MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Health dept expands capacity as hospitals buckle under COVID pressure | MyJHB.co.za

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Health dept expands capacity as hospitals buckle under COVID pressure: Hospitals across the country are becoming increasingly overwhelmed with the second wave spreading rapidly across the country. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Gospel fraternity mourns passing of Pastor Israel Mosehla: Details surrounding Mosehla’s passing are yet to be announced. His strong religious and musical background come from his parents, who were both preachers and musicians. The fami … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Covid-19 claims life of one of PAC founders: Johnson Phillip Mlambo was subjected to inhumane treatment by the white warders at Robben Island and one time he was buried up to his neck and urinated on by prison officials. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Basic Education Dept confident matric marking will be completed on time: The matric marking process rolls into the second week today, where more than 45,000 assessors have been hard at work at 177 centres nationwide. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Teen is the only survivor of family among 7 killed in three vehicle crash: Seven people were killed after a collision between a truck, a Kombi and a Pajero on the N3, Harrismith, on Sunday evening. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? Johannesburg City Hall was constructed in 1914 by the Hawkey and McKinley construction company. The plan for the building was drawn in 1910 and construction was started in 1913 and finished in 1914. The style is described as Edwardian Baroque with a portico of Ionic columns and tower with a half dome entrance described as neo-Renaissance. Florence Phillips, an art collector and the wife of mining magnate Lionel Phillips, established the first collection for the Johannesburg Art Gallery using funds donated by her husband. The architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, came to South Africa in 1910 to examine the site and begin the designs, after Lady Florence Phillips had secured funding from the city for a purpose-built museum. The gallery was possibly Luytens’s first public building in the Beaux Arts style. It was built with a south-facing entrance, but was not completed according to the architect’s designs. It was opened to the public, without ceremony, in 1915, just after the start of the First World War.

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The Wilds: A Sanctuary of Stone and Steel

The Wilds was officially opened to the public in 1938, carved out of the rocky “koppies” (hills) of the Witwatersrand. Unlike the manicured lawns of the city’s more traditional parks, The Wilds was designed to showcase South Africa’s botanical heritage. It is a vertical garden of sorts, featuring steep stone paths that wind through forests of yellowwood trees, proteas, and ancient cycads. At its highest point, the reserve offers one of the most spectacular views of the Johannesburg skyline, where the brutalist towers of Hillbrow seem to rise directly out of the prehistoric-looking vegetation.

However, like many of Johannesburg’s public spaces, The Wilds fell into a period of deep neglect during the late 1990s and early 2000s. As crime rates rose and the city’s maintenance budgets shifted, the reserve became overgrown and was perceived as a “no-go zone.” The waterfalls stopped running, the stone paths crumbled, and the once-vibrant greenhouse became a skeletal ruin. For nearly two decades, this incredible piece of real estate sat largely abandoned, used only by a few brave locals and the occasional film crew looking for a “wilderness” setting within city limits.