritage and remain a highly visible reminder of the war.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol106rt.html
Other interesting info:
The varying terrain of Modderfontein's topography proved ideal for training in horsemanship, which was based largely on the best methods of cavalry training used in the British Army and the best methods of horse care and grooming. Instruction was also given in basic veterinary care and in coping with common equine ailments, especially South African horse sickness. Practical training included the shoeing of horses and training was given in gymkhana techniques such as 'tent pegging' with lances. Long distance route marches were undertaken to Dam III, Swanepoel's bridge over the Jukskei River on the road to Johannesburg, to Zourfontein Station (now Kempton Park), Halfway House and to Kaalfontein Station. Night riding was done to Dam III and back. All of this was done to form a bond between rider and mount.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol121kk.html
Where to stay:
Jupiter (G 9)
Name: Jupiter
Kitson was re-located to serve at Rosherville power station in 1920. From 1920 until 1966, "Kitty" hauled coal trains between Jupiter railway station and Rosherville power station, a distance of 2,4km. After the closure of Rosherville power station in 1966, Kitty was used to haul light loads at Rosherville central workshop and stores. A dedicated locomotive maintenance team, located at Rosherville central workshops, kept "Kitty" in first-class condition.
In accordance with conditions first stipulated in the Power Act of 1910 and included in the Electricity Act of 1922, all assets of the VFP were expropriated and taken over by ESCOM in 1948. ESKOM was formerly known as the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM).
The Natal Government Railways, the Victoria Falls and Transvaal Power Company Limited, and ESCOM made numerous modifications to Kitson.
The rear portion of the frame was extended, the coal bunker moved to the rear of the cab, the custom built toolboxes removed and the discarded coal bunker converted into a toolbox.
The rear portions of the side water tanks were lifted away from the frames and were extended towards the front of the engine. This necessitated some modification to the steam chests.
The vacuum brake ejector was replaced by a Dreadnought ejector
The bottle type lubricator was replaced by a Eureka lubricator.
The oil headlamp, which had been replaced by an electric headlamp, was restored except for the replacement of the wick by an electric globe.
The original bell-type buffers were replaced by standard SAR knuckle couplers. Kitty was re-boilered in 1927, and again in 1952.
In 1979, "Kitty" became the first steam locomotive in South Africa (possibly the world) to have completed a century of continuous service. "Kitty’s" feats are legendary in South African steam locomotive circles. Dave Parson, the foreman of the locomotive maintenance team at Rosherville central workshops, states
"I have been on the footplate when Kitty pulled 20 loaded coal hoppers, more that 50 times her own weight, from Jupiter station to Rosherville power station. Many ten shilling bets were won by ESCOM men when South African Railways drivers bet that Kitty could not pull such loads."
Acting on an ESCOM proposal, the South African National Monuments Commission declared Kitty a national monument on the 29 April 1983. It is the first moveable, working machine to receive this distinction. This locomotive is one of the oldest operating steam locomotives in the world. At the inauguration ceremony, Mr Jan H Smith, then Chairman of ESCOM, said of "Kitty." "To me, "Kitty" has always been a link between the past and the future - an example of how dedicated maintenance and the will to preserve can make a chunk of steel a symbol of inspiration which motivates both the young and not so young."
Kitson is on permanent loan from ESKOM to the South African National Railway and Steam Museum in Krugersdorp. A ride on this steam locomotive is still possible. Enthusiastic volunteers operate the museum. Their efforts ensure that Kitson "steams" for the public approximately twice each year. Despite the numerous modifications made, "Kitty" is still resplendent in ESCOM’s familiar brown and gold colours closely resembling the original design.
"Kitty" has been used in various film productions over the years.
Source: http://heritage.eskom.co.za/heritage/museum.htm
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Kitson was re-located to serve at Rosherville power station in 1920. From 1920 until 1966, "Kitty" hauled coal trains between Jupiter railway station and Rosherville power station, a distance of 2,4km. After the closure of Rosherville power station in 1966, Kitty was used to haul light loads at Rosherville central workshop and stores. A dedicated locomotive maintenance team, located at Rosherville central workshops, kept "Kitty" in first-class condition.
In accordance with conditions first stipulated in the Power Act of 1910 and included in the Electricity Act of 1922, all assets of the VFP were expropriated and taken over by ESCOM in 1948. ESKOM was formerly known as the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM).
The Natal Government Railways, the Victoria Falls and Transvaal Power Company Limited, and ESCOM made numerous modifications to Kitson.
The rear portion of the frame was extended, the coal bunker moved to the rear of the cab, the custom built toolboxes removed and the discarded coal bunker converted into a toolbox.
The rear portions of the side water tanks were lifted away from the frames and were extended towards the front of the engine. This necessitated some modification to the steam chests.
The vacuum brake ejector was replaced by a Dreadnought ejector
The bottle type lubricator was replaced by a Eureka lubricator.
The oil headlamp, which had been replaced by an electric headlamp, was restored except for the replacement of the wick by an electric globe.
The original bell-type buffers were replaced by standard SAR knuckle couplers. Kitty was re-boilered in 1927, and again in 1952.
In 1979, "Kitty" became the first steam locomotive in South Africa (possibly the world) to have completed a century of continuous service. "Kitty’s" feats are legendary in South African steam locomotive circles. Dave Parson, the foreman of the locomotive maintenance team at Rosherville central workshops, states
"I have been on the footplate when Kitty pulled 20 loaded coal hoppers, more that 50 times her own weight, from Jupiter station to Rosherville power station. Many ten shilling bets were won by ESCOM men when South African Railways drivers bet that Kitty could not pull such loads."
Acting on an ESCOM proposal, the South African National Monuments Commission declared Kitty a national monument on the 29 April 1983. It is the first moveable, working machine to receive this distinction. This locomotive is one of the oldest operating steam locomotives in the world. At the inauguration ceremony, Mr Jan H Smith, then Chairman of ESCOM, said of "Kitty." "To me, "Kitty" has always been a link between the past and the future - an example of how dedicated maintenance and the will to preserve can make a chunk of steel a symbol of inspiration which motivates both the young and not so young."
Kitson is on permanent loan from ESKOM to the South African National Railway and Steam Museum in Krugersdorp. A ride on this steam locomotive is still possible. Enthusiastic volunteers operate the museum. Their efforts ensure that Kitson "steams" for the public approximately twice each year. Despite the numerous modifications made, "Kitty" is still resplendent in ESCOM’s familiar brown and gold colours closely resembling the original design.
"Kitty" has been used in various film productions over the years.
Source: http://heritage.eskom.co.za/heritage/museum.htm
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Where to stay:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Steam Locomotives
http://steam-locomotives-south-africa.blogspot.com/2009/10/ladismith-touws-river-makadas-branch.html
Joubertina (E 16)
Name: Joubertina
Krakeel (Dutch for fighting) is a railway station 12Km to the west of Joubertina.
Haarlem
In 1856 Haarlem was established as a mission station, but first named Anhalt-Schmidt. The first missionary was Friedrich Prietsch, who came from Anhalt in Germany. As the locals struggeld with the pronunciation of the name, it was changed to Haarlem, a Dutch town near Amsterdam. In 1880 a church was built in the Neo-Gothic style. Its building was initiated by Heinrich Howe and Cristoph Markotter.
History
In 1770 a loan farm was awarded in the area to Matthijs Strijdom.
In 1802 a group of Xhosa attacked European settlers on the Waboom River. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) British troops camped on the banks of the river.
Joubertina was founded in 1907 on a portion of a farm owned by Daniel Kritzinger, a teetotaller. A condition of sale was that alcohol could not be served within the town borders. The Joubertina was built outside the border to get around this clause.
The town was originally named Joubertsburg, and then Joubertville after the Dutch Reformed minister of Uniondale, WA Joubert (who served from 1879 to 1892), but as there already was a railway station with the latter name, it was changed to Joubertina.
Joubertina became a municipality in 1971.
Before road transport took over from rail transport, a train did the route through the valley between Avontuur and Port Elizabeth. As soft fruits was the dominant goods to be transported, it was known as the Apple Express. Today the Apple Express runs as a tourist attraction, but not through the valley. It runs northward of Port Elizabeth to Patensie.
Source: http://www.routes.co.za/ec/joubertina/index.html
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The valley was inhabited by Bushmen in a previous era. Traces of their presence are reflected in rock art paintings on the walls of many of the rock shelters. 'Hottentot' pastoralists came into the area after the Bushmen, and contributed to many of the place names in the valley, like Gwarina or Querina ('the ravine of the eland'), Kouga ('place of the blue wildebeest'); Traka ('place of the women') and Humtata ('plain where the Hottentot figs grow'). These and other names are reminders of a vanished people, whose absence is largely a result of smallpox epidemics.
Izaak Schryver’s expedition was the first European exploration of the area in 1689. Subsequently, hunters, botanists and explorers followed. The first European settlers came into the area in 1740. These settlers aggrieved the Cape Town authorities as they were pioneers of sorts and were constantly expanding the frontiers in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the tax collectors. The tax gatherers invariably followed them.
Source: http://www.openafrica.org/route/langkloof-route
Where to stay:
Krakeel (Dutch for fighting) is a railway station 12Km to the west of Joubertina.
Haarlem
In 1856 Haarlem was established as a mission station, but first named Anhalt-Schmidt. The first missionary was Friedrich Prietsch, who came from Anhalt in Germany. As the locals struggeld with the pronunciation of the name, it was changed to Haarlem, a Dutch town near Amsterdam. In 1880 a church was built in the Neo-Gothic style. Its building was initiated by Heinrich Howe and Cristoph Markotter.
History
In 1770 a loan farm was awarded in the area to Matthijs Strijdom.
In 1802 a group of Xhosa attacked European settlers on the Waboom River. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) British troops camped on the banks of the river.
Joubertina was founded in 1907 on a portion of a farm owned by Daniel Kritzinger, a teetotaller. A condition of sale was that alcohol could not be served within the town borders. The Joubertina was built outside the border to get around this clause.
The town was originally named Joubertsburg, and then Joubertville after the Dutch Reformed minister of Uniondale, WA Joubert (who served from 1879 to 1892), but as there already was a railway station with the latter name, it was changed to Joubertina.
Joubertina became a municipality in 1971.
Before road transport took over from rail transport, a train did the route through the valley between Avontuur and Port Elizabeth. As soft fruits was the dominant goods to be transported, it was known as the Apple Express. Today the Apple Express runs as a tourist attraction, but not through the valley. It runs northward of Port Elizabeth to Patensie.
Source: http://www.routes.co.za/ec/joubertina/index.html
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
Other interesting info:
The valley was inhabited by Bushmen in a previous era. Traces of their presence are reflected in rock art paintings on the walls of many of the rock shelters. 'Hottentot' pastoralists came into the area after the Bushmen, and contributed to many of the place names in the valley, like Gwarina or Querina ('the ravine of the eland'), Kouga ('place of the blue wildebeest'); Traka ('place of the women') and Humtata ('plain where the Hottentot figs grow'). These and other names are reminders of a vanished people, whose absence is largely a result of smallpox epidemics.
Izaak Schryver’s expedition was the first European exploration of the area in 1689. Subsequently, hunters, botanists and explorers followed. The first European settlers came into the area in 1740. These settlers aggrieved the Cape Town authorities as they were pioneers of sorts and were constantly expanding the frontiers in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the tax collectors. The tax gatherers invariably followed them.
Source: http://www.openafrica.org/route/langkloof-route
Where to stay:
Johannesburg (F 9)
Name: Johannesburg
Johannesburg station - From a Mango Groove song:
Johannesburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa.[5] The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world,[6] and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.[7]
While Johannesburg is not officially one of South Africa's three capital cities, it does house the Constitutional Court – South Africa's highest court. The city is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills. Johannesburg is served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa. More recently the much smaller Lanseria International Airport has started international flights and is situated conveniently on the opposite side of the metropolis.
According to the 2007 Community Survey, the population of the municipal city was 3,888,180 and the population of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area was 7,151,447. A broader definition of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, including Ekhuruleni (on the East Rand, the West Rand, Soweto and Lenasia, has a population of 10,267,700. The municipal city's land area of 1,645 km2 (635 sq mi) is very large when compared to other cities, resulting in a moderate population density of 2,364 /km2 (6,120 /sq mi).
Johannesburg includes Soweto, which was separate from the late 1970s until the 1990s. Originally an acronym for "SOuth-WEstern TOwnships", Soweto originated as a collection of settlements on the outskirts of Johannesburg populated mostly by native African workers in the gold mining industry. Eventually incorporated into Johannesburg, the apartheid regime (in power 1949–1994) separated Soweto from the rest of Johannesburg to make it a completely Black area. Lenasia is now also part of Johannesburg and is an area predominantly populated by those of Indian ethnicity since the apartheid era.
