MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Jamie George: ‘Tour disruptions have brought British and Irish Lions closer’

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. Jamie George: ‘Tour disruptions have brought British and Irish Lions closer’: Jamie George captained the tourists in their second clash with the Sharks on Saturday. Jamie George insists the British and Irish Lions have been brought closer together by the repeated disruptions … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Zuma Protests Spread to Joburg: Spread This News TimesLIVE A POLICE officer was taken to hospital in the early hours of Sunday with gunshot wounds after a violent mob turned on police officers who responded to looting in Alexandra, … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Which British and Irish Lions players have improved their Test prospects?: The British and Irish Lions continued their triumphant passage through South Africa after crushing the Sharks 71-31 in Pretoria to complete a third consecutive win. Here, the PA news agency looks at … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Lions head coach Warren Gatland reflects on ‘chaotic’ week: Warren Gatland signed off the most turbulent week of his career as the British and Irish Lions defied their Covid problems to overrun the Sharks for the second time in four days. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. South Africa violence spreads after jailing of Jacob Zuma: Looting in former president’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal spreads to economic hub of Johannesburg … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Have you tried: Whale and Dolphin Watching in Algoa Bay?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? Vilakazi Street in Soweto is famous for having 2 Nobel Prize winning residents: Former South African president Nelson Mandela and former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived on this street.

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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.