MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

EDITORIL: Worrying absence of leadership at all levels of govt

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. EDITORIL: Worrying absence of leadership at all levels of govt: SOUTH Africa teetered perilously close to the edge this week as public protests rent the calm of at least two major metropoles, Johannesburg and … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  2. Women's Month: It's time to stop paying lip service to violence: Johannesburg – Civil rights groups are this Women's Month urging government to do more than just announce catchy slogans and hold summits as … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  3. Popcru condemns 'mob' attack on police in Johannesburg: The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has condemned Thursday's “mob" attack on police by alleged foreign shop owners. Police came … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  4. Popcru condemns mob attack on police in Johannesburg: The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) on Saturday added its voice to those condemning the mob attack on police in Johannesburg on … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  5. Old Mutual reassures customers it's business as usual amid CEO dispute: JOHANNESBURG – Old Mutual has reassured its customers that business will continue as usual despite the legal dispute between the company and … – Google Alert – Johannesburg

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Did you know this about Johannesburg? In 1893 Johannesburg’s first stock exchange was opened. From then until today Johannesburg has been the seat of the South African stock exchange and the country’s financial heartland. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is presently in Sandton, Johannesburg.

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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.