Gauteng is growing rapidly due to mass urbanisation which is a feature of many developing countries. According to the State of the Cities Report, the urban portion of Gauteng – comprising primarily the cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni (the East Rand) and Tshwane (greater Pretoria) – will be a polycentric urban region with a projected population of some 14.6 million people by 2015.
Older history
More specifically, the stone-walled ruins of Sotho-Tswana towns and villages are scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. The Sotho-Tswana practiced farming, raised cattle, sheep and goats, and extensively mined and smelted copper, iron and tin. Moreover, from the early 1960s until his retirement, Professor Revil Mason, of the University of the Witwatersrand, explored and documented many Late Iron Age archeological sites throughout the Johannesburg area, dating from between the 12th century and 18th century, and many of these sites contained the ruins of Sotho-Tswana mines and iron smelting furnaces, suggesting that the area was being exploited for its mineral wealth before the arrival of Europeans or the discovery of gold. The most prominent site within Johannesburg is Melville Koppies, which contains an iron smelting furnace.[9]
Many Sotho-Tswana towns and villages in the areas around Johannesburg were destroyed and their people driven away during the wars emanating from Zululand during the late 18th and early 19th centuries (the mfecane or difaqane wars), and as a result, an offshoot of the Zulu kingdom, the Ndebele (often referred to by the name the local Sotho-Tswana gave them, the Matebele), set up a kingdom to the northwest of Johannesburg around modern day Hartebeestpoort and Rustenburg, and historians believe that the Matebele kingdom dominated the Johannesburg area.[citation needed]
The Dutch speaking Voortrekkers arrived in the early 19th century, driving away the Matebele with the help of Sotho-Tswana allies, establishing settlements around Rustenburg and Pretoria in the early 1830s, and claiming sovereignty over what would become Johannesburg as part of the South African Republic or Transvaal Republic. Gold was discovered in the 1880s and triggered the gold rush. Gold was initially discovered some 400 km to the east of present-day Johannesburg, in Barberton. Gold prospectors soon discovered that there were even richer gold reefs in the Witwatersrand. Gold was discovered at Langlaagte, Johannesburg in 1886.
Johannesburg was a dusty settlement some 55 km from the Transvaal Republic capital which was Pretoria. The town was much the same as any small prospecting settlement, but, as word spread, people flocked to the area from all other regions of the country, as well as from North America, the United Kingdom and Europe.[10] As the value of control of the land increased, tensions developed between the Boer government in Pretoria and the British, culminating in the Jameson Raid that ended in fiasco at Doornkop in January 1896 and the Second Boer War (1899–1902) that saw British forces under Lord Roberts occupy the city on 30 May 1900 after a series of battles to the south of its then-limits.
Fighting took place at the Gatsrand Pass (near Zakariyya Park) on 27 May, north of Vanwyksrust—today's Nancefield, Eldorado Park and Naturena—the next day, culminating in a mass infantry attack on what is now the waterworks ridge in Chiawelo and Senaoane on 29 May.[citation needed]
Controversy surrounds the origin of the name, as there were any number of people with the name "Johannes" who were involved in the early history of the city. The principal clerk attached to the office of the surveyor-general, Johannes Rissik, Christiaan Johannes Joubert, member of the Volksraad and the Republic's chief of mining, Paul Kruger, President of the South African Republic. Rissik and Joubert were members of a delegation sent to England to attain mining rights for the area. Joubert had a park in the city named after him and Rissik street is today a main street where the (historically important and dilapidated,[11] since burnt out[12]) Post Office and City Hall are located.
Major building developments took place in the 1930s, after South Africa went off the gold standard. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hillbrow went high-rise. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the apartheid government constructed the massive agglomeration of townships that became known as Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnships). New freeways encouraged massive suburban sprawl to the north of the city. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, tower blocks (including the Carlton Centre and the Southern Life Centre) filled the skyline of the central business district. The central area of the city underwent something of a decline in the 1980s and 1990s, due to crime and when property speculators directed large amounts of capital into suburban shopping malls, decentralised office parks, and entertainment centres. Sandton City was opened in 1973, followed by Rosebank Mall in 1976, and Eastgate in 1979.[13]
On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra, in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg, when locals attacked migrants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, killing two people and injuring 40 others. These riots sparked the xenophobic attacks of 2008.[14]
Soccer City in Johannesburg hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.
[edit] Geography
Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1,753 metres (5,751 ft). The former CBD is located on the south side of the prominent ridge called the Witwatersrand (Afrikaans: White Water's Ridge) and the terrain falls to the north and south. By and large the Witwatersrand marks the watershed between the Limpopo and Vaal rivers. The north and west of the city has undulating hills while the eastern parts are flatter.
Johannesburg may not be built on a river or harbour, but its streams are the source of two of southern Africa's mightiest rivers. A number of streams meander through the suburbs of Johannesburg, and form the source of two of southern Africa's primary rivers - the Limpopo and the Orange. Most of the springs from which many of these streams emanate are now covered in concrete and canalised, accounting for the fact that the names of early farms in the area often end with "fontein", meaning "spring" in Afrikaans. Braamfontein, Rietfontein, Zevenfontein, Doornfontein, Zandfontein and Randjesfontein are some examples. When the first white settlers reached the area that is now Johannesburg, they noticed the glistening rocks on the ridges, running with trickles of water, fed by the streams - giving the area its name, the Witwatersrand, "the ridge of white waters". Another explanation is that the whiteness comes from the quartzite rock, which has a particular sheen to it after rain.[15]
Johannesburg features a Subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb). The city enjoys a dry, sunny climate with late afternoon thundershowers in the summer months of October to April.[citation needed] Temperatures in Johannesburg are usually fairly mild due to the city's high altitude, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 25.6 °C (78.1 °F), dropping to an average maximum of around 16 °C (61 °F) in June. Winter is the sunniest time of the year, with mild days and cool nights, dropping to 4.1 °C (39.4 °F) in June and July. The temperature occasionally drops to below freezing at night, causing frost. Snow is a rare occurrence, with snowfall having been experienced in May 1956, August 1962, June 1964, September 1981 and August 2006 (light). Snow fell again on 27 June 2007,[17] accumulating up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in the southern suburbs. Regular cold fronts pass over in winter bringing very cold southerly winds but usually clear skies. The annual average rainfall is 713 millimetres (28.1 in), which is mostly concentrated in the summer months. Infrequent showers occur through the course of the winter months.
Despite the relatively dry climate, Johannesburg has over ten million trees,[18] and it is now the biggest man-made forest in the world, followed by Graskop in Mpumalanga which is the second biggest.[19] Many trees were originally planted in the northern areas of the city at the end of the 19th century, to provide wood for the mining industry. The areas were developed by the Randlord, Hermann Eckstein, a German immigrant, who called the forest estates Sachsenwald. The name was changed to Saxonwold, now the name of a suburb, during World War I. Early (white) residents who moved into the areas Parkhurst, Parktown, Parkview, Westcliff, Saxonwold, Houghton Estate, Illovo, Hyde Park, Dunkeld, Melrose, Inanda, Sandhurst, now collectively referred to as the Northern Suburbs, retained many of the original trees and have even expanded their forests with the encouragement of successive city councils. In recent years however, deforestation has occurred to make way for both residential and commercial redevelopment.
Cityscape
Absa Bank, one of the largest banks in AfricaJohannesburg is one of the most modern and prosperous cities in South Africa. Due to its many different central districts Johannesburg would fall under the Multiple Nuclei Model in Human Geography terms. It is the hub of South Africa's commercial, financial, industrial, and mining undertakings. Johannesburg is part of a larger urban region. It is closely linked with several other satellite towns. Randburg and Sandton form part of the northern area. The east and west ridges spread out from central Johannesburg. The Central Business District covers an area of 6 square kilometres. It consists of closely packed skyscrapers such as the Carlton Centre, Marble Towers, Trust Bank Building, Ponte City Apartments, Southern Life Centre and 11 Diagonal Street.
[edit] Architecture
Johannesburg is home to some of Africa's tallest structures, such as the Sentech Tower, Hillbrow Tower and the Carlton Centre. The Johannesburg city skyline has most of the tallest buildings on the continent and contains most international organisations such as IBM, Absa, BHP Billiton, Willis Group, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank. Many of the city's older buildings have been pulled down and more modern ones built in their place. North of the CBD is Hillbrow, the most densely populated residential area in southern Africa. Northwest of the CBD is Braamfontein, a secondary CBD housing many offices and business premises.
[edit] Parks and gardens
Main article: Johannesburg City Parks
Parks and gardens in Johannesburg are maintained by Johannesburg City Parks.[21] City Parks is also responsible for planting the city's many green trees, making Johannesburg one of the 'greenest' cities in the world. It has been estimated that there are six million trees in the city - 1.2 million on pavements and sidewalks, and a further 4.8 million in private gardens.[22] City Parks continues to invest in planting trees, particularly those previously disadvantaged areas of Johannesburg which were not positive beneficiaries of apartheid Johannesburg's urban planning.
Johannesburg Botanical Garden, located in the suburb of Emmarentia, is a popular recreational park.
[edit] Residential areas
Johannesburg's residential areas range from luxurious, wooded suburbs, to shanty towns and squatter settlements. Alexandra, a township northeast of the city centre, is home to about 125,000 people. It was established by workers who migrated from rural areas in the late 1930s. Since the 1980s, large numbers of people have moved to Johannesburg in search of work. A lack of housing in the city has forced many to set up squatter settlements on the outskirts of the city. Most of these communities lack electricity and running water, and residents live in makeshift shacks made of scrap metal,board, and other discarded materials. In some settlements, such as Phola Park south of Johannesburg, town planners have attempted to build streets and provide residents with basic needs.
[edit] Demographics
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No language dominant. According to the 2001 South African National Census, the population of Johannesburg is 3,225,812 people, though including the East Rand and other suburban areas it's around 7 million, consisting of people who live in 1,006,930 formal households, of which 86% have a flush or chemical toilet, and 91% have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week. 81% of households have access to running water, and 80% use electricity as the main source of energy. 29% of Johannesburg residents stay in informal dwellings.[23] 66% of households are headed by one person.
Black Africans account for 73% of the population, followed by whites at 16%, coloureds at 6% and Asians at 4%. 42% of the population is under the age of 24, while 6% of the population is over 60 years of age. 37% of city residents are unemployed. 91% of the unemployed are black. Women comprise 43% of the working population. 19% of economically active adults work in wholesale and retail sectors, 18% in financial, real estate and business services, 17% in community, social and personal services and 12% are in manufacturing. Only 0.7% work in mining.
32% of Johannesburg residents speak Nguni languages at home, 24% speak Sotho languages, 18% speak English, 7% speak Afrikaans and 6% speak Tshivenda. 29% of adults have graduated from high school. 14% have higher education (University or Technical school). 7% of residents are completely illiterate. 15% have primary education.
34% use public transportation to commute to work or school. 32% walk to work or school. 34% use private transportation to travel to work or school.
53% belong to mainstream Christian churches, 24% are not affiliated with any organized religion, 14% are members of African Independent Churches, 3% are Muslim, 1% are Jewish and 1% are Hindu.
Johannesburg has a large Latter-day Saint (or Mormon) membership, with around 48,112 members, and had the first LDS Temple built in Africa. It was dedicated in 1985 and is located in the historic suburb of Parktown
[edit] Government
Main articles: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and Regions of Johannesburg
Region A Diepsloot, Kya Sand
Region B : Randburg, Rosebank, Emmarentia, Greenside, Melville, Northcliff, Rosebank, Parktown, Parktown North
Region C : Roodepoort, Constantia Kloof, Northgate
Region D : Doornkop, Soweto, Dobsonville, Protea Glen
Region E : Alexandra, Wynberg, Sandton
Region F : Inner City
Region G : Orange Farm, Ennerdale, LenasiaAfter apartheid era, the present day City of Johannesburg was created from 11 existing local authorities, seven of which were white and four black or coloured. The white authorities were 90% self-sufficient from property tax and other local taxes, and produced and spent ZAR 600 (USD 93) per person, while the black authorities were only 10% self-sufficient, spending R 100 (USD 15) per person.[citation needed]
The first post-apartheid City Council was created in 1995. The council adopted the slogan "One City, One Taxpayer" in order to highlight its primary goal of addressing unequal tax revenue distribution.[citation needed] To this end, revenue from wealthy, traditionally white areas would pay for services needed in poorer, black areas. The City Council was divided into four regions, each with a substantially autonomous local regional authority that was to be overseen by a central metropolitan council. Furthermore, the municipal boundaries were expanded to include wealthy satellite towns like Sandton and Randburg, poorer neighbouring townships such as Soweto and Alexandra, and informal settlements like Orange Farm.
