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Stuff from Johannesburg

South Africa’s rising cost of funding concerning -S&P

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. South Africa’s rising cost of funding concerning -S&P: South Africa’s rising long term bond yields and the related cost of government borrowing remain a concern, ratings firm S&P Global said in its second quarter economic outlook for emerging markets. The … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Tackling the Lions: South Africa have not played a Test in over 500 days – so what kind of team will they pick?: We assess which fresh faces might break into the squad, plus how the Boks will fill the gaps in their matchday 23 and prepare for the Lions … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Ismail Ganiu deserves a place in the Black Stars – GFA Technical Director: Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association, Bernhard Lippert has hailed the performances of Ismail Ganiyu and Gladson Awako as the two home-based players made their debut for the Black Stars … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Cape Town’s Harbour Arch development is set to create 20 000 jobs: Absa has partnered with Amdec Group, a South African developer of new urban precincts, to develop the first tower of the Harbour Arch project, a R15 billion private equity investment, on the Foreshore … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Breaking: Ntseki sacked as Bafana head coach: it is just administrative things that are outstanding,” confirmed South African Football Association Chief Executive Officer Tebogo Motlanthe at a press conference in Johannesburg. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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

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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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.