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South Africa Travel + Tourism Guide: Johannesburg

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Johannesburg

© Walter Knirr / City of Johannesburg

most populous city in South Africa - 5.7 million inhabitants
provincial capital of Gauteng Province
center of the gold and diamond trade
city dates back to 1880s
includes Soweto (South Western Townships)
known as the "city of gold" (eGoli), aka Jo'burg, Jozi and JHB
located in the north east of South Africa
altitude 1,753m above sea level

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Johannesburg - city of gold - is by far the largest metropolis in southern Africa with a population of over 3 million in the central city area alone rising to over 5.7 million people including the townships surrounding the city.

Johannesburg is a modern city with an excellent road infrastructure and has a larger area than Manchester in England. Besides the two stadiums in the city it is approximately one hour's drive from the designated stadium in Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld, and 4 hours from the stadium in Rustenberg.

The city covers a large area and presently public transport is underdeveloped, so it may be necessary to hire a car or stay in the north central lively suburbs like Rosebank or Melville which are roughly equidistant between the two stadiums. Alternatively, stay on the western outskirts of Pretoria - maybe as far out as the Hartesbeespoort Dam, a pleasant medium size city and reasonably central to the other northern World Cup venues: Polokwane - 4 hours, Rustenberg - 3 hours.

Johannesburg is a commercial center of vast size. Having been born as a result of the gold rush days of the 1880s, Johannesburg, which started life as a tented camp for prospectors, has continued to develop and flourish as the mining, commercial and financial centre of South Africa.

Gold has been discovered to the west, south and east of the city and the yellow mine waste dumps, some very close to the two soccer stadiums, bear testimony to the extent of the mining.

A highly recommended visit is to Gold Reef City, close to Soccer City , where you can take a ride down the gold mine shaft and have a drink at the deepest pub in the world, 225 metres below the surface. The underground tour of the mine, which has produced one and a half million tons of gold since 1897, will take around 35 minutes.

Gold Reef City also has a restored mining village, theatre, gumboot dancing (dances performed by the miners in their wellingtons), the very realistic and must-see Apartheid Museum, restaurants, hotels and a casino.

Another relaxed entertainment area is the Waterfront in Randburg to the north west of the CBD, which offers boating, restaurants, bistros, pubs, hotels and shopping.

Visit Johannesburg Zoo, gardens and lake situated on 200 acres of ground in Saxonwold, between the city center and Randburg. Within the grounds is the South African Military History Museum with its fine display of First and Second World War fighter planes, armaments, uniforms, medals, journals and material from the armed resistance against the apartheid regime.


© Walter Knirr / City of Johannesburg

Also in Saxonwold, and nearby Parktown, are many grand mansions some stemming from the days of the 'gold barons' and designed at the turn of the 19th century by eminent British architect, Herbert Baker. Tours of some of these old mansions are available.

Excellent art galleries abound throughout Johannesburg, the more famous of which are the Absa, and Standard Bank galleries situated in the CBD, the Johannesburg Art Gallery in Joubert Park (close to Ellis Park stadium) which houses works by Rodin, Picasso and Henry Moore, and the Everard Read, situated in Rosebank, which is the largest commercial gallery in the country. Sci-Bono Discovery Centre is a science museum aimed primarily at kids and is part of the regeneration of the Newtown area, which includes the Nelson Mandela Bridge, Museum Africa and the SAB World of Beer.

The Cradle of Humankind, a world heritage site, is situated just to the north west of the city boundary , and it is here amongst numerous caves that it is thought man first developed his upright stance.

Also to the north west, closer to the Magaliesburg Mountains and about 60 km from Johannesburg centre is Lesedi which offers an African feast and cultural experience: a traditional welcome, a guided tour through the homesteads of four separate tribes - Zulu, Basoth, Xhosa and Pedi, a tribal dancing display, an audio visual presentation depicting the lifestyles of the various tribes, and culminating in a "Pan African Feast" (either lunch or dinner).

It is possible to stay overnight in the traditional African huts albeit with modern comforts.

Within 5 minutes drive of Lesedi is Glen Afric - a wild life park - where you can experience a small game drive, walk with elephants and watch the feeding of the many orphaned and endangered wild animal species.

This area north west of Johannesburg and close to the huge Hartebeesport Dam is an ideal place to base a soccer tour as it is also one hour from the 2010 venue in Pretoria and 2 hours from the stadium at Rustenberg.