In 1999, Johannesburg appointed a city manager in order to reshape the city's ailing financial situation.[citation needed] The manager, together with the Municipal Council, drew up a blueprint called "Igoli 2002". This was a three-year plan that called upon the government to sell non-core assets, restructure certain utilities, and required that all others become self-sufficient. The plan took the city from near insolvency to an operating surplus of R 153 million (USD 23.6 million).[citation needed]
Following the creation of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg was divided into eleven administrative regions (which did not correspond to the areas governed by the former local authorities). In 2006, the number of administrative regions was consolidated, from eleven to seven.[24]
[edit] Crime
After the Group Areas Act was scrapped in 1991, Johannesburg was affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, who had been forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city from surrounding black townships like Soweto and many immigrants from economically beleaguered and war torn African nations flooded into South Africa. Many buildings were abandoned by landlords, especially in high-density areas, such as Hillbrow. Many corporations and institutions, including the stock exchange, moved their headquarters away from the city centre, to suburbs like Sandton.
Reviving the city centre is one of the main aims of the municipal government of Johannesburg. Drastic measures have been taken to reduce crime in the city. These measures include closed-circuit television on street corners. As of December 11, 2008, every street corner in Johannesburg central is under high-tech CCTV surveillance.[25] The CCTV system, operated by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), is also able to detect stolen or hijacked vehicles by scanning the number plates of every vehicle travelling through the Central business district (CBD), then comparing them to the eNaTIS database. The CCTV system has proven to be very effective. The average response time by police for crimes committed in the CBD is under 60 seconds.[25]
Crime levels in Johannesburg have dropped as the economy has stabilised and begun to grow.[26] Between 2001 and 2006, R9-Billion (US$1.2 Billion) has been invested in the city centre. Further investment of around R10-Billion (US$ 1.5 Billion) is expected in the city centre alone by 2010. This excludes development directly associated with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[dead link][27] In an effort to prepare Johannesburg for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, local government has enlisted the help of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani to help bring down the crime rate, as the opening and closing matches of the tournament will be played in the city.[28]
[edit] Economy
The JSE is the largest stock exchange on the African continent.
Sandton City, one of the Largest Shopping Centres in the Southern HemisphereJohannesburg is one of the world's leading financial centres [29] and it is the economic and financial hub of South Africa, producing 16% of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts for 40% of Gauteng's economic activity.[citation needed] In a 2007 survey conducted by MasterCard, Johannesburg ranked 47 out of 50 top cities in the world as a worldwide centre of commerce (the only city in Africa).[30]
Mining was the foundation of the Witwatersrand's economy, but its importance is gradually declining due to dwindling reserves and service and manufacturing industries have become more significant to the city's economy. While gold mining no longer takes place within the city limits, most mining companies still have their headquarters in Johannesburg. The city's manufacturing industries extend across a range of areas and there is still a reliance on heavy industries including steel and cement plants. The service and other industries include banking, IT, real estate, transport, broadcast and print media, private health care, transport and a vibrant leisure and consumer retail market.[citation needed] Johannesburg has Africa's largest stock exchange, the JSE although it has moved out of the central business district. Due to its commercial role, the city is the seat of the provincial government and the site of a number of government branch offices, as well as consular offices and other institutions.
There is also a significant informal economy consisting of cash-only street traders and vendors.[citation needed] The level of this economic activity is difficult to track in official statistics and it supports a sector of the population including immigrants who are not in formal employment. However, it is clear that the informal economy operating in Johannesburg is certainly one of the biggest in the world.
The Witwatersrand urban complex is a major consumer of water in a dry region. Its continued economic and population growth has depended on schemes to divert water from other regions of South Africa and from the highlands of Lesotho, the biggest of which is the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, but additional sources will be needed early in the 21st century.
The container terminal at City Deep is known to be the largest "dry port" in the world, with some 60% of cargo that arrives through the ports of Durban and Cape Town arriving in Johannesburg. The City Deep area has been declared an IDZ (industrial development zone) by the Gauteng government.
[edit] Retail
Johannesburg's largest shopping centre is Sandton City, while Hyde Park is one of its most prestigious. Other centres include Rosebank, Eastgate, Westgate, Northgate, Southgate, The Glen Shopping centre, Johannesburg South, and Cresta. There are also plans to build a large shopping centre, known as the Zonk'Izizwe Shopping Resort, in Midrand. "Zonk'Izizwe" means "All Nations" in Zulu language, indicating that the centre will cater to the city's diverse mix of peoples and races. Also a complex named Greenstone in Modderfontein has been opened and is intended to become the largest shopping complex in the southern hemisphere.[31]
[edit] Communications and media
The Radiopark Centre with the Sentech Tower in the background. The Radiopark Centre is one of the most visible landmarks throughout the north-western suburbs.The city is home to several media groups which own a number of newspaper and magazine titles. The two main print media groups are Independent Newspapers and Naspers (Media24). The electronic media is also headquartered in the greater metropolitan region. Beeld is a leading Afrikaans newspaper for the city and the country[citation needed], while the City Press is a Sunday newspaper that is the third largest selling newspaper in South Africa[citation needed]. The Sowetan is one of a number of titles catering for the black market although in recent years it competes against newly arrived tabloids. The Mail & Guardian is an investigative liberal newspaper while The Citizen is a tabloid-style paper, and The Star is a local newspaper that mostly covers Gauteng-related issues. The Sunday Times is the most widely read national Sunday newspaper[citation needed]. True Love is the most widely read women's magazine[citation needed], catering primarily to the up and coming middle class black female market, published by Media 24. The Times is a national newspaper that covers current issues.
Media ownership is relatively complicated with a number of cross shareholdings which have been rationalised in recent years resulting in the movement of some ownership into the hands of black shareholders. This has been accompanied by a growth in black editorship and journalism.
Johannesburg has a number of regional radio stations such as YFM, Metro FM, Phalaphala FM, Talk Radio 702, Highveld Stereo, 5FM, UJ FM and Kaya FM and Classic FM. The number of radio stations has increased in recent years as the government sold off frequencies to private companies. Johannesburg is also the headquarters of state-owned broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation and pay broadcast network Multichoice which distributes M-Net and DStv a digital satellite service, while eTV also has a presence in the city. etv is the only other terrestrial broadcaster and it is free-to-air and funded by advertising revenue. The city has two television towers, the Hillbrow Tower and the Sentech Tower.
Johannesburg has 4 Major Cellular Telecommunisations operators: Vodacom, MTN Group, Cell C, and Virgin Mobile. Vodacom's Global Headquarters is located in Midrand. It was formed in 1994, just after the South African Elections of 1994.[32]
[edit] Music
The Hillbrow Tower, one of Johannesburg's two telecommunications towers
The Sentech Tower, the other of Johannesburg's two telecommunications towersKwaito is the musical genre from Johannesburg that is considered to be the post-struggle (post-apartheid) music of choice by South African youth. Some consider Kwaito to be apolitical dance music because the same lyrics are typically repeated throughout the entire song and are placed over the rhythms and beats of House music.
Kwaito has touched more than the music scene in South Africa. In recent years, it has become deeply embedded in young South African culture because it represents "the streets", street life, and the people who live there. As Grant Clark notes after his trip to Johannesburg, "Kwaito has evolved its own street style. It's not just music, it's the way you walk, talk, dance, and of course, dress." [33]
Other than kwaito there are many other genres that have dominated the South African music industry; like house music, R&B, pop, rock, etc. Because Joburg is a place where most people are from outside of the city, there are many musical influences from all over the world.
[edit] Suburbs
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Main article: Suburbs of Johannesburg
Johannesburg's suburbs are the product of extensive urban sprawl and are regionalised into north, south, east and west, and they generally have different personalities. While the Central Business District and the immediate surrounding areas were formerly desirable living areas, the spatial accommodation of the suburbs has tended to see a flight from the city and immediate surrounds. The inner city buildings have been let out to the lower income groups and illegal immigrants and as a result abandoned buildings and crime have become a feature of inner city life. The immediate city suburbs include Yeoville, a hot spot for black nightlife despite its otherwise poor reputation. The suburbs to the south of the city are mainly blue collar neighbourhoods and situated closer to some townships. The suburbs to the west have in recent years floundered with the decline of the mining industry but have in some cases experienced some revival with properties being bought up by the black middle class. The biggest sprawl lies to the east and north. The eastern suburbs are relatively prosperous and close to various industrial zones. The northern suburbs have been the recipient of most of the flight from the inner city and some residential areas have become commercialised particularly around the area of Sandton, stretching north towards Midrand, a half way point between Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria.
Traditionally the northern and northwestern suburbs have been the centre for the wealthy, containing the high-end retail shops as well as several upper-class residential areas such as Hyde Park, Sandhurst, Northcliff and Houghton, where Nelson Mandela makes his home. The northwestern area in particular is vibrant and lively, with the mostly black suburb of Sophiatown once centre of political activity and the Bohemian-flavoured Melville featuring restaurants and nightlife. Auckland Park is home to the headquarters of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture and Live Performance) and the University of Johannesburg.
To the southwest of the City Centre is Soweto, a mostly black urban area constructed during the apartheid regime specifically for housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for white settlement.
To the south of Johannesburg is Lenasia, a mostly Asian area which was constructed during the Apartheid era specifically to house Asians. It is closer to the city centre and smaller than Soweto.
[edit] Tourism
See also: Category:Visitor attractions in Johannesburg and Category:Museums in Johannesburg
Image from the Central Business district of Johannesburg
Johannesburg region map with names
One of the numerous skyscrapers of the cityJohannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination, but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Consequently, most international visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once, which has led to the development of more attractions for tourists. Recent additions have centred around history museums, such as the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Gold Reef City, a large amusement park to the south of the Central Business District, is also a large draw for tourists in the city. The Johannesburg Zoo is also one of the largest in South Africa.
The city also has several art museums, such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which featured South African and European landscape and figurative paintings. The Museum Africa covers the history of the city of Johannesburg, as well as housing a large collection of rock art. The Market Theatre complex attained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by staging anti-apartheid plays, and has now become a centre for modern South African playwriting. The Johannesburg Civic Theatre is South Africa's foremost "receiving house" of live entertainment—presenting world class theatre, both local and international.[34]
There is also a large industry around visiting former townships, such as Soweto and Alexandra. Most visitors to Soweto go to see the Mandela Museum, which is located in the former home of Nelson Mandela.
The Cradle of Humankind [4] a UNESCO World Heritage Site is 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the northwest of the city. The Sterkfontein fossil site is famous for being the world's richest hominid site and produced the first adult Australopithecus africanus and the first near-complete skeleton of an early Australopithecine. Other attractions in this area include the Lesedi Cultural Village, while Magaliesburg and the Hartbeespoort Dam are popular weekend (and holiday) destinations for Johannesburg residents.
The Suburbs of Melville, Newtown, Parkhurst, Norwood and Greenside are popular for their bohemian atmosphere, street life, and many restaurants and bars.
[edit] Sports teams and stadiums
Club Sport League Stadium
Highveld Lions Cricket MTN Domestic Championship Wanderers Stadium
Kaizer Chiefs Football Premier Soccer League Johannesburg Stadium
Moroka Swallows Football Premier Soccer League Rand Stadium
Orlando Pirates Football Premier Soccer League Soccer City
Alexander United Football MTN Supersport Leagues Alexander Stadium
Katlehong City Football MTN Supersport Leagues Potgietersrus Rugby Stadium
Lions Rugby union Super 14 Coca-Cola Park
Golden Lions Rugby union Currie Cup Coca-Cola Park
Johannesburg's most popular sports by participation are association football, cricket, rugby union, and running. Early each Sunday morning, tens of thousands of runners gather to take part in informal runs organised by several athletic clubs.
[edit] Football (soccer)
The city has several football clubs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the National First Division. In the PSL, the top Johannesburg teams are all fierce rivals and include Kaizer Chiefs (nicknamed Amakhosi), Orlando Pirates (nicknamedthe Buccaneers), Moroka Swallows and Witwatersrand University(nicknamed the Clever Boys). They are based at the city's Rand, Orlando, Dobsonville and Bidvest stadiums. Several large scale league and cup games are played at Soccer the venue of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. First Division teams include Jomo Cosmos. Katlehong City and Alexandra United, play at Alexandra and Reiger Park stadia respectively
[edit] Cricket
Cricket is one of the more popular sports. In cricket, the Highveld Lions represent Johannesburg, the rest of Gauteng as well as the North West Province at the Wanderers Stadium which was the venue for the 2003 Cricket World Cup Final in which Australia successfully defended their title. Wanderers Stadium hosted what many cricket fans consider the greatest ever ODI match in which South Africa successfully chased down 434 runs. They take part in the first class SuperSport Series, the one-day MTN Domestic Championship and the Twenty20 Standard Bank Pro 20 Series.
Johannesburg also hosted matches from and the final of the ICC World Twenty20, in which India beat Pakistan in the final.
