The city of Johannesburg was founded in 1886 in Transvaal and is the current capital of Gauteng province in South Africa. Loong ago back in 1998 I came here from Miami on business visit, and then a long pause until 2012 from Nantes, after several trips, the last was in 2015. Just touching base on my waterholes around the world and the friends met for the memories of always, This is my hommage to these folks and my visits there. Of course, I have other posts on specific areas over the years too. Therefore, let me tell you about this is Johannesburg !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I
The country has gone thru a metamorphosis and its looking very bright with growth potential even if as every where else there are economic problems. I was there always on business trips , so not much touristic side trips. Once in the country, the car was the main mode as I was driven around, so it look easy, and as I am a road warrior this was heavens. I did spent several periods running from a few days to a couple of weeks at a time, and many new friends who treated me as if known for years. I was able to go into the country to meet customers right in their homes out in the country, very good roads, and gorgeous scenery. My early photos were taken with my blackberry phone, so not uptimum but ease of use when on business trips.
I always came in and out from OR Tambo International Airport. Featuring a state-of-the-art terminal building, it is Africa’s premier airport. Since 27 October 2006, Johannesburg International Airport has been named after Oliver Tambo. The airport is very nice with all conveniences and had easy in and out there all the time. For the memories, had my early brunch or late snack at the Keg and Aviator pub, they were in the public area of the airport to your end right. I had some chow and the wonderful Carling Black Label beers. Also, the nice terrace bar at OR Tambo was Mandys now it is gone too !!! Well , here for the memories of always as it has since closed. The official OR Tambo J’burg airport: https://www.airports.co.za/airports/or-tambo-international-airport
Another time to J’Burg.had a funny anecdote. I was to land at 21h10 at OR Tambo airport and my shuttle to wait for me. However, I came domestic this time on terminal B and my shuttle was in internationals Terminal A!!!! So with little wifi:internet could not find his phone number, and were some trying moments until finally found his phone number to start a funny exchange. Noo I am at the information desk with a plaque holding your name, noo I do not see anybody in the ID, finally I said I am in terminal B oh oh I am in terminal A thinking you were coming international, noo the folks here knew I was coming domestic. Finally we hook up for the ride to my hotel.
I have used from the airport to city center where folks were waiting for me, the Gautrain, a rapid rail link, designed to relieve traffic on the N1 highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Construction began in October 2006 and the inauguration took place on 8 June 2010, a few days before the start of the football World Cup. It connects Johannesburg with Pretoria, Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport. It has underground and overground stations. It passes through Joubert Park, Rosebank, Sandton, Midrand and enters Pretoria. It is the first innovative rail system to be built in South Africa since 1977. I ,also was able to try theGautrainunderground station in Sandton, and direct to OR Tambo international airport, very easy magnetic card depends on your usage you buy from machine using bank cards or cash, very easy indeed,and modern, clean, fast and on time. The official Gautrain: https://www.gautrain.co.za/commuter/schedule
I had the opportunity to see the roads, a thrill indeed, Johannesburg is at the heart of a complex highway network that connects it to the capital Pretoria in they said 25 minutes, to the country’s second city Cape Town and to the parliamentary capital Bloemfontein via the N1. The Indian Ocean coastal cities such as Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London are served by the N2 (the one i used for short distance along the coast), Its current length of 2,255 kilometres (1,401 mi) makes it the longest numbered route in South Africa. Johannesburg has the most freeways connected to it. It has the N1, N3, N12, N14, N17, R21, R24 and the R59, all leading to Johannesburg.
Some things to see here me think with more time are the city center with around 100 Art Deco buildings from the 1930s and 1940s. The most important are on Main Street, Commissioner Street (Federal Hotel and Broadcast House), Loveday and Commissioner streets (Union Castle Building and the Rand Club). The Joburg Art Gallery, one of the largest art galleries on the subcontinent. The MuseuMAfricA, mainly built around South African history and culture. The Apartheid Museum, opened in 2001. The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, opened in 2022 , collects, preserves and interprets material relating to the memory, legacy and history of the national uprisings from 1976 onwards. It has developed a diverse collection of oral testimonies, historical documents and material culture relating to the uprisings. The Mandela House, Soweto. The SAB World of Beer, South African Breweries museum.
A bit of history I like tell us that by the mid-18C, the wider region was largely populated by various Sotho-Tswana communities, whose villages, towns, chiefdoms and kingdoms stretched from present-day Botswana to the west. Many Sotho-Tswana towns and villages in the vicinity of the location of Johannesburg were destroyed and their inhabitants massacred during the wars that broke out during the expansion of the Zulu Kingdom in the early 19C. From 1835, the first Boers, driven out by the British from the Cape region they had occupied since the 17C, began to arrive during the Great Trek. The development of the city is linked to the discovery of gold in 1886 (hence its Zulu name: eGoli meaning “the city of gold”). In 1917, the city became the headquarters of the Anglo American company founded by Ernest Oppenheimer, which eventually became one of the largest companies in the world, dominating both the gold and diamond mines in South Africa. In March 1960, Johannesburg was the scene of numerous anti-apartheid demonstrations in response to the Sharpeville massacre. On June 16, 1976, protests broke out in Soweto following a government decree that black schoolchildren be educated in Afrikaans rather than English. It has come a long way since these times.
The J’burg tourist office : https://visit.joburg/Home/Home
The City of J’burg : https://joburg.org.za/
The Gauteng province tourist office on J’burg : https://www.gauteng.net/visit/explore/johannesburg/
The South Africa tourist office on J’burg : https://www.southafrica.net/gl/en/travel/category/places-to-go/big-city-life/johannesburg
There you go folks, a brief tour of a wonderful City of Johannesburg or J’burg. There is a lot more with a lot more time, I have done some, see my other posts. This would be an introduction to this big nice City, Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Johannesburg !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 