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Stuff from Johannesburg

S.African president calls on BRICS scientists to collaborate to tackle Covid-19

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. S.African president calls on BRICS scientists to collaborate to tackle Covid-19: Johannesburg, Dec 11 (IANS) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday invited scientists from BRICS countries to work alongside South African scientists in further researching the various … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. ‘South Africa is shut, but we can’t get our cash back’: The pandemic has been harrowing for Dr Janak Bechar. The junior plastic surgeon from the West Midlands was pulled into caring for Covid-19 patients at hospita … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. South Africa’s Covid hospitalisations soar by 81% in a week as the highly-infectious Omicron variant drives up cases by a fifth: Data from the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported 507 people being taken to hospital with the virus, an 81 per cent rise on last week. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Women’s field hockey team back in Canada after getting stuck in South Africa as omicron emerged: A long ordeal for Canada’s junior women’s field hockey team has come to an end, as the team quarantines in a Toronto-area hotel after being stranded in South Africa due to restrictions around the … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Africa’s Land Restoration Movement Needs a Moon Shot: Six years ago, African leaders recognized that the degradation of 65 per cent of Africa’s agricultural land threatens economic and environmental ruin for millions of farmers. They realized this just … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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

Did you know this about Johannesburg? The first recorded discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand was made by Jan Gerrit Bantjes in June 1884, on the farm Vogelstruisfontein. Other farms to become famous later included Langlaagte, Turffontein, Doornfontein and Braamfontein. George Harrison is today credited as the man who discovered an outcrop of the Main Reef of gold on the farm Langlaagte in February 1886. On 12 May 1886 Harrison and his partner, George Walker, entered into a prospecting agreement with the owner of Langlaagte, one G.C. Oosthuizen. Two days later Colonel Ignatius Ferreira staked out his camp on Turffontein to serve as a centre for diggers.

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The FNB Stadium: The “Calabash” of a Nation

While the original stadium was built in 1989, its current iconic form was the result of a massive reconstruction for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The design, led by the architectural firm Boogertman + Partners, is deeply rooted in African symbolism. Its exterior is modeled after a calabash, the traditional African gourd or “melting pot.” The facade is composed of thousands of fiber-cement panels in eight different earth-toned colors, mimicking the fire and earth used to kiln the traditional pot. At night, the stadium is illuminated from below, creating the visual effect of a glowing fire beneath the “pot,” a symbol of the warmth and hospitality of the African continent.

The stadium’s capacity is a staggering 94,736, making it the largest stadium in Africa and the fourth largest in the world. But its significance transcends its scale. The site is a “theatre of history.” In 1990, just days after his release from 27 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela delivered his first speech to a massive, roaring crowd at the original FNB Stadium. It was here that he effectively signaled the beginning of the end of Apartheid. Decades later, in 2013, the same stadium hosted his memorial service, bringing the world together in a final farewell to “Madiba.”