A view of Johannesburg from Kyalami, a major motor race track in Johannesburg's northern suburbs[edit] Rugby
The Lions, formerly the Cats, represent Johannesburg, North West and Mpumalanga in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby Rugby Competition, which includes teams from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
[edit] Transport
Johannesburg is a young and sprawling city geared towards private motorists, and lacks a convenient public transportation system. A significant number of the city's residents are dependent on the city's informal minibus taxis.
A street in Hillbrow, the most densely populated residential area in Southern Africa[edit] Airports
OR Tambo International Airport Terminal BJohannesburg is served principally by OR Tambo International Airport (formerly Johannesburg International Airport) for both domestic and international flights. Lanseria Airport, located to the north-west of the city and closer to the business hub of Sandton, is used for commercial flights to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Botswana, and Sun City. Other airports include Rand Airport and Grand Central Airport. Rand Airport, located in Germiston, is a small airfield used mostly for private aircraft and the home of South African Airways's first Boeing 747 Classic, the Lebombo, which is now an aviation museum. Grand Central is located in Midrand and also caters to small, private aircraft.
[edit] Freeways
Main article: Johannesburg freeways
The fact that Johannesburg is not near a large navigable body of water has meant that ground transportation has been the most important method of transporting people and goods in and out of the city. One of Africa's most famous "beltways" or ring roads/orbitals is the Johannesburg Ring Road. The road is composed of three freeways that converge on the city, forming an 80-kilometre (50 mi) loop around it: the N3 Eastern Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Durban; the N1 Western Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Pretoria and Cape Town; and the N12 Southern Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Witbank and Kimberley. The N3 was built exclusively with asphalt, while the N12 and N1 sections were made with concrete, hence the nickname given to the N1 Western Bypass, "The Concrete Highway". In spite of being up to 12 lanes wide in some areas (6 lanes in either direction), the Johannesburg Ring Road is frequently clogged with traffic. The Gillooly's Interchange, built on an old farm and the point at which the N3 Eastern Bypass and the R24 Airport Freeway intersect, is the busiest interchange in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also claimed[who?] that the N1 is the busiest road in South Africa.
A board on the N3 indicating the exit for Johannesburg. The M1 is one of the busiest highways in Johannesburg.
The M2 in the afternoon as it passes through the Central Business District
Busy side street off Beyers Naudé Drive in Cresta, GautengJohannesburg has the most freeways connected to it.[clarification needed] It has the N1, N3, N12, N14, N17, R21, R24 and the R59, all leading to Johannesburg. The M1 and M2 freeways were built to direct traffic towards the city centre. These two freeways are congested due to mass urbanisation.
[edit] Taxis
A full minibus taxiJohannesburg has two kinds of taxis, metered taxis and minibus taxis. Unlike many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city looking for passengers and instead must be called and ordered to a destination. The Gauteng Provincial Government has launched a new metered taxi programme in an attempt to increase use of metered taxis in the city.[citation needed]
The minibus "taxis" are the de facto standard and essential form of transport for the majority of the population. Since the 1980s The minibus taxi industry has been severely affected by turf wars.
[edit] Mass transit
The Metrorail Gauteng commuter rail system connects central Johannesburg to Soweto, Pretoria, and most of the satellite towns along the Witwatersrand. The railways transport huge numbers of workers everyday. However, the railway infrastructure was built in Johannesburg's infancy and covers only the older areas in the city's south. The northern areas, including the business districts of Sandton, Midrand, Randburg, and Rosebank, currently lack rail infrastructure.
[edit] Trains
A part of the Gauteng Provincial Government's Blue IQ Project, Gautrain has made provision for the creation of a rapid rail link, running north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and west to east between Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport. Construction of the Gautrain Rapid Rail started in October 2006 and will be completed by 2011. It will consist of a number of underground stations, as well as above ground stations. Stations on the northern line include Johannesburg's Park Station, Rosebank, Sandton, Midrand and Pretoria. There will also be a line from the OR Tambo International Airport travelling to Sandton.
The east-west line from the airport to Sandton opened in June 2010 in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The rail system is being designed to alleviate traffic on the N1 freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which records vehicle loads of up to 300,000 per day.[citation needed] An extensive bus feeder system is also being implemented, which will allow access to the main stations from the outer suburbs. This will be the first new railway system that has been laid in South Africa since 1977.[citation needed]
As of mid-2010, a high speed rail link has been proposed between Johannesburg and Durban.[35]
[edit] Buses
Johannesburg is served by a bus fleet operated by Metrobus, a corporate unit of the City of Johannesburg. It has a fleet consisting of approximately 550 single and double-decker buses, plying 84 different routes in the city. This total includes 200 modern buses (150 double-deckers and 50 single-deckers), made by Volvo and Marcopolo/Brasa in 2002. Metrobus' fleet carries approximately 20 million passengers per annum. In addition there are a number of private bus operators, though most focus on the inter-city routes, or on bus charters for touring groups. The City's main bus terminus is situated in Gandhi Square, where passengers can also obtain information regarding the Metrobus service from the walk-in customer information desk.
PUTCO also operated buss routes in and around the city.
[edit] Education and culture
The University of the Witwatersrand. Braamfontein buildings are visible in the background.Johannesburg has a well-developed higher education system of both private and public universities. Johannesburg is served by the public universities University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg.
University of Johannesburg was formed on 1 January 2005 when three separate universities and campuses—Rand Afrikaans University, Technikon Witwatersrand, and the Johannesburg campuses of Vista University—were merged. The new university offers education primarily in English and Afrikaans, although courses may be taken in any of South Africa's official languages.
The University of the Witwatersrand is one of the leading universities in South Africa, and is famous as a centre of resistance to apartheid.
Private universities include Monash University, which has one of its eight campuses in Johannesburg (six of the other campuses are in Australia, while the eighth is in Malaysia), and Midrand Graduate Institute which is located in Midrand.
Johannesburg also has one of several film schools in the country, one of which has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Student Film in 2006.[36] The South African School of Motion Picture and Live Performance, or AFDA for short, is situated in Auckland Park.
Johannesburg also has three teacher-training colleges and a technical college. There are numerous kindergartens, primary schools and high schools in the region. There are some libraries, art galleries and museums. One of them is MuseumAfrica, located in the CBD.[37] Specialist museums cover subjects such as Africana, costume, design, fossils, geology, military history, medical, pharmacy, photography and transportation networks such as railways. Gold Reef City, a living museum, was originally part of the Crown Mines Complex, where gold was mined to a depth of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). The Market Theatre stages plays, comedy shows, and musical performances. The Civic Theatre complex hosts drama, opera and ballet.
The Giant Wheel, a ferris wheel found at Gold Reef City[edit] Museums in Johannesburg
The Following is a list of some the museums in Johannesburg.[38]
[edit] AECI Dynamite Factory Museum
The AECI Dynamite Factory Museum, housed in the 1895 residence of a mining official, records the history of explosives, with particular emphasis on their use in the mining industry. It also provides a social commentary and insight into the part played by some of the world famous figures who helped shape the destiny of southern Africa.
[edit] Adler Museum of Medicine
History of Medicine, brainchild of Dr Cyril Adler, was formally inaugurated 1962. The Museum's role was to collect and preserve for posterity all material that would illustrate the History of medicine in general and of South Africa in particular.
[edit] Apartheid museum
Main article: Apartheid Museum
[edit] Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill is the home of the Constitutional Court, but also the site of Johannesburg’s notorious Old Fort Prison Complex, commonly known as Number Four, where thousands of ordinary people were brutally punished before the dawn of democracy in 1994. Many of South Africa’s leading political activists, including Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, were detained here.
[edit] Hector Peterson Museum
Media related to Hector Pieterson Museum at Wikimedia Commons
The Hector Peterson Museum in Soweto commemorates the 566 people who died in the student uprising that followed the events of 16 June 1976. The museum is named for Hector Peterson, a 12-year-old boy who was the first person shot dead by police on that day, and is located near a memorial to his death.
[edit] James Hall Transport Museum
The James Hall museum of Transport is the largest and most comprehensive museum of land transport in South Africa. It was established by the late Jimmie Hall together with the City of Johannesburg in February 1964.
[edit] Johannesburg Art Gallery
Main article: Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens. It houses collections of 17th century Dutch paintings, 18th and 19th century British and European art, 19th century South African works, a large contemporary collection of 20th century local and international art and a print cabinet containing works from the 15th century to the present.
[edit] Madiba Freedom Museum
Named after the former President Mandela's clan. The museums theme is Mzabalazo and charts South Africa's journey to democracy.
[edit] Museum Africa
Museum Africa is located in Newtown, and covers the history of both the city and the continent.
[edit] Origins Centre Museum
Located on the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand in Braamfontein,[39] this museum contains some excellent examples of southern African rock art.
[edit] Bernberg Fashion Museum
Bernberg Fashion Museum is a primarily a museum collection, consisting of objects, and explains why and how clothing has changed and how the fashions of the past influence those of today.
[edit] South African National Museum of Military History
Main article: South African National Museum of Military History
It is the only museum of its kind in South Africa and provides a nucleus of Museum and military history expertise in southern Africa. At the Museum you can see all types of guns, tanks, armoured cars, aircraft and naval hardware, including a midget submarine called the Molch used by the Germans in the Second World War (1939–1945).
[edit] Zoology Museum
The Zoology Museum is the only natural history museum in Johannesburg which is unusual because all the other major cities in South Africa have large public natural history museums. It has retained a unique character as the display specimens are exhibited in finely crafted teak cabinets which allow the viewer to engage directly with scores of objects at close range.
MORE RECENT HISTORY
The region surrounding Johannesburg was originally inhabited by San tribes. By the 13th century, groups of Bantu-speaking people started moving southwards from central Africa and encroached on the indigenous San population. By the mid 18th century, the broader region was densely settled by various Sotho-Tswana communities (one linguistic branch of Bantu-speakers), whose villages, towns, chiefdoms and kingdoms stretched from what is now Botswana in the west, to present day Lesotho in the south, to the present day Pedi areas of the northern Transvaal.
GOLD was discovered in Johannesburg in 1886. The town moved from tent town to wood and iron shacks to bricks and mortar within a decade or two. These stories tell that history, detailing the characters involved, how the city got its name, and the earliest settlers in the region.
Joburg's earliest settlers
Johannesburg's earliest settlers were not the Boers but rather the descendants of Venda people who settled north of the Soutpansberg around 1 000 years ago, on two hills near a small town called Pontdrift
The Struben brothers
The first pioneers to actually find gold - but their luck quickly ran out
Confidence Reef
Johannesburg's first real mine never quite lived up to its name
The Three Georges strike paydirt
Who discovered the main gold reef? There's much controversy, but the claimants are three drifters, all named George
How did the gold get here?
Geologists continue to puzzle over why so much of the world's gold is to be found in one particular spot - the Witwatersrand
"City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)";
Johannesburg (English pronunciation: /dʒoʊˈhænɪsˌbɜː(r)ɡ/; Afrikaans pronunciation: [joˈhɑnəsˌbʏrx]) also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or eGoli, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world[5], and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.[6] While Johannesburg is not officially one of South Africa's three capital cities, it does house the Constitutional Court – South Africa's highest court. Johannesburg is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills. Johannesburg is served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa.
According to the 2007 Community Survey, the population of the municipal city[clarification needed] was 3,888,180 and the population of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area was 7,151,447.[citation needed] A broader definition of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, including Ekhuruleni, the West Rand, Soweto and Lenasia, has a population of 10,267,700.[citation needed] The municipal city's land area of 1,645 km2 (635 sq mi) is very large when compared to other cities, resulting in a moderate population density of 2,364 /km2 (6,120 /sq mi).
Johannesburg once again includes Soweto, which was a separate city from the late 1970s until the 1990s. Originally an acronym for "SOuth-WEstern TOwnships", Soweto originated as a collection of settlements on the outskirts of Johannesburg populated mostly by native African workers in the gold mining industry. Eventually incorporated into Johannesburg, the apartheid regime (in power 1949–1994) separated Soweto from the rest of Johannesburg to make it a completely Black area. Lenasia is also part of Johannesburg.
