MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

South Africa’s jailed ex-leader attends brother’s funeral

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. South Africa’s jailed ex-leader attends brother’s funeral: Former South African president Jacob Zuma was allowed to leave prison briefly Thursday to attend his brother’s funeral. Zuma is cu … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Sadc economy is bleeding post South Africa violence: At a time when the global economy is grappling with Covid-19, a considerable number of firms are counting their losses in South Africa’s two provinces of KwaZulu Natal (KZN) and Gauteng following a … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. New thermal power plant to feed 50 MW to national grid: ZIMBABWE’S drive to end power shortages in the country is on course after the completion of a new thermal power plant in Hwange which is expected to feed 50 megawatts to the national grid by October … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. British and Irish Lions win first test over South Africa after tense second-half comeback: The Springboks were playing only their second international since winning the 2019 World Cup and struggled with players testing positive for COVID-19 in the run-up but in the end the British and Irish … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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

Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? The enormous Carlton Centre, built at a cost of R88 million, contained a fifty-storey office tower, the thirty-storey luxury Carlton Hotel, a five-storey Garlicks department store, three-and-a-half-acre public plaza with a two-story underground shopping centre beneath it and parking garages with space for 2000 cars. The Carlton Hotel (Johannesburg) opened for business on October 1, 1972.

Category: Tag: , , , , , ,

The Wilds: A Sanctuary of Stone and Steel

The Wilds was officially opened to the public in 1938, carved out of the rocky “koppies” (hills) of the Witwatersrand. Unlike the manicured lawns of the city’s more traditional parks, The Wilds was designed to showcase South Africa’s botanical heritage. It is a vertical garden of sorts, featuring steep stone paths that wind through forests of yellowwood trees, proteas, and ancient cycads. At its highest point, the reserve offers one of the most spectacular views of the Johannesburg skyline, where the brutalist towers of Hillbrow seem to rise directly out of the prehistoric-looking vegetation.

However, like many of Johannesburg’s public spaces, The Wilds fell into a period of deep neglect during the late 1990s and early 2000s. As crime rates rose and the city’s maintenance budgets shifted, the reserve became overgrown and was perceived as a “no-go zone.” The waterfalls stopped running, the stone paths crumbled, and the once-vibrant greenhouse became a skeletal ruin. For nearly two decades, this incredible piece of real estate sat largely abandoned, used only by a few brave locals and the occasional film crew looking for a “wilderness” setting within city limits.