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Gauteng
Although the smallest of the nine provinces, Gauteng is the powerhouse of South Africa and the heart of its commercial business and industrial sectors. The province blends cultures, colours and first- and third-world traditions in a spirited mix that is flavoured by many foreign influences.
Johannesburg, nicknamed ‘Egoli’ (Place of Gold), is the capital of the province and a city of contrasts. Mine-dumps and headgear stand proud as symbols of its rich past, while modern architecture rubs shoulders with examples of 19th-century engineering prowess. Gleaming skyscrapers contrast with Indian bazaars and African muti (medicine) shops, where traditional healers dispense advice and traditional medicine.
The busy streets ring out with the calls of fruit-sellers and street vendors. An exciting blend of ethnic and western art and cultural activities is reflected in theatres and open-air arenas throughout the city.
Most overseas visitors enter South Africa via OR Tambo International Airport (formerly Johannesburg International Airport).
Province profile
- Soweto, in the south of Johannesburg is home to two million people and was the site of much of the anti-apartheid struggle.
- In spring, Pretoria’s 50 000 jacaranda trees turn the city purple.
- The Cradle of Humankind is the richest source of pre-hominid fossils on the planet, and a World Heritage site.
- Pretoria boasts the largest residential university in South Africa, the University of Pretoria, and what is believed to be the largest correspondence university in the world, the University of South Africa.
- Most steel in South Africa is produced and consumed in Gauteng.
- Johannesburg houses the JSE Limited, the largest securities exchange in Africa.
- More than 60% of South Africa’s research and development takes place in Gauteng.
Gauteng is the most densely populated province in South Africa. It houses more than nine million of the country’s people (Mid-Year Population Estimates, 2006). The level of urbanisation is 97%.
- Bookmarks
- Pretoria
- Johannesburg
Gauteng is an integrated industrial complex with major areas of economic activity in three subregional areas, namely the Vaal Triangle; the East, West and Central Rand; and Pretoria. The Vaal Triangle has a strong manufacturing sector; the West Rand concentrates on primary mining; and the Central Witwatersrand is dominated by the manufacturing and finance sectors, with mining capital playing a major role. All sectors rely heavily on the Vaal Dam (on the Vaal River), from where water is piped across the province.
Other important Gauteng towns include Krugersdorp and Roodepoort on the West Rand, and Germiston, Springs, Boksburg, Benoni, Brakpan and Kempton Park on the East Rand. Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging in the south of the province are major industrial centres, while Heidelberg, Nigel and Bronkhorstspruit to the east are of agricultural importance.
Although the province is highly urbanised and industrialised, it contains wetlands of international importance, such as Blesbokspruit near Springs.
Accommodation
Gauteng boasts a variety of accommodation establishments, including hotels, guest-houses, bread and breakfast establishments, game lodges, national parks and self-catering units.
Tourism and leisure
In the south of Johannesburg is Soweto, developed as a township for black people under the apartheid system. Most of the struggle against apartheid was fought in and from Soweto, which is estimated to be inhabited by over two million people. Soweto is a city of enterprise and cultural interaction. It is a popular tourist destination with sites such as Kliptown, where the Freedom Charter was drawn up; the home of former President Nelson Mandela; the Hector Petersen Memorial site; and restaurants and shopping malls. It boasts one of the largest hospitals on the continent, the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital.
The Sterkfontein caves near Krugersdorp are the site of the discovery of the skull of the famous Mrs Ples, an estimated 2,5 million-year-old hominid fossil, and Little Foot, an almost complete hominid skeleton some 3,3 million years old. The broader Cradle of Humankind site consists of 47 000 ha, with numerous caves, the most famous of which are the Sterkfontein caves. In 1999, Sterkfontein and its environs were declared a world heritage site. Forty percent of all the world’s human ancestor fossils have been found here, including several of the world’s most famous and important fossils. A further 500 hominid fossils and more than 9 000 stone tools have been excavated in the area, and work is ongoing.
The Krugersdorp Game Reserve provides sanctuary for several game species, including four of the Big Five. The African Fauna and Bird Park houses various species of wildlife and birds.
Forty kilometres north of Pretoria lies a ring of hills a kilometre in diameter and 100 m high. These are the walls of an impact crater left by an asteroid that hit the area some 200 000 years ago. The Tswaing Meteorite Crater is similar in size to the well-known Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona, in the United States of America. The crater walls at Tswaing were originally about twice as high as they are today.
There is a museum adjacent to the crater. A path leads from the museum to the crater, along the rim, and down to the central lake. The crater is covered with indigenous trees and bushes which attract a variety of bird life.
The old mining town of Cullinan developed around the Premier Diamond Mine and many turn-of-the-century houses still stand. The mine has produced some of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the Cullinan diamond, the world’s largest at 3 106 carats.
Johannesburg
The Nelson Mandela Bridge is a landmark gateway into Newtown, the arts precinct of Johannesburg. It is the largest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa.
Museum Africa in Newtown tells the story of life in South Africa from the Stone Age to the Nuclear Age and beyond.
The Market Theatre Complex comprises three theatres, an art gallery, restaurants and pubs.
A bronze statue of the champion of passive resistance, Mahatma Gandhi, can be seen in the city centre.
Lesedi Cultural Village in the Swartkops Hills north of Johannesburg gives visitors the opportunity to meet families of different cultural groupings. It features four traditional homesteads where visitors can spend the night with a family of their choice.
The Phumangena Zulu Kraal is home to traditional Zulu people living and working there.
Gold Reef City is a theme park based on Johannesburg during the gold-rush era.
The Apartheid Museum tells the story of the legacy of apartheid through exhibitions consisting of film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts.
Constitution Hill features the impressive building housing South Africa’s Constitutional Court, and offers visitors the chance to view the fort, the so-called native jail, the women’s jail and the awaiting-trial block. People once imprisoned at these facilities include Gandhi and Albert Luthuli, as well as the only woman to be executed in South Africa’s history, Daisy de Melker.
Pretoria
A variety of historical buildings are found in the city, which is known as the ‘Jacaranda City’ because of the many jacaranda trees that line its streets. When these are in full bloom in October, they cover the city in a lilac haze, providing spectacular views from the surrounding hills.
Church Square is centred around a statue of Paul Kruger, president of the former Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, and includes buildings such as the Old Raadsaal and the Palace of Justice.
Ten minutes’ drive away from Church Square is Freedom Park, which is being built to commemorate the country’s political history. Once completed, the 35ha site will comprise a garden of remembrance, a museum, and statues and sculptures to honour South Africans who have contributed to the country’s freedom and development.
The Voortrekker Monument also houses a museum and commemorates the Great Trek. Some 260 steps lead to the dome, where spectacular views of the city can be enjoyed.
The Union Buildings were designed by Sir Herbert Baker and completed in 1913. They were the setting for the presidential inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 1994, and those of Thabo Mbeki on 16 June 1999 and 27 April 2004.
The Mapoch Ndebele Village, north of Pretoria, is being restored by its residents and the National Cultural History Museum. To develop the project into a viable, living tourist village, the 50 families staying there have undergone tourist-guide and business training. It is the first living cultural village in South Africa owned and managed by its residents.
Mamelodi is situated approximately 20 km from the city centre and features the Solomon Mahlangu Square, which is dedicated to this freedom fighter.
The city boasts various museums.
Contact details
Gauteng Provincial Government
Private Bag X61, Marshalltown, 2107
Gauteng Provincial Government Building, East wing, 4th Floor, 30 Simmonds Street, Marshalltown, Johannesburg
Tel: (011) 355 6006/8
Fax: (011) 836 9334
Website: www.gautengonline.gov.za