The capital of South Africa’s smallest province, Gauteng,
Johannesburg is the economic powerhouse of Africa with its
ever-growing suburban sprawl creeping outwards from the central
city skyscrapers and ring-road motorways.
The more than 10-million inhabitants live fast and have a
restless spirit, which they have imparted into the fabric of the
city, also known by its African name as Egoli, ‘the
place of gold’. The development of the city, which is
just over a century old, has followed the fortunes of the
Witwatersrand (White Water Reef), the rich gold-bearing rock reef
that stretches across this area of central South Africa. The
initial gold rush started in the 1880s, and barely ten years later
Johannesburg had become South Africa’s largest town and the
site of frenzied development that has been ongoing ever since.
Johannesburg today is a city of contrasts, with glass-paned
modern luxury high-rise buildings towering beside a few remaining
dilapidated Victorian buildings, and affluent northern suburbs
filled with stunning private homes giving way to the squalid
streets and tiny shoebox houses of the massive Soweto township in
the south. The chasm between rich and poor in the city has given
rise to a high crime rate, evidenced by the fortress-like security
that pervades the wealthier suburbs.
Most visitors to South Africa, particularly those intent on
exploring the game reserves of Mpumalanga, arrive at
Johannesburg’s busy International Airport, which is the main
point of entry for the country. There is little in Johannesburg
itself to grab the attention of tourists, but a few days can be
filled taking in some entertaining man-made attractions before
heading off to the game parks of the northeast or the coastal
regions. The most interesting diversion in Johannesburg is
undoubtedly a ‘Heritage Route’ or ‘Shebeen
Crawl’ tour of Soweto, but take care only to venture into the
maze of the township with an organised tour or professional
guide.
The capital of South Africa’s smallest province, Gauteng,
Johannesburg is the economic powerhouse of Africa with its
ever-growing suburban sprawl creeping outwards from the central
city skyscrapers and ring-road motorways.
The more than 10-million inhabitants live fast and have a
restless spirit, which they have imparted into the fabric of the
city, also known by its African name as Egoli, ‘the
place of gold’. The development of the city, which is
just over a century old, has followed the fortunes of the
Witwatersrand (White Water Reef), the rich gold-bearing rock reef
that stretches across this area of central South Africa. The
initial gold rush started in the 1880s, and barely ten years later
Johannesburg had become South Africa’s largest town and the
site of frenzied development that has been ongoing ever since.
Johannesburg today is a city of contrasts, with glass-paned
modern luxury high-rise buildings towering beside a few remaining
dilapidated Victorian buildings, and affluent northern suburbs
filled with stunning private homes giving way to the squalid
streets and tiny shoebox houses of the massive Soweto township in
the south. The chasm between rich and poor in the city has given
rise to a high crime rate, evidenced by the fortress-like security
that pervades the wealthier suburbs.
Most visitors to South Africa, particularly those intent on
exploring the game reserves of Mpumalanga, arrive at
Johannesburg’s busy International Airport, which is the main
point of entry for the country. There is little in Johannesburg
itself to grab the attention of tourists, but a few days can be
filled taking in some entertaining man-made attractions before
heading off to the game parks of the northeast or the coastal
regions. The most interesting diversion in Johannesburg is
undoubtedly a ‘Heritage Route’ or ‘Shebeen
Crawl’ tour of Soweto, but take care only to venture into the
maze of the township with an organised tour or professional
guide.