Gauteng is growing rapidly due to mass urbanisation which is a feature of many developing countries. According to the State of the Cities Report, the urban portion of Gauteng – comprised primarily of the cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni (the East Rand) and Tshwane (greater Pretoria) – will be a polycentric urban region with a projected population of some 14.6 million people by 2015.[7]
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Government
3 Crime
4 Geography
5 Climate
6 Demographics
7 Cityscape
7.1 Architecture
7.2 Parks and gardens
7.3 Residential areas
8 Economy
8.1 Retail
9 Communications and media
10 Music
11 Suburbs
12 Tourism
13 Sports teams and stadiums
14 Transport
14.1 Airports
14.2 Freeways
14.3 Taxis
14.4 Mass transit
14.4.1 Trains
14.4.2 Buses
15 Education and culture
15.1 Museums in Johannesburg
15.1.1 AECI Dynamite Factory Museum
15.1.2 Adler Museum of Medicine
15.1.3 Apartheid museum
15.1.4 Constitution Hill
15.1.5 Hector Peterson Museum
15.1.6 James Hall Transport Museum
15.1.7 Johannesburg Art Gallery
15.1.8 Madiba Freedom Museum
15.1.9 Museum Africa
15.1.10 Origins Centre Museum
15.1.11 Bernberg Fashion Museum
15.1.12 South African National Museum of Military History
15.1.13 Zoology Museum
16 International relations
16.1 Twin towns — sister cities
17 See also
18 Notes
19 References
20 External links
[edit] History
Main article: History of Johannesburg
The farm where gold was first discovered in 1886.The region surrounding Johannesburg was originally inhabited by San tribes. By the 1200s, groups of Bantu-speaking peoples started moving southwards from central Africa and encroached on the indigenous San population. By the mid 1700s, the broader region was densely settled by various Sotho-Tswana communities (one linguistic branch of Bantu-speakers), whose villages, towns, chiefdoms and kingdoms stretched from what is now Botswana in the west, to present day Lesotho in the south, to the present day Pedi areas of the northern Transvaal.
History of South Africa
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More specifically, the stone-walled ruins of Sotho-Tswana towns and villages are scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. The Sotho-Tswana practiced farming, raised cattle, sheep and goats, and extensively mined and smelted copper, iron and tin. Moreover, from the early 1960s until his retirement, Professor Revil Mason, of the University of the Witwatersrand, explored and documented many Late Iron Age archeological sites throughout the Johannesburg area, dating from between the 1100s and 1700s, and many of these sites contained the ruins of Sotho-Tswana mines and iron smelting furnaces, suggesting that the area was being exploited for its mineral wealth before the arrival of Europeans or the discovery of gold.[citation needed] The most prominent site within Johannesburg is Melville Koppies, which contains an iron smelting furnace. Many Sotho-Tswana towns and villages in the areas around Johannesburg were destroyed and their people driven away during the wars emanating from Zululand during the late 1700s and early 1800s (the mfecane or difaqane wars), and as a result, an offshoot of the Zulu kingdom, the Matabele, set up a kingdom to the northwest of Johannesburg around modern day Hartebeestpoort and Rustenburg, and historians believe that the Matebele kingdom dominated the Johannesburg area.[citation needed] The Dutch speaking Voortrekkers arrived in the early 1800s, driving away the Matebele with the help of Sotho-Tswana allies, establishing settlements around Rustenburg and Pretoria in the early 1830s, and claiming sovereignty over what would become Johannesburg as part of the South African Republic or Transvaal Republic. Gold was discovered in the 1880s and triggered the gold rush. Gold was initially discovered some 400 km to the east of present-day Johannesburg, in Barberton. Gold prospectors soon discovered that there were even richer gold reefs in the Witwatersrand. Gold was discovered at Langlaagte, Johannesburg in 1886.
Johannesburg was a dusty settlement some 55 km from the Transvaal Republic capital which was Pretoria. The town was much the same as any small prospecting settlement, but, as word spread, people flocked to the area from all other regions of the country, as well as from North America, the United Kingdom and Europe.[8]. As the value of control of the land increased, tensions developed between the Boer government in Pretoria and the British, culminating in the Jameson Raid that ended in fiasco at Doornkop in January 1896 and the Second Boer War (1899–1902) that saw British forces under Lord Roberts occupy the city on 30 May 1900 after a series of battles to the south of its then-limits.
Fighting took place at the Gatsrand Pass (near Zakariyya Park) on 27 May, north of Vanwyksrust—today's Nancefield, Eldorado Park and Naturena—the next day, culminating in a mass infantry attack on what is now the waterworks ridge in Chiawelo and Senaoane on 29 May.[citation needed]
Controversy surrounds the origin of the name, as there were any number of people with the name "Johannes" who were involved in the early history of the city. The principal clerk attached to the office of the surveyor-general, Johannes Rissik, Christiaan Johannes Joubert, member of the Volksraad and the Republic's chief of mining, Paul Kruger, President of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal). Rissik and Joubert were members of a delegation sent to England to attain mining rights for the area. Joubert had a park in the city named after him and Rissik street is today a main street where the (now dilapidated) Post Office and City Hall are located.
Major building developments took place in the 1930s, after South Africa went off the gold standard. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hillbrow went high-rise. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the apartheid government constructed the massive agglomeration of townships that became known as Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnships). New freeways encouraged massive suburban sprawl to the north of the city. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, tower blocks (including the Carlton Centre and the Southern Life Centre) filled the skyline of the central business district. The central area of the city underwent something of a decline in the 1980s and 1990s, due to crime and when property speculators directed large amounts of capital into suburban shopping malls, decentralised office parks, and entertainment centres. Sandton City was opened in 1973, followed by Rosebank Mall in 1976, and Eastgate in 1979.[9]
On May 12, 2008, On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra (in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg) when locals attacked migrants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, killing two people and injuring 40 others. These riots sparked the xenophobic attacks of 2008.[10]
Google count:
Date:
Historic fact:
Randjeslaagte only existed because of the rough and ready surveying techniques of rural Transvaal, where land was plentiful but qualified surveyors were rare. A system evolved in which each farmer marked out his property with temporary beacons constructed of piles of whitewashed stones, pending the day when some higher and more qualified authority would mark out permanent boundaries.
In some cases, land claims overlapped. In other cases, there were large gaps between the farm borders, which became known as "uitvalgrond" or surplus land, and which was automatically owned by the state. Randjeslaagte was a classic example, a narrow triangle about one and a half kilometres wide at its base in the south, and extending about five kilometres to its apex in the north, covering some 1 100 acres. None of the local farmers had laid claim to it, because it was unsuitable for agriculture and had no water.
"City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)";
Other interesting info:
Gold at http://www.pricedropclub.co.za
Where to stay:
Johannesburg station - From a Mango Groove song:
Johannesburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa.[5] The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world,[6] and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.[7]
While Johannesburg is not officially one of South Africa's three capital cities, it does house the Constitutional Court – South Africa's highest court. The city is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills. Johannesburg is served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa. More recently the much smaller Lanseria International Airport has started international flights and is situated conveniently on the opposite side of the metropolis.
According to the 2007 Community Survey, the population of the municipal city was 3,888,180 and the population of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area was 7,151,447. A broader definition of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, including Ekhuruleni (on the East Rand, the West Rand, Soweto and Lenasia, has a population of 10,267,700. The municipal city's land area of 1,645 km2 (635 sq mi) is very large when compared to other cities, resulting in a moderate population density of 2,364 /km2 (6,120 /sq mi).
Johannesburg includes Soweto, which was separate from the late 1970s until the 1990s. Originally an acronym for "SOuth-WEstern TOwnships", Soweto originated as a collection of settlements on the outskirts of Johannesburg populated mostly by native African workers in the gold mining industry. Eventually incorporated into Johannesburg, the apartheid regime (in power 1949–1994) separated Soweto from the rest of Johannesburg to make it a completely Black area. Lenasia is now also part of Johannesburg and is an area predominantly populated by those of Indian ethnicity since the apartheid era.
Gauteng is growing rapidly due to mass urbanisation which is a feature of many developing countries. According to the State of the Cities Report, the urban portion of Gauteng – comprising primarily the cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni (the East Rand) and Tshwane (greater Pretoria) – will be a polycentric urban region with a projected population of some 14.6 million people by 2015.
Older history
More specifically, the stone-walled ruins of Sotho-Tswana towns and villages are scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. The Sotho-Tswana practiced farming, raised cattle, sheep and goats, and extensively mined and smelted copper, iron and tin. Moreover, from the early 1960s until his retirement, Professor Revil Mason, of the University of the Witwatersrand, explored and documented many Late Iron Age archeological sites throughout the Johannesburg area, dating from between the 12th century and 18th century, and many of these sites contained the ruins of Sotho-Tswana mines and iron smelting furnaces, suggesting that the area was being exploited for its mineral wealth before the arrival of Europeans or the discovery of gold. The most prominent site within Johannesburg is Melville Koppies, which contains an iron smelting furnace.[9]
Many Sotho-Tswana towns and villages in the areas around Johannesburg were destroyed and their people driven away during the wars emanating from Zululand during the late 18th and early 19th centuries (the mfecane or difaqane wars), and as a result, an offshoot of the Zulu kingdom, the Ndebele (often referred to by the name the local Sotho-Tswana gave them, the Matebele), set up a kingdom to the northwest of Johannesburg around modern day Hartebeestpoort and Rustenburg, and historians believe that the Matebele kingdom dominated the Johannesburg area.[citation needed]
The Dutch speaking Voortrekkers arrived in the early 19th century, driving away the Matebele with the help of Sotho-Tswana allies, establishing settlements around Rustenburg and Pretoria in the early 1830s, and claiming sovereignty over what would become Johannesburg as part of the South African Republic or Transvaal Republic. Gold was discovered in the 1880s and triggered the gold rush. Gold was initially discovered some 400 km to the east of present-day Johannesburg, in Barberton. Gold prospectors soon discovered that there were even richer gold reefs in the Witwatersrand. Gold was discovered at Langlaagte, Johannesburg in 1886.
Johannesburg was a dusty settlement some 55 km from the Transvaal Republic capital which was Pretoria. The town was much the same as any small prospecting settlement, but, as word spread, people flocked to the area from all other regions of the country, as well as from North America, the United Kingdom and Europe.[10] As the value of control of the land increased, tensions developed between the Boer government in Pretoria and the British, culminating in the Jameson Raid that ended in fiasco at Doornkop in January 1896 and the Second Boer War (1899–1902) that saw British forces under Lord Roberts occupy the city on 30 May 1900 after a series of battles to the south of its then-limits.
Fighting took place at the Gatsrand Pass (near Zakariyya Park) on 27 May, north of Vanwyksrust—today's Nancefield, Eldorado Park and Naturena—the next day, culminating in a mass infantry attack on what is now the waterworks ridge in Chiawelo and Senaoane on 29 May.[citation needed]
Controversy surrounds the origin of the name, as there were any number of people with the name "Johannes" who were involved in the early history of the city. The principal clerk attached to the office of the surveyor-general, Johannes Rissik, Christiaan Johannes Joubert, member of the Volksraad and the Republic's chief of mining, Paul Kruger, President of the South African Republic. Rissik and Joubert were members of a delegation sent to England to attain mining rights for the area. Joubert had a park in the city named after him and Rissik street is today a main street where the (historically important and dilapidated,[11] since burnt out[12]) Post Office and City Hall are located.
Major building developments took place in the 1930s, after South Africa went off the gold standard. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hillbrow went high-rise. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the apartheid government constructed the massive agglomeration of townships that became known as Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnships). New freeways encouraged massive suburban sprawl to the north of the city. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, tower blocks (including the Carlton Centre and the Southern Life Centre) filled the skyline of the central business district. The central area of the city underwent something of a decline in the 1980s and 1990s, due to crime and when property speculators directed large amounts of capital into suburban shopping malls, decentralised office parks, and entertainment centres. Sandton City was opened in 1973, followed by Rosebank Mall in 1976, and Eastgate in 1979.[13]
On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra, in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg, when locals attacked migrants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, killing two people and injuring 40 others. These riots sparked the xenophobic attacks of 2008.[14]
Soccer City in Johannesburg hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.
[edit] Geography
Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1,753 metres (5,751 ft). The former CBD is located on the south side of the prominent ridge called the Witwatersrand (Afrikaans: White Water's Ridge) and the terrain falls to the north and south. By and large the Witwatersrand marks the watershed between the Limpopo and Vaal rivers. The north and west of the city has undulating hills while the eastern parts are flatter.
Johannesburg may not be built on a river or harbour, but its streams are the source of two of southern Africa's mightiest rivers. A number of streams meander through the suburbs of Johannesburg, and form the source of two of southern Africa's primary rivers - the Limpopo and the Orange. Most of the springs from which many of these streams emanate are now covered in concrete and canalised, accounting for the fact that the names of early farms in the area often end with "fontein", meaning "spring" in Afrikaans. Braamfontein, Rietfontein, Zevenfontein, Doornfontein, Zandfontein and Randjesfontein are some examples. When the first white settlers reached the area that is now Johannesburg, they noticed the glistening rocks on the ridges, running with trickles of water, fed by the streams - giving the area its name, the Witwatersrand, "the ridge of white waters". Another explanation is that the whiteness comes from the quartzite rock, which has a particular sheen to it after rain.[15]
Johannesburg features a Subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb). The city enjoys a dry, sunny climate with late afternoon thundershowers in the summer months of October to April.[citation needed] Temperatures in Johannesburg are usually fairly mild due to the city's high altitude, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 25.6 °C (78.1 °F), dropping to an average maximum of around 16 °C (61 °F) in June. Winter is the sunniest time of the year, with mild days and cool nights, dropping to 4.1 °C (39.4 °F) in June and July. The temperature occasionally drops to below freezing at night, causing frost. Snow is a rare occurrence, with snowfall having been experienced in May 1956, August 1962, June 1964, September 1981 and August 2006 (light). Snow fell again on 27 June 2007,[17] accumulating up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in the southern suburbs. Regular cold fronts pass over in winter bringing very cold southerly winds but usually clear skies. The annual average rainfall is 713 millimetres (28.1 in), which is mostly concentrated in the summer months. Infrequent showers occur through the course of the winter months.
