World City Guide

Key Attractions

Lesedi Cultural Experience
Lesedi is a Sotho word that means ‘light’ – the nickname for the founder of the Basotho nation (Lesotho), King Moshoeshoe. The two-and-a-half-hour experience includes displays of authentic indigenous dancing, recreated Zulu, Ndebele, Sotho, Xhosa and Pedi villages, a restaurant serving local (the famous ‘nyama Choma) and international cuisine, a fully equipped conference centre and en-suite guest cottages.

Broederstroom, on the R512
Tel: (012) 205 1394 or (0800) 119 000, toll free. Fax: (012) 205 1433.
E-mail: marketing@lesedi.com
Website: www.lesedi.com
Transport: By car, along the M1 north and then west (towards Roodepoort) onto the N1 at the Woodmead interchange. At the Lanseria off-ramp, along the R512 north (Hans Strydom Drive), 50km (31 miles) along the scenic R512 – Lesedi is clearly marked on the left-hand side of the road.
Opening hours: Daily (1130) and evening (1630) shows, or by arrangement.
Admission: R380.

Soweto
For decades, in the forefront of a struggle against the tyrannical regime that sanctioned white supremacy, Soweto’s two million residents made their home famous as a living symbol of victory over oppression. Nelson Mandela, one of the icons of the late 20th century, lived in Soweto (an acronym for South-Western Townships) before he was sentenced to life imprisonment (he served 27 years) for treason, by the former apartheid government. Just to get a feel for the environment that created this great man is reason enough to visit Soweto (website: www.soweto.co.za). Officially within the municipal boundaries of ‘greater’ Johannesburg, an extensive mine-waste dumping area and a busy concrete highway separate Soweto from the city limits. An intimidating sprawl of thousands of rows of tiny two-roomed council houses, grim-looking dormitory-style mine-worker hostels and ostentatious mansions, this township was originally only intended to provide temporary shelter for contract mine-workers toiling underground in the once fabulously rich Witwatersrand gold fields.

Visitors wishing to see where South Africa’s peaceful revolution was conceived, born and nurtured will be struck both by the lack of formal tourist facilities and the fact that the strikingly barren surroundings are juxtaposed against such lively, friendly and characterful people.

Due the absence of street signs and dangerous public transport options, Soweto’s labyrinth is best discovered in the company of one of the many good tour operators that offer what have been called the ‘Heritage Route’ or ‘Shebeen Crawl’ tours.

The Heritage Route includes the Hector Peterson Memorial, former residences of Nobel Peace Prize-winners Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, Regina Mundi Church, Freedom Square, Avalon Cemetery, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s house, Morris Isaacson School (where the 1976 student uprising started) and Credo Mutwa Village. The 13-year-old boy, Hector, was one of the first of hundreds of people shot by police during the dramatic 16 June 1976 uprising. His memorial includes a poignant and powerful photograph taken by veteran journalist Peter Magubane of Hector’s body being carried through Soweto’s chaotic streets. The Regina Mundi Catholic Church, a venue for hundreds of protest meetings, still has the bullet holes left by police who often used violence to disperse gatherings. Ma Africa Galleries in a room off the hall offers paintings of township scenes. Located in Kliptown and the oldest part of Soweto, Freedom Square is at the site where the Freedom Charter was presented to a mass gathering of the people. South African Communist Party leader, Joe Slovo, who died of cancer in 1995, became the first white person to be buried in the Avalon Cemetery. At the time of his assassination in 1993, Hani’s stature was second only to Mandela’s, so it is fitting that the world’s largest hospital has been renamed after him. Built by Nelson Mandela for his estranged wife soon after his release from prison in 1990, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s mansion is still occupied by the former president’s ex wife, who continues to enjoy high stature in Soweto. A student and practitioner of traditional African rites and religions, Credo Mutwa’s mysticism is reflected in his sculptures, paintings and writings on display at Credo Mutwa Village.

The Shebeen Crawl is geared more toward the entertainment aspect of the township. Irish miners may have introduced the word to South Africa but shebeens (also called taverns and formerly outlawed by the apartheid regime) have become synonymous with the rich and often raucous social life of Sowetans. They range from a few stools in front of a simple shack to stylish, flashy and fully-fledged nightclubs. While some of the Soweto shebeens may have adjusted their menus and prices in response to an influx of tourists, the same cannot be said of Wandi’s Place (Dube). It serves traditional dishes, such as umngqusho (stamped corn and bean stew), morogo (wild spinach) and that evergreen Soweto favourite, chakalaka (chilli and bean salad). Former proprietor of the Blue Fountain Saloon Godfrey Moloi (self-styled ‘Godfather of Soweto’) died recently but his generous, flamboyant spirit lives on in what he referred to as ‘The warm heart of Soweto.’ African dishes, buffets and set menus are available. The famous ‘wall of fame’ is a mural depicting liberation struggle heroes, signed by famous visitors. Tebogo calls his trendy tavern, The Rock, ‘New York in Soweto’ and this is where the upwardly mobile young black professionals ‘hang’ – food is traditional and contemporary African. People come to Vardo’s Place to watch soccer (South Africa’s favourite sport) on one of the many screens and listen to music with an African Beat. Early shebeens were all in one of the typical two-room Soweto homes and at Pinky’s Place drinks are still served in the lounge and dining room. At DJ’s Place, one of Soweto’s oldest restaurant/shebeens, beer is still served by the quart, while Palazzo di Stella, currently Soweto’s only live jazz club, is also its first pizza restaurant.

