MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Colorado man with COVID-19 variant had not traveled, lives in rural area outside Denver | MyJHB.co.za

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Colorado man with COVID-19 variant had not traveled, lives in rural area outside Denver: A new variant of the coronavirus that may be more contagious has been found in a Colorado man who had not been traveling. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. South Africa’s forgotten history: Moving Mozambican Miners to and From South Africa, circa 1902-55 by Charles van Onselen. Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2019. For 35 years, I’ve been reading with d … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. South Africa reports record daily COVID-19 cases of nearly 18,0000: South Africa reported a record 17,710 daily increase in coronavirus infections on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of about 14,500 set several days ago. “As … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Happy New Year messages: How to say Happy New Year in 36 languages: HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2021 is almost upon us and its time to say goodbye to 2020. If you want to wish friends and family around the world a Happy New Year, here is how to do so in 36 different languages. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. The 10 best TV shows to watch this week, from The Serpent to Pooch Perfect: Focusing on how Earth’s equilibrium of weather, terrain and atmosphere provides the perfect home to approximately 8.7 million species, this first episode takes a closer look at how volcanoes shaped … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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

Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? The Rand Afrikaans University was founded in 1966. Its first campus was on the erstwhile premises of South African Breweries in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Later it moved to its new campus in Auckland Park. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) and the Soweto and East Rand campuses of Vista University.

Category: Tag: , , , , , , , , ,

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.