MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Like a cat on a hot tin roof, Ramaphosa danced his way through the Zondo Commission

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. Like a cat on a hot tin roof, Ramaphosa danced his way through the Zondo Commission: First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper. When polls started coming in ahead of the local government elections in 2016, the ANC realised corruption had become a problem, President … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. How the workplace has shifted 27 years into democracy: Almost three decades after South Africa’s first democratic elections, just how much has changed when it comes to fair labour practices, and what challenges do workers still face? – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Fear in Africa that new Covid wave could overwhelm fragile health systems: Health officials fighting the pandemic in Africa say they are watching the crisis in India “with total disbelief” and have warned that their continent may face a similar ordeal soon. “What is … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. ‘Current vaccination pace, it will take over 10 years for SA to reach herd immunity’: At the current vaccination pace, it will take over a decade for South Africa to reach herd immunity, with many lives lost along the way. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Master of Italian container ship died, ship banned from entry by Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia: Captain of Italian container ship ITAL LIBERA got sick and died on board while the ship was in Indian ocean, on a … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? With the rich archaeological site known as the Cradle of Humankind on the outskirts of the city, it’s not surprising that 40% of the planet’s human ancestor fossils have been discovered in the Jo’burg area.

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Top Star Drive-In: The Cinema on the Mountain of Gold

The Ferreira Dump began growing in the late 1800s, composed of the crushed rock and chemical residue left over after early, inefficient mining processes had extracted as much gold as the technology of the time allowed. By the 1960s, it was a flat-topped, man-made mesa overlooking the city. In a stroke of entrepreneurial genius, the surface was tarred and the Top Star Drive-In was opened. It quickly became a South African institution. Its appeal was not just the movies, but the unparalleled view: as the sun set, the massive white screen would flicker to life against a backdrop of the glowing skyscrapers of the Central Business District, separated from the viewer only by the elevated M2 highway.

In the decades before television arrived in South Africa (1976), the Top Star was a primary social hub. It was a democratic space in an undemocratic time; while the city below was strictly segregated, the “car” served as a private bubble that allowed a degree of social freedom not found in traditional theaters. For many Johannesburgers, the Top Star was a site of nostalgic rites of passage—first dates, family outings where children were piled into the back of station wagons with blankets and flasks of tea, and the Saturday “car market” where the parking lot transformed into a sprawling hub for buying and selling second-hand vehicles.