MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

‘The government is killing cancer patients by keeping us on waiting lists then sending us home to die’

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa in the news:

  1. ‘The government is killing cancer patients by keeping us on waiting lists then sending us home to die’: Protesters took to Joburg’s inner city demanding that the government stop denying that the city’s key public hospital — Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital — is crumbling and pushing … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Gumbo, Sithole win Arnold Classic: NATIONAL Federation of Zimbabwe Body-building and Fitness president, Kenneth Murungweni, has hailed Ryan Gumbo and Blessing Sithole who won gold medals at the Arnold Classic Competition. The duo … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Very strong platinum imports into China – WPIC: Many things could play out next year that have the potential to materially reduce the substantial platinum surplus that the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) is forecasting for next year, … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. South Africa’s ANC Loses Grip on Key Cities After Electoral Loss: South Africa’s ruling African National Congress lost control of most of the country’s main urban centers after its worst electoral showing, raising the threat of the party losing its national majority … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Ancient human relative “walked like a human, but climbed like an ape”: New lower back fossils are the “missing link” that settles a decades-old debate proving early hominins used their upper limbs to climb like apes, and their lower limbs to walk like humans. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Did you know this about Johannesburg? Vilakazi Street in Soweto is famous for having 2 Nobel Prize winning residents: Former South African president Nelson Mandela and former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived on this street.

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Sophiatown: The Lost “Paris of the Transvaal”

Sophiatown’s golden age was the 1940s and 50s. It was a dense, vibrant, and often dangerous neighborhood, characterized by “backyard” rooms, shebeens (illegal speakeasies), and a sophisticated social scene. It was the birthplace of Kwaito’s ancestors and the legendary “Marabi” music—a blend of traditional African rhythms and American ragtime. The streets were home to the most iconic figures of African literature and music: Miriam Makeba found her voice here; Hugh Masekela received his first trumpet from a local priest; and the writers of Drum magazine, like Can Themba and Bloke Modisane, used the neighborhood as their muse. They dressed in Fedora hats and double-breasted suits, channeling the style of Hollywood gangsters and Harlem intellectuals, creating a world that was cosmopolitain, intellectual, and radically multi-racial.

However, the “Bohemia” of Sophiatown was an existential threat to the National Party’s vision of total racial separation. The government viewed it as a “black spot” in a white area. In 1955, the state launched Western Areas Removal Scheme. On the morning of February 9th, 2,000 heavily armed police officers moved in, forcing families into trucks at gunpoint. They were relocated to the newly established matchbox houses of the South Western Townships (Soweto), 20 kilometers away. The resistance was led by figures like Trevor Huddleston, the Anglican priest whose church, St. Joseph’s, still stands today. Despite the slogan “Ons dak nie, ons pola hier” (We are not moving, we are staying here), the bulldozers were relentless.