MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Lucid launches SA's newest hotel brand Home* Suite Hotels

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Lucid launches SA's newest hotel brand Home* Suite Hotels: JOHANNESBURG – Lucid Ventures, the R350m Cape Town based Hotel Fund, this week announced the launch of an all new boutique hotel brand … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  2. Speaking of EM: Eskom's Struggle to Keep the Light On (Podcast): South Africans are getting used to being left in the dark by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the state-owned power utility that generates and distributes 90% … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  3. Justice Dept sends home Mozambique ex-finance minister: Manuel Chang, 63, was arrested at Johannesburg airport in December at the request of US authorities over alleged involvement in fraudulent loans to … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  4. S.Africa sends home Mozambique ex-finance minister: Johannesburg (AFP) – South Africa said Tuesday it would send home former Mozambique finance minister Manuel Chang, who has been held since … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  5. ANC MP candidate list debacle continues a day before MPs sworn in: JOHANNESBURG – As members of Parliament prepare to be sworn in on Wednesday the African National Congress' (ANC) deployment list debacle … – Google Alert – Johannesburg

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Have you tried: Travelling to South Africa?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? There is also a Johannesburg in California, although it only has a population of 176 people (2000 census). It was named by miners who had worked in the gold mines of Johannesburg, South Africa.

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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.