MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Living off trash: South Africa's waste pickers reclaim the streets

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Living off trash: South Africa's waste pickers reclaim the streets: JOHANNESBURG, May 31 — In the shadows of the high-rise offices in Johannesburg's wealthy Sandton district, Thembekile Mokoena concealed her … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  2. SAHRC condemns the way Alex residents were evicted: JOHANNESBURG – The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Gauteng said it was dismayed by the conduct of members of the Red … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  3. City of Joburg to provide relief to Alex residents: Meanwhile the EFF in Johannesburg threatened to march to the Marlboro Gautrain station on Saturday morning. The EFF's Washington Mokonyane … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  4. Discovery accused of racism: JOHANNESBURG – Medical aids must end racial discrimination against healthcare professionals. That's the demand from a group of private doctors … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  5. #InternationalChildrensDay: Empower parents by linking cash grants to care, says study: The study sample consisted of 60 families from ten of Johannesburg's most disadvantaged wards. Families were assessed at the beginning and at the … – Google Alert – Johannesburg

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

Have you tried: Travelling to South Africa?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? City Deep is the world’s largest dry port: Johannesburg the world’s largest city that isn’t located near a coastline or navigable river. City Deep was developed 1977 by South African Railways to accommodate 50% of the city’s cargo (which comes from ports in Cape Town and Durban).

Category: Tag: , , , , , , ,

The World’s Largest Man-Made Urban Forest

One of the most surprising facts about Johannesburg is its status as a “green” city. When the first settlers arrived, the Highveld was a barren, treeless grassland (savannah). To support the mining industry, millions of trees were imported and planted to provide timber for mine underground supports. Fast forward to the present day, and Johannesburg is widely considered the largest man-made urban forest in the world.

There are an estimated 10 million trees within the city limits. This includes 1.2 million trees on sidewalks and in parks, and over 4.8 million in private gardens. This forest is so dense that satellite images of the northern suburbs often resemble a tropical rainforest. The most iconic of these trees is the Jacaranda, which was imported from South America in the early 20th century. Every October and November, the city turns a vibrant shade of purple as thousands of Jacarandas bloom simultaneously. However, this “forest” also highlights the city’s historical inequality; during the Apartheid era, trees were predominantly planted in wealthy white suburbs, leaving townships like Soweto as dusty plains. In the last two decades, “Greening Soweto” initiatives have seen hundreds of thousands of trees planted to bridge this “green divide,” emphasizing the role of urban forestry in social justice and climate cooling.