There are many official operators offering tours of Soweto, a 'non white' suburb which was initially the creation of the apartheid government, and is now a sprawling metropolis with a thriving middle class. The people of the area were in the forefront in the battle against the Nationalist regime and the Hector Petersen Memorial and Museum commemorates and depicts the struggles of Soweto's youth during their uprising in 1976.

Kliptown in Soweto was the place in 1955 that the Freedom Charter was planned at the Congress of the People attended by 3,000 delegates from all over the country, including 320 Indian, 230 coloured and 112 white South Africans.

A visit to a lively 'shebeen' (African pub) where you are likely to hear excellent jazz is to be recommended later in the day.

Soweto was also home to Nelson Mandela during the 1960s, before his arrest. The small wooden house is now a museum operated by his first wife - Winnie.

There is an 'unofficial' Madiba Heritage Trail honouring the country's much loved first democratic President.

Mandela came to Johannesburg, from the Transkei homelands, in the early 1940s and first stayed in a humble room with yard in Alexandria township (north Johannesburg). There is now an information and educational Interpretation Centre at the site.

The Old Fort, in the Constitution Hill district, a notorious prison held Mandela in 1962 before his term on Robben Island, near Cape Town.

Mahatma Gandhi, who spent 13 years in Johannesburg as a civil rights lawyer, also spent time in the Old Fort in 1906.


© Walter Knirr / City of Johannesburg

Sandton, a plush suburb in the north of the city, is the location of the Saxon Hotel and it is here, while it was still a private residence, that Mandela stayed after his release from prison and where he completed his autobiography.

A fine bronze statue, 6 metres high, of Madiba (aka Mandela) graces Sandton Square, which forms part of the huge Sandton shopping and business precinct.

The sophisticated nightlife of the city is centred around the Melville, Sandton, Rosebank, and Randburg areas which form a corridor going north / north west from the city centre. There are all manner of lively pubs, restaurants and nightclubs.

Major international hotels are situated in these areas together with many local guest houses. Hostels tend to be in more central city areas.

Johannesburg has some 'security challenged' areas, and is reasonably complicated to navigate so, it may be wise to stay in the upmarket suburbs in the north west or west which are close to the major road systems, are between the two 2010 stadiums and convenient for entry into and exit from the city.

As an example the N.1 three lane motorway travels from Pretoria, down to Bloemfontein and beyond. It acts as a 'ring road' to the west of the city and connects with the M1 motorway close to Soccer City. The M1 in turn connects to roads leading to Ellis Park stadium.

Johannesburg will have two venues for the 2010 tournament - Soccer City on the western edge of the city, and Ellis Park in the eastern Central Business District.

Soccer City, a new 95,000 venue now under construction on the site of the old FNB stadium, will host both the opening game and the World Cup final. Situated in Diepkloof, 12 kilometres to the southwest of the city centre, the stadium is close to the old west reef gold mines.

Ellis Park is a modern 60,000 capacity ground presently used mostly for rugby and it is undergoing further upgrading for 2010. It was the venue for the 1995 rugby World Cup final.

Tourist Offices

Gauteng Tourist Authority (Tel: 011 639 1600; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri) at 1 Central Place is in the Newtown Cultural Project. South Africa Tourism at 90 Protea Road in Sandton (Tel: 011 895 3000; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri) has general South Africa tourist information.

Getting There

Air

OR Tambo International Airport (Tel: 011 921 6262), to the east of the city in Kempton Park, is 25km to the east of Johannesburg. There are buses every 30 minutes between 5am-10pm to Park Station. The journey takes about 45 minutes. OR Tambo International Airport is South Africa's major international and domestic air hub. Johannesburg has direct air links with many cities in Europe including London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. In the USA, New York and Atlanta have direct flights as do Perth and Sydney in Australia. From Asia there are direct flights from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

OR Tambo International Airport (formerly Johannesburg International Airport), has flights to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and other major cities as well as many other African destinations.

Rail

There are trains from Jo'burg's Johannesburg Park Station to East London (20 hours) via Bloemfontein (9 hours) on the Amatola route as well as trains to Nelspruit via Pretoria (Komati), Cape Town (28 hours) via Kimberly (Trans Karoo) and to Durban (31 hours) via Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg (Trans Natal).

