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School of Rock South Africa Expands Global Footprint with New Johannesburg Location

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School of Rock South Africa Expands Global Footprint with New Johannesburg Location:

Johannesburg, Tuesday 23 July 2024 – School of Rock South Africa has announced its expansion within the country with the signing of a Sub-Franchise Agreement. This exciting development will see the opening of the first School of Rock location in Johannesburg, based in the vibrant neighbourhood of Parktown North.

The new Franchisee, who joins the School of Rock network of over 375 schools across 17 countries, is eager to bring the renowned music education program to Johannesburg. The Franchisee is enthusiastic about fostering a love for music and providing students with an exceptional platform to develop their talents and skills.

Russell Lund, Franchisee and Owner of the soon-to-be-launched School of Rock Parktown North, is a family man, outdoor and sports enthusiast, and entrepreneur. His love for music is shared with his wife and two kids. Most days, his house in Cape Town sounds like a concert with his 8-year-old son shredding his electric guitar, his 11-year-old daughter singing pitch-perfect, and his wife Anneke, a classically trained pianist, leading the way. Russell himself strums his beloved Martin acoustic guitar, adding to the cacophony.

Russell founded and runs Helium Advertising, a 25-year-old agency specialising in the banking sector. He also founded Lund Rug Gallery, a boutique high-end rug business in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Passionate about kids, music, and education, Russell fell in love with the School of Rock concept through his then seven-year-old son’s experience at the Claremont school. “Joining the School of Rock family is a thrilling opportunity. We are passionate about music education and are excited to contribute to the School of Rock community by offering a unique and enriching experience for students in Johannesburg.”

The Parktown North location will offer a range of programs designed to inspire and engage students from kids to adults, including performance-based music instruction, group classes, and private lessons. The new franchise aims to uphold School of Rock’s commitment to empowering students through music and creating a supportive environment where they can thrive.

The expansion into Johannesburg underscores School of Rock’s ongoing dedication to growing its global network and reaching new audiences. The Franchise’s patented methodology and innovative approach to music education resonate with communities around the world, and the new location will be a valuable addition to the School of Rock family.

The Johannesburg expansion marks the beginning of a strategic initiative by School of Rock South Africa Master Franchisees, Keith Taeuber and Leigh Spaun, to establish a network of schools across the country over the next five years. The pair own the successful School of Rock in Claremont, Cape Town and will be expanding their own investment in the School of Rock brand through a second company-owned school in Devonbosch in the Cape Winelands in 2025.

– MyZA

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Top Star Drive-In: Destroyed by What Created it

However, the very thing that created the Top Star eventually destroyed it. Because the early miners had used crude methods, the Ferreira Dump—and dozens of others like it—still contained significant traces of gold. As the price of gold rose and new chemical extraction technologies (like the carbon-in-pulp process) made it profitable to “mine the waste,” the ground beneath the Top Star became more valuable than the cinema itself. In 2006, despite fierce opposition from heritage groups who argued that the dump and the drive-in were culturally significant landmarks, the projectors were turned off for the last time.

The reclamation of the dump was a staggering industrial feat. Starting in 2008, mining giant DRDGold used high-pressure water cannons to “monitor” the dump, turning 5 million tons of solid earth back into a liquid slurry. This slurry was then piped 40 kilometers across the province to a processing plant in Brakpan. By 2011, the “mountain” had completely vanished. The 50-meter-high plateau that had dominated the southern skyline for a century was reduced to a flat, dusty crater.

The disappearance of the Top Star is a poignant symbol of Johannesburg’s “extractive” nature. It is a city that consumes itself to stay alive; even its historical landmarks are subject to the fluctuating price of minerals on the London and New York stock exchanges. Today, if you drive along the M2, there is an empty space in the sky where the Top Star used to be. While the reclamation removed a source of toxic dust and “acid mine drainage,” it also erased a piece of the city’s collective memory. The land where the gold-flecked mountain once stood is now being rehabilitated for light industrial use, proving that in eGoli, even the horizon is for sale if there’s enough gold hidden inside it.