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Stuff from Johannesburg

Bullish Motsepe launches manifesto to put Africa at the top of the world

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. Bullish Motsepe launches manifesto to put Africa at the top of the world: CAF presidential candidate Patrice Motsepe and his team have expressed confidence that they will obtain 35+ votes on the way to claiming the throne in African football.  With fifteen days left until … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Boko Haram claims responsibility for deadly rocket attack in Nigeria: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on densely populated Maiduguri in which 10 people died and 47 were injured. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Prison inmates outperformed the overall national pass rate: The matric pass rate of pupils who wrote their final examinations behind bars in 2020 was 86.3%, the department of correctional services (DCS) said on Thursday. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za Votes Springbok Casino Best Casino in South Africa: South Africa’s most comprehensive guide to online casinos, Southafricancasinos.co.za has voted Springbok Casino the “Best Casino in South Africa” in 2020. This coveted title was given to Springbok … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Paramount Group and Sarcos Robotics Sign MoU to Bring Highly Dexterous Mobile Robots for Defense Applications to the Middle East and Africa: Paramount Group, the global aerospace and technology company, and Sarcos Robotics, a global leader in the development of innovative, highly dexterous mobile robotic systems designed for use in the … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Have you tried: Travelling to South Africa?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? Stone-walled ruins of Sotho–Tswana towns and villages are scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. Many of these sites contain 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.

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Ponte City: Transformation

As the “white flight” of the 1980s and 90s drained the inner city of capital, Ponte City underwent a dramatic and terrifying transformation. By the late 1990s, the building had become a “vertical slum” and a symbol of urban decay. It was famously “hijacked” by gangs; the retail levels were stripped, and the building became a fortress for drug dealing and human trafficking. The most haunting image from this era was the central core. Originally designed to be a light-filled courtyard, it became a literal trash heap. Residents on the upper floors would throw their refuse into the center of the building rather than taking it down. At its worst point, the trash in the core reached five stories high—a mountain of rotting debris, discarded furniture, and even, legend has it, the remains of those who had fallen or jumped.

During this period, the reputation of Ponte was so toxic that there was a serious proposal in 1998 to turn the entire skyscraper into a vertical prison. The plan was eventually scrapped, but the building remained a “no-go zone” for nearly a decade. The turnaround began in the mid-2000s when developers New Metro Property Group and later Dlala Nje began a massive, painstaking refurbishment. They cleared out the tons of trash from the core, restored the lifts (which had often been out of order, forcing residents to climb 50 flights of stairs), and implemented strict security protocols.