Tours of Soweto can be arranged through Jimmy’s Face-to-Face Tours (tel: (011) 331 6109; website: www.face2face.co.za) or Imbizo Tours (tel: (011) 838 2667; e-mail: imbizo@iafrica.com) and cost from R300 to R600.

Soweto (South Western Townships), 15 minutes west of central Johannesburg
E-mail:ken@soweto.co.za
Website: www.soweto.co.za
Transport: Main Reef Road.

Gold Reef City Theme Park and Casino
Originally conceived as a likeness of downtown Johannesburg circa 1890, during the gold rush, Gold Reef City’s museums and curiosity shops (housed in replicas of the original Victorian and Edwardian buildings) have now been eclipsed by the ‘largest rollercoaster in the Southern Hemisphere’ and a 60-table casino. This does not, however, detract from the fact that, for a fairly authentic glimpse into Johannesburg’s fascinating past, Gold Reef City is still the best place to go.

Gold-Reef City’s real charm is that (literally) underneath all the theme-park veneer, there lies a labyrinth of tunnels, built around Number 14 Shaft of the original gold mine that operated from 1887 to 1971. Depending on bookings, there are usually several tours down a mine where workers from all over southern Africa quite recently sweated, toiled and died. Add to this, 14 museums, many craft and curio shops, daily displays of traditional gum-boot and can-can dancing and the casino, which includes the 300-seat Globe Theatre (website: www.soundstage.co.za) and the result is an extraordinary mix that simultaneously provides entertainment and insight. The minutely detailed and fascinating model of the surface and subterranean installations of a gold mine, which follows the process from shaft-sinking to gold-bar production, is one of the highlights. As is the daily pouring of a gold bar – popular legend has it that anyone who can pick it up with one hand can take it home with them.

Gold Reef City, 8km (5 miles) from city centre
Tel: (011) 248 6800.
E-mail: grcres@goldreefcity.co.za
Website: www.goldreefcity.co.za
Transport: Metro bus 55a, 55b or 313 to Southgate from Ghandi Square; by car on the M1 South Freeway to the Booysens or Xavier Street exits.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1700.
Admission: R50 weekdays; R70 weekends; concessions available.

Newtown Cultural Precinct
A few years ago, this area was degenerating into a derelict slum land dominated by the brooding, crumbling cooling towers and the cavernous turbine hall of Johannesburg’s first coal-fired power station. The general air of decay and neglect, symptomatic of many parts of the city’s Central Business District, is being addressed as part of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council’s ‘iGoli 2000’ urban renewal strategy. The Newtown Precinct has undergone quite radical alterations, which include improvements and additions to long-standing attractions (such as the Market Theatre and the Oriental Plaza) as well as relative newcomers (such as MuseumAfrica, the Horror Caf (caf-theatre opposite the Electric Workshop) and the South African Breweries World of Beer ).

The famous MuseumAfrica and Market Theatre are housed in a magnificent Victorian building, once the city’s major fresh-produce market, which had stall holders who were mainly of Indian origin who were moved to the nearby Oriental Plaza. The Plaza is an excellent place to savour Indian food or buy clothing and fabric at discount prices. MuseumAfrica, which incorporates the Bensusan Museum and Library of Photography, the Museum of South Africa Rock Art and the Bernberg Museum of Fashion, was conceived as South Africa’s first post-apartheid museum. It offers exhibits covering an eclectic range of themes, ranging from early man to the struggle against apartheid. This is possibly the best place in Johannesburg from which to contemplate the impact of colonialism. The Market Theatre Complex houses three theatres – Main Theatre, Laager Theatre and Barney Simon Theatre. The Market hosted much protest theatre during the struggle years and was the birthplace for such seminal works as Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Banzi is Dead (1973) and Mbongeni Ngema’s Sarafina (1988). It was here where John Kani (now the theatre director) and Winston Shona were first seen in Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys (1982). It was also here that political satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys (in the persona of his drag alter ego, Evita Bezuidenhout) first performed anti-apartheid one-man shows to packed houses. Long reputed to be Johannesburg’s best jazz venue, Kippies (a converted Victorian toilet) still belts it out every weekend, just a few steps away from the entrance to the theatre.

Newtown Cultural Precinct
Transport: Metro bus 63 to Newlands or 66 to Sophiatown.

MuseumAfrica
121 Bree Street
Tel: (011) 833 5624.
Website: www.museums.org.za
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission: R2.