Despite the relatively dry climate, Johannesburg has over ten million trees,[18] and it is now the biggest man-made forest in the world, followed by Graskop in Mpumalanga which is the second biggest.[19] Many trees were originally planted in the northern areas of the city at the end of the 19th century, to provide wood for the mining industry. The areas were developed by the Randlord, Hermann Eckstein, a German immigrant, who called the forest estates Sachsenwald. The name was changed to Saxonwold, now the name of a suburb, during World War I. Early (white) residents who moved into the areas Parkhurst, Parktown, Parkview, Westcliff, Saxonwold, Houghton Estate, Illovo, Hyde Park, Dunkeld, Melrose, Inanda, Sandhurst, now collectively referred to as the Northern Suburbs, retained many of the original trees and have even expanded their forests with the encouragement of successive city councils. In recent years however, deforestation has occurred to make way for both residential and commercial redevelopment.
Cityscape
Absa Bank, one of the largest banks in AfricaJohannesburg is one of the most modern and prosperous cities in South Africa. Due to its many different central districts Johannesburg would fall under the Multiple Nuclei Model in Human Geography terms. It is the hub of South Africa's commercial, financial, industrial, and mining undertakings. Johannesburg is part of a larger urban region. It is closely linked with several other satellite towns. Randburg and Sandton form part of the northern area. The east and west ridges spread out from central Johannesburg. The Central Business District covers an area of 6 square kilometres. It consists of closely packed skyscrapers such as the Carlton Centre, Marble Towers, Trust Bank Building, Ponte City Apartments, Southern Life Centre and 11 Diagonal Street.
[edit] Architecture
Johannesburg is home to some of Africa's tallest structures, such as the Sentech Tower, Hillbrow Tower and the Carlton Centre. The Johannesburg city skyline has most of the tallest buildings on the continent and contains most international organisations such as IBM, Absa, BHP Billiton, Willis Group, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank. Many of the city's older buildings have been pulled down and more modern ones built in their place. North of the CBD is Hillbrow, the most densely populated residential area in southern Africa. Northwest of the CBD is Braamfontein, a secondary CBD housing many offices and business premises.
[edit] Parks and gardens
Main article: Johannesburg City Parks
Parks and gardens in Johannesburg are maintained by Johannesburg City Parks.[21] City Parks is also responsible for planting the city's many green trees, making Johannesburg one of the 'greenest' cities in the world. It has been estimated that there are six million trees in the city - 1.2 million on pavements and sidewalks, and a further 4.8 million in private gardens.[22] City Parks continues to invest in planting trees, particularly those previously disadvantaged areas of Johannesburg which were not positive beneficiaries of apartheid Johannesburg's urban planning.
Johannesburg Botanical Garden, located in the suburb of Emmarentia, is a popular recreational park.
[edit] Residential areas
Johannesburg's residential areas range from luxurious, wooded suburbs, to shanty towns and squatter settlements. Alexandra, a township northeast of the city centre, is home to about 125,000 people. It was established by workers who migrated from rural areas in the late 1930s. Since the 1980s, large numbers of people have moved to Johannesburg in search of work. A lack of housing in the city has forced many to set up squatter settlements on the outskirts of the city. Most of these communities lack electricity and running water, and residents live in makeshift shacks made of scrap metal,board, and other discarded materials. In some settlements, such as Phola Park south of Johannesburg, town planners have attempted to build streets and provide residents with basic needs.
[edit] Demographics
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)
No language dominant. According to the 2001 South African National Census, the population of Johannesburg is 3,225,812 people, though including the East Rand and other suburban areas it's around 7 million, consisting of people who live in 1,006,930 formal households, of which 86% have a flush or chemical toilet, and 91% have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week. 81% of households have access to running water, and 80% use electricity as the main source of energy. 29% of Johannesburg residents stay in informal dwellings.[23] 66% of households are headed by one person.
Black Africans account for 73% of the population, followed by whites at 16%, coloureds at 6% and Asians at 4%. 42% of the population is under the age of 24, while 6% of the population is over 60 years of age. 37% of city residents are unemployed. 91% of the unemployed are black. Women comprise 43% of the working population. 19% of economically active adults work in wholesale and retail sectors, 18% in financial, real estate and business services, 17% in community, social and personal services and 12% are in manufacturing. Only 0.7% work in mining.
32% of Johannesburg residents speak Nguni languages at home, 24% speak Sotho languages, 18% speak English, 7% speak Afrikaans and 6% speak Tshivenda. 29% of adults have graduated from high school. 14% have higher education (University or Technical school). 7% of residents are completely illiterate. 15% have primary education.
34% use public transportation to commute to work or school. 32% walk to work or school. 34% use private transportation to travel to work or school.
53% belong to mainstream Christian churches, 24% are not affiliated with any organized religion, 14% are members of African Independent Churches, 3% are Muslim, 1% are Jewish and 1% are Hindu.
Johannesburg has a large Latter-day Saint (or Mormon) membership, with around 48,112 members, and had the first LDS Temple built in Africa. It was dedicated in 1985 and is located in the historic suburb of Parktown
[edit] Government
Main articles: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and Regions of Johannesburg
Region A Diepsloot, Kya Sand
Region B : Randburg, Rosebank, Emmarentia, Greenside, Melville, Northcliff, Rosebank, Parktown, Parktown North
Region C : Roodepoort, Constantia Kloof, Northgate
Region D : Doornkop, Soweto, Dobsonville, Protea Glen
Region E : Alexandra, Wynberg, Sandton
Region F : Inner City
Region G : Orange Farm, Ennerdale, LenasiaAfter apartheid era, the present day City of Johannesburg was created from 11 existing local authorities, seven of which were white and four black or coloured. The white authorities were 90% self-sufficient from property tax and other local taxes, and produced and spent ZAR 600 (USD 93) per person, while the black authorities were only 10% self-sufficient, spending R 100 (USD 15) per person.[citation needed]
The first post-apartheid City Council was created in 1995. The council adopted the slogan "One City, One Taxpayer" in order to highlight its primary goal of addressing unequal tax revenue distribution.[citation needed] To this end, revenue from wealthy, traditionally white areas would pay for services needed in poorer, black areas. The City Council was divided into four regions, each with a substantially autonomous local regional authority that was to be overseen by a central metropolitan council. Furthermore, the municipal boundaries were expanded to include wealthy satellite towns like Sandton and Randburg, poorer neighbouring townships such as Soweto and Alexandra, and informal settlements like Orange Farm.
In 1999, Johannesburg appointed a city manager in order to reshape the city's ailing financial situation.[citation needed] The manager, together with the Municipal Council, drew up a blueprint called "Igoli 2002". This was a three-year plan that called upon the government to sell non-core assets, restructure certain utilities, and required that all others become self-sufficient. The plan took the city from near insolvency to an operating surplus of R 153 million (USD 23.6 million).[citation needed]
Following the creation of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg was divided into eleven administrative regions (which did not correspond to the areas governed by the former local authorities). In 2006, the number of administrative regions was consolidated, from eleven to seven.[24]
[edit] Crime
After the Group Areas Act was scrapped in 1991, Johannesburg was affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, who had been forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city from surrounding black townships like Soweto and many immigrants from economically beleaguered and war torn African nations flooded into South Africa. Many buildings were abandoned by landlords, especially in high-density areas, such as Hillbrow. Many corporations and institutions, including the stock exchange, moved their headquarters away from the city centre, to suburbs like Sandton.
Reviving the city centre is one of the main aims of the municipal government of Johannesburg. Drastic measures have been taken to reduce crime in the city. These measures include closed-circuit television on street corners. As of December 11, 2008, every street corner in Johannesburg central is under high-tech CCTV surveillance.[25] The CCTV system, operated by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), is also able to detect stolen or hijacked vehicles by scanning the number plates of every vehicle travelling through the Central business district (CBD), then comparing them to the eNaTIS database. The CCTV system has proven to be very effective. The average response time by police for crimes committed in the CBD is under 60 seconds.[25]
Crime levels in Johannesburg have dropped as the economy has stabilised and begun to grow.[26] Between 2001 and 2006, R9-Billion (US$1.2 Billion) has been invested in the city centre. Further investment of around R10-Billion (US$ 1.5 Billion) is expected in the city centre alone by 2010. This excludes development directly associated with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[dead link][27] In an effort to prepare Johannesburg for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, local government has enlisted the help of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani to help bring down the crime rate, as the opening and closing matches of the tournament will be played in the city.[28]
[edit] Economy
The JSE is the largest stock exchange on the African continent.
Sandton City, one of the Largest Shopping Centres in the Southern HemisphereJohannesburg is one of the world's leading financial centres [29] and it is the economic and financial hub of South Africa, producing 16% of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts for 40% of Gauteng's economic activity.[citation needed] In a 2007 survey conducted by MasterCard, Johannesburg ranked 47 out of 50 top cities in the world as a worldwide centre of commerce (the only city in Africa).[30]
Mining was the foundation of the Witwatersrand's economy, but its importance is gradually declining due to dwindling reserves and service and manufacturing industries have become more significant to the city's economy. While gold mining no longer takes place within the city limits, most mining companies still have their headquarters in Johannesburg. The city's manufacturing industries extend across a range of areas and there is still a reliance on heavy industries including steel and cement plants. The service and other industries include banking, IT, real estate, transport, broadcast and print media, private health care, transport and a vibrant leisure and consumer retail market.[citation needed] Johannesburg has Africa's largest stock exchange, the JSE although it has moved out of the central business district. Due to its commercial role, the city is the seat of the provincial government and the site of a number of government branch offices, as well as consular offices and other institutions.
There is also a significant informal economy consisting of cash-only street traders and vendors.[citation needed] The level of this economic activity is difficult to track in official statistics and it supports a sector of the population including immigrants who are not in formal employment. However, it is clear that the informal economy operating in Johannesburg is certainly one of the biggest in the world.
The Witwatersrand urban complex is a major consumer of water in a dry region. Its continued economic and population growth has depended on schemes to divert water from other regions of South Africa and from the highlands of Lesotho, the biggest of which is the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, but additional sources will be needed early in the 21st century.
The container terminal at City Deep is known to be the largest "dry port" in the world, with some 60% of cargo that arrives through the ports of Durban and Cape Town arriving in Johannesburg. The City Deep area has been declared an IDZ (industrial development zone) by the Gauteng government.
[edit] Retail
Johannesburg's largest shopping centre is Sandton City, while Hyde Park is one of its most prestigious. Other centres include Rosebank, Eastgate, Westgate, Northgate, Southgate, The Glen Shopping centre, Johannesburg South, and Cresta. There are also plans to build a large shopping centre, known as the Zonk'Izizwe Shopping Resort, in Midrand. "Zonk'Izizwe" means "All Nations" in Zulu language, indicating that the centre will cater to the city's diverse mix of peoples and races. Also a complex named Greenstone in Modderfontein has been opened and is intended to become the largest shopping complex in the southern hemisphere.[31]
[edit] Communications and media
The Radiopark Centre with the Sentech Tower in the background. The Radiopark Centre is one of the most visible landmarks throughout the north-western suburbs.The city is home to several media groups which own a number of newspaper and magazine titles. The two main print media groups are Independent Newspapers and Naspers (Media24). The electronic media is also headquartered in the greater metropolitan region. Beeld is a leading Afrikaans newspaper for the city and the country[citation needed], while the City Press is a Sunday newspaper that is the third largest selling newspaper in South Africa[citation needed]. The Sowetan is one of a number of titles catering for the black market although in recent years it competes against newly arrived tabloids. The Mail & Guardian is an investigative liberal newspaper while The Citizen is a tabloid-style paper, and The Star is a local newspaper that mostly covers Gauteng-related issues. The Sunday Times is the most widely read national Sunday newspaper[citation needed]. True Love is the most widely read women's magazine[citation needed], catering primarily to the up and coming middle class black female market, published by Media 24. The Times is a national newspaper that covers current issues.
Media ownership is relatively complicated with a number of cross shareholdings which have been rationalised in recent years resulting in the movement of some ownership into the hands of black shareholders. This has been accompanied by a growth in black editorship and journalism.
