MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

South African power cuts worsen on cold weather, breakdowns | MyJHB.co.za

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. South African power cuts worsen on cold weather, breakdowns: South African state power utility Eskom said it would ramp up power cuts on Wednesday, as cold weather caused a spike in demand after many of its generating units had broken down. Eskom’s struggles to … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Gauteng DA leader quits party he says defends white interests, prejudiced against black South Africans: “I cannot defend the DA. I do not feel at home in the DA. I honestly don’t.” DA Gauteng leader John Moodey. File picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso Independent Media Johannesburg – Gauteng DA leader John … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Lions Tour 2021 ticket ballot goes live, but be prepared to queue online: Supply will trump demand for ticket ballot purchase for the British and Irish Lions eight-match rugby extravaganza in SA in 2021. But don’t be worried about not getting your request in on time. You … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. JSE-listed Stefanutti Stocks hit by cyberattack, engages experts to investigate: Stefanutti Stocks Holdings uncovered a cyberattack on its IT systems in the early hours of Monday, August 31, the company said in a communique to stakeholders on Tuesday. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. South Africa’s Eskom to ramp up power cuts: South African state power utility Eskom said on Wednesday it would ramp up power cuts from 3 p.m local time (1300 GMT) because of exceptionally high demand. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

Click here to submit your Johannesburg, Gauteng News – free.

Have you tried: Reach Trust for Solar and Building Management?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? Stone-walled ruins of Sotho–Tswana towns and villages are scattered around the parts of the former Transvaal in which Johannesburg is situated. Many of these sites contain the ruins of Sotho–Tswana mines and iron smelting furnaces, suggesting that the area was being exploited for its mineral wealth before the arrival of Europeans or the discovery of gold. The most prominent site within Johannesburg is Melville Koppies, which contains an iron smelting furnace.

Category: Tag: , , , , , , , ,

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.