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Stuff from Johannesburg

UPDATE 4-Need to treat all creditors equally led to Zambia default, c.bank says | MyJHB.co.za

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. UPDATE 4-Need to treat all creditors equally led to Zambia default, c.bank says: Need to treat all creditors equally meant it couldn’t (Adds Fitch downgrade) LUSAKA/JOHANNESBURG Nov 18 (Reuters) – Zambia could have paid a coupon on one of its sovereign dollar bonds last … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Pupils in ‘R25 street brawl’ tested positive for dagga, will be disciplined: Seven pupils from Edenglen High School in Johannesburg filmed during a street brawl will undergo a disciplinary hearing on Thursday. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. Figures of the week: Research in South Africa into whether polls influence votes: Chris Heitzig summarizes a paper that invesgitgates whether voters in a low-income black African area in Johannesburg were influenced by two polls conducted in advance of South Africa’s municipal … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Physics in South Africa: South Africa is hunting for students in booming sectors of physics, including astronomy, optics, and nuclear physics. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. EWN Weather Watch: GP partly cloudy, WC sunny, KZN cloudy & cool: The South African Weather Service has forecast partly cloudy and warm to hot weather conditions for Gauteng on Thursday. The Western Cape is expected to be sunny and warm, while KwaZulu-Natal will be … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

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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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.