Johannesburg has a number of regional radio stations such as YFM, Metro FM, Phalaphala FM, Talk Radio 702, Highveld Stereo, 5FM, UJ FM and Kaya FM and Classic FM. The number of radio stations has increased in recent years as the government sold off frequencies to private companies. Johannesburg is also the headquarters of state-owned broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation and pay broadcast network Multichoice which distributes M-Net and DStv a digital satellite service, while eTV also has a presence in the city. etv is the only other terrestrial broadcaster and it is free-to-air and funded by advertising revenue. The city has two television towers, the Hillbrow Tower and the Sentech Tower.
Johannesburg has 4 Major Cellular Telecommunisations operators: Vodacom, MTN Group, Cell C, and Virgin Mobile. Vodacom's Global Headquarters is located in Midrand. It was formed in 1994, just after the South African Elections of 1994.[32]
[edit] Music
The Hillbrow Tower, one of Johannesburg's two telecommunications towers
The Sentech Tower, the other of Johannesburg's two telecommunications towersKwaito is the musical genre from Johannesburg that is considered to be the post-struggle (post-apartheid) music of choice by South African youth. Some consider Kwaito to be apolitical dance music because the same lyrics are typically repeated throughout the entire song and are placed over the rhythms and beats of House music.
Kwaito has touched more than the music scene in South Africa. In recent years, it has become deeply embedded in young South African culture because it represents "the streets", street life, and the people who live there. As Grant Clark notes after his trip to Johannesburg, "Kwaito has evolved its own street style. It's not just music, it's the way you walk, talk, dance, and of course, dress." [33]
Other than kwaito there are many other genres that have dominated the South African music industry; like house music, R&B, pop, rock, etc. Because Joburg is a place where most people are from outside of the city, there are many musical influences from all over the world.
[edit] Suburbs
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Main article: Suburbs of Johannesburg
Johannesburg's suburbs are the product of extensive urban sprawl and are regionalised into north, south, east and west, and they generally have different personalities. While the Central Business District and the immediate surrounding areas were formerly desirable living areas, the spatial accommodation of the suburbs has tended to see a flight from the city and immediate surrounds. The inner city buildings have been let out to the lower income groups and illegal immigrants and as a result abandoned buildings and crime have become a feature of inner city life. The immediate city suburbs include Yeoville, a hot spot for black nightlife despite its otherwise poor reputation. The suburbs to the south of the city are mainly blue collar neighbourhoods and situated closer to some townships. The suburbs to the west have in recent years floundered with the decline of the mining industry but have in some cases experienced some revival with properties being bought up by the black middle class. The biggest sprawl lies to the east and north. The eastern suburbs are relatively prosperous and close to various industrial zones. The northern suburbs have been the recipient of most of the flight from the inner city and some residential areas have become commercialised particularly around the area of Sandton, stretching north towards Midrand, a half way point between Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria.
Traditionally the northern and northwestern suburbs have been the centre for the wealthy, containing the high-end retail shops as well as several upper-class residential areas such as Hyde Park, Sandhurst, Northcliff and Houghton, where Nelson Mandela makes his home. The northwestern area in particular is vibrant and lively, with the mostly black suburb of Sophiatown once centre of political activity and the Bohemian-flavoured Melville featuring restaurants and nightlife. Auckland Park is home to the headquarters of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture and Live Performance) and the University of Johannesburg.
To the southwest of the City Centre is Soweto, a mostly black urban area constructed during the apartheid regime specifically for housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for white settlement.
To the south of Johannesburg is Lenasia, a mostly Asian area which was constructed during the Apartheid era specifically to house Asians. It is closer to the city centre and smaller than Soweto.
[edit] Tourism
See also: Category:Visitor attractions in Johannesburg and Category:Museums in Johannesburg
Image from the Central Business district of Johannesburg
Johannesburg region map with names
One of the numerous skyscrapers of the cityJohannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination, but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Consequently, most international visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once, which has led to the development of more attractions for tourists. Recent additions have centred around history museums, such as the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Gold Reef City, a large amusement park to the south of the Central Business District, is also a large draw for tourists in the city. The Johannesburg Zoo is also one of the largest in South Africa.
The city also has several art museums, such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which featured South African and European landscape and figurative paintings. The Museum Africa covers the history of the city of Johannesburg, as well as housing a large collection of rock art. The Market Theatre complex attained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by staging anti-apartheid plays, and has now become a centre for modern South African playwriting. The Johannesburg Civic Theatre is South Africa's foremost "receiving house" of live entertainment—presenting world class theatre, both local and international.[34]
There is also a large industry around visiting former townships, such as Soweto and Alexandra. Most visitors to Soweto go to see the Mandela Museum, which is located in the former home of Nelson Mandela.
The Cradle of Humankind [4] a UNESCO World Heritage Site is 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the northwest of the city. The Sterkfontein fossil site is famous for being the world's richest hominid site and produced the first adult Australopithecus africanus and the first near-complete skeleton of an early Australopithecine. Other attractions in this area include the Lesedi Cultural Village, while Magaliesburg and the Hartbeespoort Dam are popular weekend (and holiday) destinations for Johannesburg residents.
The Suburbs of Melville, Newtown, Parkhurst, Norwood and Greenside are popular for their bohemian atmosphere, street life, and many restaurants and bars.
[edit] Sports teams and stadiums
Club Sport League Stadium
Highveld Lions Cricket MTN Domestic Championship Wanderers Stadium
Kaizer Chiefs Football Premier Soccer League Johannesburg Stadium
Moroka Swallows Football Premier Soccer League Rand Stadium
Orlando Pirates Football Premier Soccer League Soccer City
Alexander United Football MTN Supersport Leagues Alexander Stadium
Katlehong City Football MTN Supersport Leagues Potgietersrus Rugby Stadium
Lions Rugby union Super 14 Coca-Cola Park
Golden Lions Rugby union Currie Cup Coca-Cola Park
Johannesburg's most popular sports by participation are association football, cricket, rugby union, and running. Early each Sunday morning, tens of thousands of runners gather to take part in informal runs organised by several athletic clubs.
[edit] Football (soccer)
The city has several football clubs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the National First Division. In the PSL, the top Johannesburg teams are all fierce rivals and include Kaizer Chiefs (nicknamed Amakhosi), Orlando Pirates (nicknamedthe Buccaneers), Moroka Swallows and Witwatersrand University(nicknamed the Clever Boys). They are based at the city's Rand, Orlando, Dobsonville and Bidvest stadiums. Several large scale league and cup games are played at Soccer the venue of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. First Division teams include Jomo Cosmos. Katlehong City and Alexandra United, play at Alexandra and Reiger Park stadia respectively
[edit] Cricket
Cricket is one of the more popular sports. In cricket, the Highveld Lions represent Johannesburg, the rest of Gauteng as well as the North West Province at the Wanderers Stadium which was the venue for the 2003 Cricket World Cup Final in which Australia successfully defended their title. Wanderers Stadium hosted what many cricket fans consider the greatest ever ODI match in which South Africa successfully chased down 434 runs. They take part in the first class SuperSport Series, the one-day MTN Domestic Championship and the Twenty20 Standard Bank Pro 20 Series.
Johannesburg also hosted matches from and the final of the ICC World Twenty20, in which India beat Pakistan in the final.
A view of Johannesburg from Kyalami, a major motor race track in Johannesburg's northern suburbs[edit] Rugby
The Lions, formerly the Cats, represent Johannesburg, North West and Mpumalanga in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby Rugby Competition, which includes teams from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
[edit] Transport
Johannesburg is a young and sprawling city geared towards private motorists, and lacks a convenient public transportation system. A significant number of the city's residents are dependent on the city's informal minibus taxis.
A street in Hillbrow, the most densely populated residential area in Southern Africa[edit] Airports
OR Tambo International Airport Terminal BJohannesburg is served principally by OR Tambo International Airport (formerly Johannesburg International Airport) for both domestic and international flights. Lanseria Airport, located to the north-west of the city and closer to the business hub of Sandton, is used for commercial flights to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Botswana, and Sun City. Other airports include Rand Airport and Grand Central Airport. Rand Airport, located in Germiston, is a small airfield used mostly for private aircraft and the home of South African Airways's first Boeing 747 Classic, the Lebombo, which is now an aviation museum. Grand Central is located in Midrand and also caters to small, private aircraft.
[edit] Freeways
Main article: Johannesburg freeways
The fact that Johannesburg is not near a large navigable body of water has meant that ground transportation has been the most important method of transporting people and goods in and out of the city. One of Africa's most famous "beltways" or ring roads/orbitals is the Johannesburg Ring Road. The road is composed of three freeways that converge on the city, forming an 80-kilometre (50 mi) loop around it: the N3 Eastern Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Durban; the N1 Western Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Pretoria and Cape Town; and the N12 Southern Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Witbank and Kimberley. The N3 was built exclusively with asphalt, while the N12 and N1 sections were made with concrete, hence the nickname given to the N1 Western Bypass, "The Concrete Highway". In spite of being up to 12 lanes wide in some areas (6 lanes in either direction), the Johannesburg Ring Road is frequently clogged with traffic. The Gillooly's Interchange, built on an old farm and the point at which the N3 Eastern Bypass and the R24 Airport Freeway intersect, is the busiest interchange in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also claimed[who?] that the N1 is the busiest road in South Africa.
A board on the N3 indicating the exit for Johannesburg. The M1 is one of the busiest highways in Johannesburg.
The M2 in the afternoon as it passes through the Central Business District
Busy side street off Beyers Naudé Drive in Cresta, GautengJohannesburg has the most freeways connected to it.[clarification needed] It has the N1, N3, N12, N14, N17, R21, R24 and the R59, all leading to Johannesburg. The M1 and M2 freeways were built to direct traffic towards the city centre. These two freeways are congested due to mass urbanisation.
[edit] Taxis
A full minibus taxiJohannesburg has two kinds of taxis, metered taxis and minibus taxis. Unlike many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city looking for passengers and instead must be called and ordered to a destination. The Gauteng Provincial Government has launched a new metered taxi programme in an attempt to increase use of metered taxis in the city.[citation needed]
The minibus "taxis" are the de facto standard and essential form of transport for the majority of the population. Since the 1980s The minibus taxi industry has been severely affected by turf wars.
[edit] Mass transit
The Metrorail Gauteng commuter rail system connects central Johannesburg to Soweto, Pretoria, and most of the satellite towns along the Witwatersrand. The railways transport huge numbers of workers everyday. However, the railway infrastructure was built in Johannesburg's infancy and covers only the older areas in the city's south. The northern areas, including the business districts of Sandton, Midrand, Randburg, and Rosebank, currently lack rail infrastructure.
[edit] Trains
A part of the Gauteng Provincial Government's Blue IQ Project, Gautrain has made provision for the creation of a rapid rail link, running north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and west to east between Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport. Construction of the Gautrain Rapid Rail started in October 2006 and will be completed by 2011. It will consist of a number of underground stations, as well as above ground stations. Stations on the northern line include Johannesburg's Park Station, Rosebank, Sandton, Midrand and Pretoria. There will also be a line from the OR Tambo International Airport travelling to Sandton.
The east-west line from the airport to Sandton opened in June 2010 in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The rail system is being designed to alleviate traffic on the N1 freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which records vehicle loads of up to 300,000 per day.[citation needed] An extensive bus feeder system is also being implemented, which will allow access to the main stations from the outer suburbs. This will be the first new railway system that has been laid in South Africa since 1977.[citation needed]
As of mid-2010, a high speed rail link has been proposed between Johannesburg and Durban.[35]
[edit] Buses
Johannesburg is served by a bus fleet operated by Metrobus, a corporate unit of the City of Johannesburg. It has a fleet consisting of approximately 550 single and double-decker buses, plying 84 different routes in the city. This total includes 200 modern buses (150 double-deckers and 50 single-deckers), made by Volvo and Marcopolo/Brasa in 2002. Metrobus' fleet carries approximately 20 million passengers per annum. In addition there are a number of private bus operators, though most focus on the inter-city routes, or on bus charters for touring groups. The City's main bus terminus is situated in Gandhi Square, where passengers can also obtain information regarding the Metrobus service from the walk-in customer information desk.
PUTCO also operated buss routes in and around the city.
[edit] Education and culture
The University of the Witwatersrand. Braamfontein buildings are visible in the background.Johannesburg has a well-developed higher education system of both private and public universities. Johannesburg is served by the public universities University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg.
University of Johannesburg was formed on 1 January 2005 when three separate universities and campuses—Rand Afrikaans University, Technikon Witwatersrand, and the Johannesburg campuses of Vista University—were merged. The new university offers education primarily in English and Afrikaans, although courses may be taken in any of South Africa's official languages.
The University of the Witwatersrand is one of the leading universities in South Africa, and is famous as a centre of resistance to apartheid.
Private universities include Monash University, which has one of its eight campuses in Johannesburg (six of the other campuses are in Australia, while the eighth is in Malaysia), and Midrand Graduate Institute which is located in Midrand.
