MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

UPDATE: President Ramaphosa to address the nation on Monday | MyJHB.co.za

Johannesburg in the news:

  1. UPDATE: President Ramaphosa to address the nation on Monday: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address comes as the number of COVID-19 infections continues to increase in South Africa. – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  2. Richard West: An obituary: Soon after the quintessentially English journalist Richard West married the Irish journalist Mary Kenny in 1974, he visited South Africa during the build- up to the Soweto Uprising and the final days … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  3. 984 pupils from Gauteng who went to matric Rage in KZN test positive for Covid-19: Natal to attend the annual matric Rage event have tested positive for Covid-19. The Gauteng health department said it had made significant progress in tracing the majority of pupils from the province … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  4. Ramaphosa calls family meeting this evening: reports: While Ramaphosa’s office has declined to confirm yet whether he will address the nation on Sunday evening, it’s expected that the president will update the country on ways to curb the spread of … – “Johannesburg” – BingNews
  5. Peter Bruce begrudgingly ‘apologises’ – Herman Mashaba: To state that I would allow the EFF to influence contracts flies in the face of my commitment to serve the residents of Johannesburg and erodes their trust in me as their Mayor. It also flies in the … – “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? Johannesburg is the world’s largest city not built on a coastline, or on a lake or river. That’s why Joburg is also called the world’s biggest ‘dry port’. More than half of the cargo that arrives through the ports of Durban and Cape Town arrives at the container terminal at City Deep.

Category: Tag: , , , , , ,

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.