MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Chin’ono barred from traveling to South Africa

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. Chin’ono barred from traveling to South Africa: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) has said it was disappointed by the failure of the Zimbabwean High Court to hand over the passport of … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. NUM to hold mass meeting over Richards Bay Minerals force majeure on workers: In June, the company declared a force majeure on customer contracts following the assassination of Nico Swart. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Somizi says he’ll be back on Metro FM on Monday: Somizi Mhlongo has insinuated that he would be back on Metro FM from Monday following the abuse allegations levelled against him by his … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Gauteng education dept hails first week of online applications as a success: The Gauteng Department of Education said despite some glitches faced on the first day of the process, the first week had been a success with more than 100,000 online applications for grade 8 pupils … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. S. Africa to seek opportunities on BRICS Business Forum: South Africa would use the the BRICS Business Forum to showcase what the country can offer improve confidence and attract inv … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

Click here to submit your Johannesburg, Gauteng News – free.

Have you tried: Travelling to South Africa?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? Boiling an egg takes one minute longer in Johannesburg than on the South African coast: The reason for this is because Johannesburg is located at 1753 metres above sea level. The air is not dense.

Category: Tag: , , , , ,

Top Star Drive-In: Destroyed by What Created it

However, the very thing that created the Top Star eventually destroyed it. Because the early miners had used crude methods, the Ferreira Dump—and dozens of others like it—still contained significant traces of gold. As the price of gold rose and new chemical extraction technologies (like the carbon-in-pulp process) made it profitable to “mine the waste,” the ground beneath the Top Star became more valuable than the cinema itself. In 2006, despite fierce opposition from heritage groups who argued that the dump and the drive-in were culturally significant landmarks, the projectors were turned off for the last time.

The reclamation of the dump was a staggering industrial feat. Starting in 2008, mining giant DRDGold used high-pressure water cannons to “monitor” the dump, turning 5 million tons of solid earth back into a liquid slurry. This slurry was then piped 40 kilometers across the province to a processing plant in Brakpan. By 2011, the “mountain” had completely vanished. The 50-meter-high plateau that had dominated the southern skyline for a century was reduced to a flat, dusty crater.

The disappearance of the Top Star is a poignant symbol of Johannesburg’s “extractive” nature. It is a city that consumes itself to stay alive; even its historical landmarks are subject to the fluctuating price of minerals on the London and New York stock exchanges. Today, if you drive along the M2, there is an empty space in the sky where the Top Star used to be. While the reclamation removed a source of toxic dust and “acid mine drainage,” it also erased a piece of the city’s collective memory. The land where the gold-flecked mountain once stood is now being rehabilitated for light industrial use, proving that in eGoli, even the horizon is for sale if there’s enough gold hidden inside it.