Johannesburg also has one of several film schools in the country, one of which has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Student Film in 2006.[36] The South African School of Motion Picture and Live Performance, or AFDA for short, is situated in Auckland Park.
Johannesburg also has three teacher-training colleges and a technical college. There are numerous kindergartens, primary schools and high schools in the region. There are some libraries, art galleries and museums. One of them is MuseumAfrica, located in the CBD.[37] Specialist museums cover subjects such as Africana, costume, design, fossils, geology, military history, medical, pharmacy, photography and transportation networks such as railways. Gold Reef City, a living museum, was originally part of the Crown Mines Complex, where gold was mined to a depth of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). The Market Theatre stages plays, comedy shows, and musical performances. The Civic Theatre complex hosts drama, opera and ballet.
The Giant Wheel, a ferris wheel found at Gold Reef City[edit] Museums in Johannesburg
The Following is a list of some the museums in Johannesburg.[38]
[edit] AECI Dynamite Factory Museum
The AECI Dynamite Factory Museum, housed in the 1895 residence of a mining official, records the history of explosives, with particular emphasis on their use in the mining industry. It also provides a social commentary and insight into the part played by some of the world famous figures who helped shape the destiny of southern Africa.
[edit] Adler Museum of Medicine
History of Medicine, brainchild of Dr Cyril Adler, was formally inaugurated 1962. The Museum's role was to collect and preserve for posterity all material that would illustrate the History of medicine in general and of South Africa in particular.
[edit] Apartheid museum
Main article: Apartheid Museum
[edit] Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill is the home of the Constitutional Court, but also the site of Johannesburg’s notorious Old Fort Prison Complex, commonly known as Number Four, where thousands of ordinary people were brutally punished before the dawn of democracy in 1994. Many of South Africa’s leading political activists, including Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, were detained here.
[edit] Hector Peterson Museum
Media related to Hector Pieterson Museum at Wikimedia Commons
The Hector Peterson Museum in Soweto commemorates the 566 people who died in the student uprising that followed the events of 16 June 1976. The museum is named for Hector Peterson, a 12-year-old boy who was the first person shot dead by police on that day, and is located near a memorial to his death.
[edit] James Hall Transport Museum
The James Hall museum of Transport is the largest and most comprehensive museum of land transport in South Africa. It was established by the late Jimmie Hall together with the City of Johannesburg in February 1964.
[edit] Johannesburg Art Gallery
Main article: Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens. It houses collections of 17th century Dutch paintings, 18th and 19th century British and European art, 19th century South African works, a large contemporary collection of 20th century local and international art and a print cabinet containing works from the 15th century to the present.
[edit] Madiba Freedom Museum
Named after the former President Mandela's clan. The museums theme is Mzabalazo and charts South Africa's journey to democracy.
[edit] Museum Africa
Museum Africa is located in Newtown, and covers the history of both the city and the continent.
[edit] Origins Centre Museum
Located on the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand in Braamfontein,[39] this museum contains some excellent examples of southern African rock art.
[edit] Bernberg Fashion Museum
Bernberg Fashion Museum is a primarily a museum collection, consisting of objects, and explains why and how clothing has changed and how the fashions of the past influence those of today.
[edit] South African National Museum of Military History
Main article: South African National Museum of Military History
It is the only museum of its kind in South Africa and provides a nucleus of Museum and military history expertise in southern Africa. At the Museum you can see all types of guns, tanks, armoured cars, aircraft and naval hardware, including a midget submarine called the Molch used by the Germans in the Second World War (1939–1945).
[edit] Zoology Museum
The Zoology Museum is the only natural history museum in Johannesburg which is unusual because all the other major cities in South Africa have large public natural history museums. It has retained a unique character as the display specimens are exhibited in finely crafted teak cabinets which allow the viewer to engage directly with scores of objects at close range.
MORE RECENT HISTORY
The region surrounding Johannesburg was originally inhabited by San tribes. By the 13th century, groups of Bantu-speaking people started moving southwards from central Africa and encroached on the indigenous San population. By the mid 18th century, the broader region was densely settled by various Sotho-Tswana communities (one linguistic branch of Bantu-speakers), whose villages, towns, chiefdoms and kingdoms stretched from what is now Botswana in the west, to present day Lesotho in the south, to the present day Pedi areas of the northern Transvaal.
GOLD was discovered in Johannesburg in 1886. The town moved from tent town to wood and iron shacks to bricks and mortar within a decade or two. These stories tell that history, detailing the characters involved, how the city got its name, and the earliest settlers in the region.
Joburg's earliest settlers
Johannesburg's earliest settlers were not the Boers but rather the descendants of Venda people who settled north of the Soutpansberg around 1 000 years ago, on two hills near a small town called Pontdrift
The Struben brothers
The first pioneers to actually find gold - but their luck quickly ran out
Confidence Reef
Johannesburg's first real mine never quite lived up to its name
The Three Georges strike paydirt
Who discovered the main gold reef? There's much controversy, but the claimants are three drifters, all named George
How did the gold get here?
Geologists continue to puzzle over why so much of the world's gold is to be found in one particular spot - the Witwatersrand
"City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)";
Johannesburg (English pronunciation: /dʒoʊˈhænɪsˌbɜː(r)ɡ/; Afrikaans pronunciation: [joˈhɑnəsˌbʏrx]) also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or eGoli, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world[5], and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.[6] While Johannesburg is not officially one of South Africa's three capital cities, it does house the Constitutional Court – South Africa's highest court. Johannesburg is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills. Johannesburg is served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa.
According to the 2007 Community Survey, the population of the municipal city[clarification needed] was 3,888,180 and the population of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area was 7,151,447.[citation needed] A broader definition of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, including Ekhuruleni, the West Rand, Soweto and Lenasia, has a population of 10,267,700.[citation needed] The municipal city's land area of 1,645 km2 (635 sq mi) is very large when compared to other cities, resulting in a moderate population density of 2,364 /km2 (6,120 /sq mi).
Johannesburg once again includes Soweto, which was a separate city from the late 1970s until the 1990s. Originally an acronym for "SOuth-WEstern TOwnships", Soweto originated as a collection of settlements on the outskirts of Johannesburg populated mostly by native African workers in the gold mining industry. Eventually incorporated into Johannesburg, the apartheid regime (in power 1949–1994) separated Soweto from the rest of Johannesburg to make it a completely Black area. Lenasia is also part of Johannesburg.
Gauteng is growing rapidly due to mass urbanisation which is a feature of many developing countries. According to the State of the Cities Report, the urban portion of Gauteng – comprised primarily of the cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni (the East Rand) and Tshwane (greater Pretoria) – will be a polycentric urban region with a projected population of some 14.6 million people by 2015.[7]
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Government
3 Crime
4 Geography
5 Climate
6 Demographics
7 Cityscape
7.1 Architecture
7.2 Parks and gardens
7.3 Residential areas
8 Economy
8.1 Retail
9 Communications and media
10 Music
11 Suburbs
12 Tourism
13 Sports teams and stadiums
14 Transport
14.1 Airports
14.2 Freeways
14.3 Taxis
14.4 Mass transit
14.4.1 Trains
14.4.2 Buses
15 Education and culture
15.1 Museums in Johannesburg
15.1.1 AECI Dynamite Factory Museum
15.1.2 Adler Museum of Medicine
15.1.3 Apartheid museum
15.1.4 Constitution Hill
15.1.5 Hector Peterson Museum
15.1.6 James Hall Transport Museum
15.1.7 Johannesburg Art Gallery
15.1.8 Madiba Freedom Museum
15.1.9 Museum Africa
15.1.10 Origins Centre Museum
15.1.11 Bernberg Fashion Museum
15.1.12 South African National Museum of Military History
15.1.13 Zoology Museum
16 International relations
16.1 Twin towns — sister cities
17 See also
18 Notes
19 References
20 External links
[edit] History
Main article: History of Johannesburg
The farm where gold was first discovered in 1886.The region surrounding Johannesburg was originally inhabited by San tribes. By the 1200s, groups of Bantu-speaking peoples started moving southwards from central Africa and encroached on the indigenous San population. By the mid 1700s, the broader region was densely settled by various Sotho-Tswana communities (one linguistic branch of Bantu-speakers), whose villages, towns, chiefdoms and kingdoms stretched from what is now Botswana in the west, to present day Lesotho in the south, to the present day Pedi areas of the northern Transvaal.
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More specifically, the stone-walled ruins of Sotho-Tswana towns and villages are scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. The Sotho-Tswana practiced farming, raised cattle, sheep and goats, and extensively mined and smelted copper, iron and tin. Moreover, from the early 1960s until his retirement, Professor Revil Mason, of the University of the Witwatersrand, explored and documented many Late Iron Age archeological sites throughout the Johannesburg area, dating from between the 1100s and 1700s, and many of these sites contained the ruins of Sotho-Tswana mines and iron smelting furnaces, suggesting that the area was being exploited for its mineral wealth before the arrival of Europeans or the discovery of gold.[citation needed] The most prominent site within Johannesburg is Melville Koppies, which contains an iron smelting furnace. Many Sotho-Tswana towns and villages in the areas around Johannesburg were destroyed and their people driven away during the wars emanating from Zululand during the late 1700s and early 1800s (the mfecane or difaqane wars), and as a result, an offshoot of the Zulu kingdom, the Matabele, set up a kingdom to the northwest of Johannesburg around modern day Hartebeestpoort and Rustenburg, and historians believe that the Matebele kingdom dominated the Johannesburg area.[citation needed] The Dutch speaking Voortrekkers arrived in the early 1800s, driving away the Matebele with the help of Sotho-Tswana allies, establishing settlements around Rustenburg and Pretoria in the early 1830s, and claiming sovereignty over what would become Johannesburg as part of the South African Republic or Transvaal Republic. Gold was discovered in the 1880s and triggered the gold rush. Gold was initially discovered some 400 km to the east of present-day Johannesburg, in Barberton. Gold prospectors soon discovered that there were even richer gold reefs in the Witwatersrand. Gold was discovered at Langlaagte, Johannesburg in 1886.
Johannesburg was a dusty settlement some 55 km from the Transvaal Republic capital which was Pretoria. The town was much the same as any small prospecting settlement, but, as word spread, people flocked to the area from all other regions of the country, as well as from North America, the United Kingdom and Europe.[8]. As the value of control of the land increased, tensions developed between the Boer government in Pretoria and the British, culminating in the Jameson Raid that ended in fiasco at Doornkop in January 1896 and the Second Boer War (1899–1902) that saw British forces under Lord Roberts occupy the city on 30 May 1900 after a series of battles to the south of its then-limits.
Fighting took place at the Gatsrand Pass (near Zakariyya Park) on 27 May, north of Vanwyksrust—today's Nancefield, Eldorado Park and Naturena—the next day, culminating in a mass infantry attack on what is now the waterworks ridge in Chiawelo and Senaoane on 29 May.[citation needed]
Controversy surrounds the origin of the name, as there were any number of people with the name "Johannes" who were involved in the early history of the city. The principal clerk attached to the office of the surveyor-general, Johannes Rissik, Christiaan Johannes Joubert, member of the Volksraad and the Republic's chief of mining, Paul Kruger, President of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal). Rissik and Joubert were members of a delegation sent to England to attain mining rights for the area. Joubert had a park in the city named after him and Rissik street is today a main street where the (now dilapidated) Post Office and City Hall are located.
Major building developments took place in the 1930s, after South Africa went off the gold standard. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hillbrow went high-rise. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the apartheid government constructed the massive agglomeration of townships that became known as Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnships). New freeways encouraged massive suburban sprawl to the north of the city. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, tower blocks (including the Carlton Centre and the Southern Life Centre) filled the skyline of the central business district. The central area of the city underwent something of a decline in the 1980s and 1990s, due to crime and when property speculators directed large amounts of capital into suburban shopping malls, decentralised office parks, and entertainment centres. Sandton City was opened in 1973, followed by Rosebank Mall in 1976, and Eastgate in 1979.[9]
On May 12, 2008, On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra (in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg) when locals attacked migrants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, killing two people and injuring 40 others. These riots sparked the xenophobic attacks of 2008.[10]
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Randjeslaagte only existed because of the rough and ready surveying techniques of rural Transvaal, where land was plentiful but qualified surveyors were rare. A system evolved in which each farmer marked out his property with temporary beacons constructed of piles of whitewashed stones, pending the day when some higher and more qualified authority would mark out permanent boundaries.
In some cases, land claims overlapped. In other cases, there were large gaps between the farm borders, which became known as "uitvalgrond" or surplus land, and which was automatically owned by the state. Randjeslaagte was a classic example, a narrow triangle about one and a half kilometres wide at its base in the south, and extending about five kilometres to its apex in the north, covering some 1 100 acres. None of the local farmers had laid claim to it, because it was unsuitable for agriculture and had no water.
"City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)";
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Gold at http://www.pricedropclub.co.za
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