MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Hunt for East Rand serial killer gets personal

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Hunt for East Rand serial killer gets personal: … he and 15 other awaiting trialists escaped through a pipe shaft and used an object to break a wall at Johannesburg Prison, also known as Sun City. – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  2. Fun and game at JJC and JMC carnival: The Johannesburg Junior Council (JJC) and Johannesburg Mini Council (JMC) hosted their annual Dean Walt Kids Carnival at Edenglen High School … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  3. Another challenge against Public Protector report: JOHANNESBURG – Another organisation is challenging a report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  4. Anti-gay laws widespread in Africa despite gains: JOHANNESBURG – More than half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa have anti-homosexuality laws, although others have moved towards legal … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  5. Patrick McKendry: Why Blues will beat their away curse against the Hurricanes (and other Super …: Coach John Plumtree showed in Johannesburg that he is capable of designing effective winning strategies – he left Dane Coles and Ardie Savea on … – Google Alert – Johannesburg

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

Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? At 269m high, the Hillbrow Tower is the tallest structure in Johannesburg. It used to have a revolving restaurant at the top, before it was closed down in 1981 for safety reasons. It is a prominent feature in the city’s beautiful skyline.

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.