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Stuff from Johannesburg

Rand firmer as dollar falls on rate cut bets

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. Rand firmer as dollar falls on rate cut bets: JOHANNESBURG – South Africa's rand firmed early on Tuesday, boosted by a dollar slide to multi-month lows against other major currencies as … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  2. South Africa's Denel Runs Out of Cash as Debt Payments Loom: To contact the reporters on this story: Renee Bonorchis in Johannesburg at rbonorchis@bloomberg.net;Colleen Goko in Johannesburg at … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  3. South Africa's rand firmer as dollar falls on rate cut bets: JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa's rand firmed early on Tuesday, boosted by a dollar slide to multi-month lows against other major … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  4. What could help young people find jobs in South Africa?: Zoheb Khan, Researcher, University of Johannesburg; Lauren Graham, Associate professor at the Centre for Social Development in Africa, University … – Google Alert – Johannesburg
  5. Man shot dead in Johannesburg city centre: A man has been shot dead outside a Newtown business in Quinn Street. On Tuesday, ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said the 47-year-old man … – Google Alert – Johannesburg

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? Johannesburg is a large city in Gauteng Province of South Africa. It was established as a small village controlled by a Health Committee in 1886 with the discovery of an outcrop of a gold reef on the farm Langlaagte. The population of the city grew rapidly,becoming a municipality in 1897. In 1928 it became a city making Johannesburg the largest city in South Africa. In 2002 it joined ten other municipalities to form the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.