Thursday 16 October'26 - Johannesburg (South Africa)
The 2nd last day in Africa started with a Guided Walking Tour of Johannesburg City Centre. After breakfast we were picked up and driven to the start point near Gandhi Square in the city centre. There we met our guide, Refiloe and away went the 3 of us (no-one else was on the tour). 1st stop was Gandhi Square. Then it was on to the Carlton Centre. The buildings in this area are the now abandoned Carlton Hotel, the centre itself (2nd highest building in Africa) and the Skyrink, Africa's 1st ice rink. There is also a very large shopping centre (mostly underground). At this point I should mention that due to the theft of copper, the power situation was such that most stores had limited lighting, traffic lights were not functional and most street level pit (man hole) covers were non-existent, as they get stolen and melted down for cash. The High Court of Johannesburg was next on the agenda.
As we walked, we kept crossing Main Street and as the name suggests, it was the main thoroughfare in early Johburg, running east-west for the entire length of the original city boundaries. After leaving the court building we wandered 4 city blocks along a shopping strip known as the Small Street Mall. Rissik Street Post Office was next and again, another abandoned building which has undergoing renovations since 2016. Next up, Johannesburg City Hall then onto Beyers Naudé Square. It was the original Market Square but as the city grew, the market was relocated to larger space and was renamed after a Dutch anti-apartheid activist. The square has an interesting sculpture in it, depicting a Black woman carrying a baby on her back. In one hand, she holds a placard reading "Democracy is Dialogue", while the other holds a bottle containing a candle, although I think it is more like a Molotov Cocktail. Under the law at the time, the women pout "white babies" on their backs as that meant they couldn't be shot!
On our way to the mining district, we passed a sculpture called The Colossus, that paid tribute to Oliver Tambo, featuring a speech Nelson Mandela made at his funeral. Quite moving. Then we were in the Mining District, with a sculpture paying tribute to the miners of days gone by. The Langlaagte Stamp Mill has a very unusual history and believe it or not, the train actually carried 28 miners into the mines (child labour)... The whole area has many information boards scattered around, with only a couple shown here. We then headed towards the edge of the CBD into the ACBD (African Central Business District). This houses China and India Town and right on the edge is the "old" offices of the Anglo-American Mining Company. The buildings and gardens have been donated to a University (primarily for those of Indian descent). The gardens were magnificent. A short walk away and we entered the Newtown district, a hub for the arts. It was here that the tour ended and after a little "trouble" in connecting with our driver, we were on our way back to the hotel for lunch before a relaxing afternoon. At this point, you may recall I had mentioned a number of abandoned buildings, well the last photo is another building that is empty, boarded up and being left to rot... In total, the city centre has just over 300 such things, hard to imagine given the poverty and need for affordable public housing. Apparently its a political bun fight that has been going on for yonks. In all honesty, Johburg is a dump. It is dying and decaying and corruption rife and our guide stated on a number of occasions that you should not be in this area after 6pm on any night. Anyhoo, pre-dinner drinks (again...), dinner and then bed.
African Safari - 2026
