MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

SA’s Electricity Crisis | Northriding residents threaten to protest

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. SA’s Electricity Crisis | Northriding residents threaten to protest: JOHANNESBURG – Residents of Northriding in Johannesburg are threatening to take to the streets if their electricity woes are not resolved soon. City Power has acknowledged the challenge of trying to … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Zubayr Hamza targeted white ball formats out of spite … now he’s in the Proteas side: After making his international debut two years ago, Western Province star Zubayr Hamza is happy to be given another chance with the Proteas. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. To celebrate or not? 25 years after democracy, De Klerk divides SA once more: JOHANNESBURG – South Africans on social media are split on how to react to former apartheid-era president Frederik Willem de Klerk’s death. The brutal regime’s last president was unwell for some time … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Chang extradition displays SA’s commitment to constitution, rule of law — but political fallouts may ensue: The high court’s decision that Mozambique’s former finance minister be surrendered to the US will test Pretoria’s relations with Maputo. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. FW de Klerk | Timol family: We want answers: Following the death of former president FW de Klerk, families of apartheid victims are speaking out. They want their loved ones honoured and remembered – through justice, but are worried that many … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? The Rissik Street Post Office was built in 1897, having been designed by the architect Sytze Wierda. The Post Office was at one time the tallest building in Johannesburg. The Post Office became a national monument in 1978, and it remained in operation until 1996 when the South African Post Office vacated the building. The monument was gutted by a fire in 2009. The old City Hall is opposite the Post Office in Rissik Street.

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Ponte City: Transformation

As the “white flight” of the 1980s and 90s drained the inner city of capital, Ponte City underwent a dramatic and terrifying transformation. By the late 1990s, the building had become a “vertical slum” and a symbol of urban decay. It was famously “hijacked” by gangs; the retail levels were stripped, and the building became a fortress for drug dealing and human trafficking. The most haunting image from this era was the central core. Originally designed to be a light-filled courtyard, it became a literal trash heap. Residents on the upper floors would throw their refuse into the center of the building rather than taking it down. At its worst point, the trash in the core reached five stories high—a mountain of rotting debris, discarded furniture, and even, legend has it, the remains of those who had fallen or jumped.

During this period, the reputation of Ponte was so toxic that there was a serious proposal in 1998 to turn the entire skyscraper into a vertical prison. The plan was eventually scrapped, but the building remained a “no-go zone” for nearly a decade. The turnaround began in the mid-2000s when developers New Metro Property Group and later Dlala Nje began a massive, painstaking refurbishment. They cleared out the tons of trash from the core, restored the lifts (which had often been out of order, forcing residents to climb 50 flights of stairs), and implemented strict security protocols.