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Stuff from Johannesburg

Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry appoints new Vice President

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry appoints new Vice President: The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 31 July 2019, announced the appointment of Growthpoint executive Shawn Theunissen as … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  2. Johannesburg protests: Traffic severely affected after “land grabs” row: The situation has become volatile in the Lenasia South region of Ennerdale in Johannesburg, as protests have engulfed major routes through to the … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  3. Car torched, train stopped, roads trashed in Lenasia shack protest: The situation in Lenasia, Johannesburg, remained tense as shack dwellers continued to block roads with rocks and burning tyres early on Thursday. – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  4. Heineken is betting R1 billion that more South Africans will switch to its beer – and so far it hasn't …: Dutch beer company Heineken and its Namibian partner are increasing the brewing capacity of its Sebideng plant outside Johannesburg by 25% – at … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  5. Ronald Lamola: Some of SA's best legal minds passed through the gates of Legal Aid: Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola is at the Legal Aid call centre in Braamfontein, Johannesburg to provide legal advice to … – Google Alert – Johannesburg

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? It’s home to almost half the world’s human ancestor fossils: The Cradle of Humankind is home to 40% of the planet’s human fossils, making it one of the richest archaeological sites in the world.

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From Sophiatown to Triomf

By 1963, Sophiatown had been physically razed to the ground. In a final act of psychological warfare, the government built a white working-class suburb over the rubble and named it Triumph (Triomf). They wanted to erase the very memory of Sophiatown from the landscape. For decades, the name Sophiatown disappeared from maps, replaced by the neat, sterile streets of the victors.

The “resurrection” of Sophiatown began officially in 2006, when the City of Johannesburg formally restored the original name to the suburb. Today, the neighborhood is a quiet, leafy residential area, but the ghosts of the “Paris of the Transvaal” are everywhere. The Sophiatown Heritage Centre, housed in the former home of Dr. A.B. Xuma (a former ANC president), is one of the few original buildings that escaped the bulldozers. Walking through the streets today, you can still find small markers of the past: a lone Victorian pillar, a specific tree mentioned in a poem, or the rebuilt St. Joseph’s Church.

The legacy of Sophiatown is not just one of tragedy, but of an indestructible cultural spirit. The music, the slang (Tsotsitaal), and the “Drum” era aesthetic continue to influence South African fashion and film today. It serves as a reminder that while you can bulldoze a house and rename a street, you cannot kill the soul of a place that once danced to the sound of a thousand saxophones.