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Stuff from Johannesburg

“R186bn vanished from SA municipalities in just 10 years” – BizNews

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. “R186bn vanished from SA municipalities in just 10 years” – BizNews: And four other of the top stories on the business news website, 24 June 2021 JOHANNESBURG – Five of the best read stories on BizNews.com, Thursday, 24 June 2021: … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Hydrogen-focused AP Ventures fund balloons to fourfold-bigger close: AP Ventures Fund II, with its strategy of investing along the hydrogen value chain, has closed at four times the size of Fund I. The far-seeing AP Ventures began investing along the generally platinum … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. ‘Expensive’ trips: Akufo-Addo not extravagant – Hadzide: Former Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide has mounted a spirited defense for President Akufo-Addo over allegations of his profligacy following his recent foreign trips on a luxurious … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. South African Brothers Vanish With .6bn In Bitcoins: South African brothers vanish with $ 3.6 billion in BitcoinA pair of South African brothers who ran a cryptocurrency investment platform called Africypt have gone into hiding along with investors … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Santaco says taxis will continue loading to full capacity despite third wave: Santaco’s Phillip Taaibosch says the industry would not consider downscaling passengers in taxis despite the threat of the Covid-19 third wave. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Did you know this about Johannesburg? The Carlon Centre (located in the city’s CBD) is the tallest office building in Africa: The building was completed in 1973. It has 50 floors and is 224 metres tall. It’s not the tallest structure in Johannesburg though. The Hillbrow Tower (also located in the CBD) stands 269m tall.

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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.