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Stuff from Johannesburg

Old Mutual Ltd – AGM Statement

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. Old Mutual Ltd – AGM Statement: V Old Mutual Limited Old Mutual Limited. Further to the release on the Stock Exchange News Service of the Group … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Cape Town Firefighters Battle Table Mountain Blaze: More than 250 firefighters are battling a wildfire that is raging on the slopes of Table Mountain, which overlooks the city of Cape Town in South Africa. The fire emerged on Sunday and has destroyed … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. What broke South African rail — and can it be fixed?: We are now at the point where most of South Africa’s railway network is likely to be written off and closed. Full or partial privatisation is the only way to save the railways. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. The end of a strange luncheon: The end of a strange luncheon. 19 April 2021. William Saunderson-Meyer’s article The scatterlings and swallows of South Africa, reminded me of a time before the onset of the cor … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. G20 talks: South Africa must raise Africa’s voice for a social protection Global Fund: People living in the world’s poorest countries, who are particularly at risk of poverty, cannot wait until it becomes possible to provide stable financing for social protection programmes from … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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

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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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.