Market Theatre
121 Bree Street
Tel: (011) 832 1641.
Website: www.markettheatre.co.za
Opening hours: Varies, depending on production.
Admission: Varies, depending on production.

SAB World of Beer
15 President Street
Tel: (011) 836 4900.
Website: www.worldofbeer.co.za
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1800.
Admission: R10.

Horror Caf
15 Becker Street
Tel: (011) 838 6734.
Opening hours: Fri 2000 onwards.
Admission: R20.

Oriental Plaza
Sixth Avenue, Fordsburg
Tel: (011) 838 6572.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0830-1500 (Restaurants stay open late).
Admission: Free.

Johannesburg Zoological Gardens
Apart from offering a peaceful and secure respite from the city’s busy streets and garish shopping malls, the zoo provides a great opportunity for visitors to make sure they know the difference between leopards and cheetahs before going on safari – or just to ensure they do see the ‘big five’. The facilities (both for human and beast) are highly rated internationally – children and the disabled (electric buggies are available for R70 per hour) are particularly well catered for. Guided day, night and ‘behind the scenes’ tours can be arranged and the Zoo Ferry (pulled by a tractor) does regular rounds for a quick reconnoitre before exploring on foot. Highlights include the magnificent new lion enclosure and Max, the lowland gorilla (and his companion Lisa), who became a local crime-fighting hero a few years ago when he wrestled to the ground a burglar who mistakenly scaled the wall of his pen while fleeing police.

Upper Park Drive, Forest Town
Tel: (011) 646 2000 or 486 0552, for organised tours. Fax: (011) 486 2866.
E-mail: info@jhbzoo.org.za
Website: www.jhbzoo.org.za or www.gorillacam.co.za
Transport: Metro bus 1 to Parktown North, 78 to Randburg Mall, 78a to Craighall or 79 to Parkhurst.
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1730.
Admission: R25, concessions available.

Military History Museum
Located on the same block as the Zoo, this small but comprehensive museum covers most periods and armaments of South Africa’s military history. Displays include uniforms, tanks, artillery pieces (including the South-African-built G-6), small arms, 12 aircraft and a military submarine. However, there are disappointingly small sections on the anti-draft (End Conscription Campaign) movements and the participation of black people in the Anglo-Boer War, although CASSPIRS, the armoured personnel carriers used by security forces in the townships during black uprisings against apartheid, are on display.

20 Erlswold Way, Saxonwold
Tel: (011) 646 5513.
Website: www.militarymuseum.co.za
Transport: Metro bus 1 to Parktown North, 78 to Randburg Mall, 78a to Craighall or 79 to Parkhurst.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1630.
Admission: R10.

Johannesburg Botanic Gardens and Emmarentia Dam
Covering 148 hectares (365 acres) of highveld hillside rising up from the western shores of the Emmarentia Dam, this is one of the city’s most tranquil spots. The Dam has a yachting and canoeing club, while the gardens include a magnificent terraced rose garden (allegedly the world’s largest) set among ponds and water features with a classical theme. Although a park ranger is on duty, it is not advisable to wander into remote areas unless with a group. Picnics and braais (barbecues) are permitted at the spots provided and the shady restaurant does excellent tea and scones as well as light meals.

Between Thomas Bowler, Olifants and Louw Geldenhuys Streets, Roosevelt Park
Tel: (011) 782 0517.
Website: www.jobot.co.za
Transport: Metro bus 71 to Fairland, 74 to Blairgowrie or 81 to Randburg via Blairgowrie.
Opening hours: Daily sunrise-sunset.
Admission: Free (but plans are afoot to start charging).

Melville Village
Generally, the residents of Johannesburg’s upper-income northern suburbs only walk if their car has just been stolen, however, Melville is a quirky, pleasant exception. Just a short distance from Park City, the suburb’s neighbourly atmosphere is mainly due to its chaotic mix of residential and commercial properties, which sometimes mingle to a point where one may find oneself mistakenly settling down in a private home and wondering where the waitress has got to. The main streets, especially bohemian Seventh Street (the setting and title of a local TV drama), are worth wandering along, delving into the second-hand bookshops, antique dealers and body-piercing salons, or sitting in the pavement cafs to people-watch. Many of Melville’s nicest homes, some of which date back to the 19th century, have been converted into charming B&Bs and guest houses, which are increasingly popular with foreign travellers.

The Melville Koppies Nature Reserve, just north of the suburb, protects an extensive area of typical highveld vegetation and includes archaeological remains of both Stone and Iron Age settlements, including iron furnaces.

Melville, northern suburbs
Tel: (011) 726 5634.
Fax: (011) 482 4769.
Website: www.virtualmelville.co.za
Transport: Metro bus 67 to Melville, 66 to Sophiatown or 71 to Fairland.

Melville Koppies Nature Reserve North Melville
Tel: (011) 782 7064.
Website: www.veld.org.za/melville/melville.htm
Opening hours: Third Sun of every month (Sep-May).
Admission: Free.