Bus

International bus services from Jo'burg leave from Park Station. There are buses to Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

There are daily buses to Cape Town (19 hours), Bloemfontein (7 hours), Durban (8 hours), East London (15 hours), Port Elizabeth (15 hours), Nelspruit (5 hours), Polokwane (5 hours) and Pretoria (1 hour).

Getting Around

Car hire is a good option for visitors to Jo'burg due to the underdeveloped transport infrastructure in the city, which has been built for the car and is dominated to a large extent by 'Minibus' taxis.

Taxis are not as readily available as in other cities in South Africa and need to be called by telephone or picked up at a major hotel. 'Minibus' taxis are the cheapest form of transport and travel lifeline for urban workers and depart from specified taxi ranks around the city. 'Minibus' taxis are recommended for only the most adventurous of travelers with problems of security, poor vehicle maintenance and hazardous driving.

The metropolitan bus system is attempting a comeback in Jo'burg and there are both single and double decker buses plying over 80 routes in the city.

The Johannesburg Metro Railway may not be recommended at present for security reasons. The railway connects downtown Johannesburg with Soweto, Pretoria, and towns along the Witwatersrand. The Gautrain rapid rail project is due to be ready for 2011, and its north-south line will connect Johannesburg and Pretoria, while the east-west line will run between Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport.

Security

The South African government are aware that public safety is a major issue and are determined to increase the quantity and proficiency of the police force over the next couple of years. Public transport and the Metro railway system should be used with particular care or avoided altogether. The area around Park Station should be treated with caution by visitors.

Car Hire

All the major car hire companies are well represented in all major cities and at the airports. Cheaper less exclusive local companies also offer vehicles for hire.

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Accommodation

Featured Hotels

Airport Holiday Inn - 4 Star Hotel
City Lodge Katherine Street - 3 Star Hotel
Courtyard Rosebank - 4 Star Hotel
Garden Court Johannesburg Int. Airport - 3 Star Hotel
Garden Court Sandton - 3 Star Hotel
Inter-Continental Sandton Sun - 3 Star Hotel
Inter-Continental Sandton Sun & Towers - 3 Star Hotel
Melrose Arch Hotel - 5 Star Hotel
Michelangelo Hotel - 5 Star Hotel
Sunsquare Montecasino - 5 Star Hotel
Protea Hotel Balalaika - 4 Star Hotel
Southern Sun Grayston - 4 Star Hotel

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Football Teams

Johannesburg is the heartland of South African soccer with the largest number of teams in the South African Premier League of any city in the country.
Kaizer Chiefs (Amakhosi) were founded in 1970 in Soweto. Kaizer Chiefs play their home games at either FNB (First National Bank) Stadium or at Ellis Park Stadium. The Chiefs are one of the top clubs in the country. Ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey and Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe both played earlier in their careers for the Chiefs.

The Orlando Pirates are the main rivals to the Kaizer Chiefs and the two teams contest the fiercely competitive "Soweto Derby". The team in black and white is one of South Africa's oldest clubs, dating back to 1937, and plays its home games at Ellis Park. The Pirates won the African Champions League in 1995. Previous players known on the world stage include the Charlton and South Africa defender Mark Fish.

The Moroka Swallows also have a long history having been founded in the 1940s. The Birds play their home games at the 18,000 capacity Germiston Stadium.

Wits University Football Club, aka Bidvest Wits, was founded in 1921 and has close links with the University of the Witwatersrand hence their nicknames of 'The Clever Boys' or 'The Students'. The team plays at the 5,000 capacity Bidvest Stadium.

Jomo Cosmos is the baby of South Africa soccer legend Jomo "Black Prince" Sono who formed the club in 1982 when he purchased Highlands Park and created the Cosmos, named after his former club the New York Cosmos. The Ezenkozi play their home games at the 45,000 capacity Huntersfield Stadium.

The South African professional soccer season runs from September to May.

Jo'burg's two stadiums for the 2010 World Cup are Soccer City, the venue for the final match and Coca-Cola Park Stadium aka Ellis Park.

Weather

Although the World Cup will take place during early winter the days in Johannesburg are clear and mild with midday temperatures between 16 and 20 degrees C, however the nights can drop down to freezing point. There should be little or no rain over that period.

Kevin Wilyman