Johannesburg

Introduction

Cooling towers, Soweto

© All Rights Reserved EmmylouSA

Johannesburg is South Africa's largest and most populated city with 3.9 million residents, easily boasting the largest economy of the country and thus Sub-Saharan Africa. Located in Gauteng province, and pronounced jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg', it's commonly referred to by one of it's shortened nicknames; Jo'burg, Jozi, Egoli or the city of gold. The last of these names also contains the clue to what lay the foundation for its development as the economic hub of South Africa: the discovery of some of the worlds richest gold fields in the region led to the establishment of Jo'burg in 1886.
For all it's wealth and prosperity, the city is also one of stark contrasts with a large population of very poor people living in shacks. So great is the gap between the two that it's led to one of the highest crime rates in the world. If you are planning a trip to Johannesburg, take reasonable precautions and listen to the locals, so you can enjoy it safely.

Neighbourhoods

• Alexandra
• Cresta
• Brixton
• Four Ways
• Houghton
• Hillbrow
• Hyde Park
• Melville
• Northcliffe
• Parktown
• Parkhurst
• Randburg
• Rosebank
• Sandton
• Soweto
• Westcliff

Events and Festivals

World Cup 2010

Johannesburg will be a host city for the World Cup 2010. World Cup matches in the city will be held at Soccer City Stadium and Coca Cola Park. Soccer City was host to the first mass rally after the release of Nelson Mandela and was also the venue for the 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations final. Current capacity stands at 80,000 with an upgrade set to take it up to 94,700. Ellis Park has been a rugby stadium for most of its history and it was the scene for the famous SA victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Once work has been completed, it should hold almost 65,000 fans.

Joy of Jazz

Johannesburgs big Joy of Jazz festival brings together musicians from all over the world and runs in August.

The Soweto Wine Festival

Launched in 2004, the Soweto Wine Festival brings over 100 of South African's finest wineries offering over 1,000 wines to taste into trend-setting Soweto. Held in the first weekend of September over three nights, the University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus, is transformed into an up-market VIP experience for thousands of visitors. The Soweto Wine Festival boasts wine lounges by some of South Africa's premium wine producers, wine and food pairing classes hosted by Cape Wine Masters and Celebrity Chefs, Soweto's Finest Restaurants, Entertainment and wine for sale. The festival attracts an international audience of wine lovers who spend three days in Soweto tasting South Africa's fine wines by night, and touring some of Soweto's top tourist destinations by day. The Soweto Wine Festival is organised by South Africa's official wine and education authority, the Cape Wine Academy.

Weather

Johannesburg has what many would call excellent weather, with a dry and sunny climate, although the summer months (October to April) can bring impressive afternoon thunderstorms. Indeed, more than 90% of the yearly rainfall occurs in these 7 months, with January being the wettest. The average high temperature for the year is 22 °C, but highs of 35 °C are not uncommon in the warmest month of January. Yearly lows average 10 °C, with temperatures very rarely dropping under freezing point. Snow is rare as well, as winters are usually very sunny and dry as well.

Getting There

By Plane

Johannesburg is served by the largest and busiest airport in South Africa, Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB). The airport is also an important gateway (or hub) for international air travel to and from the rest of Southern Africa.

From Johannesburg there are many flights within the continent and South African Airways has flights to and from Abidjan, Accra, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Hong Kong, Kigali, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, London, Mumbai, Munich, Nairobi, New York, Perth, Sao Paulo and Washington, D.C. among many others. Numerous other airlines from all continents in the world fly to and from Johannesburg and it has one of the busiest airport within Africa. Other examples of destinations include Bangkok, Dubai, Paris, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Athens, Sydney, Jeddah, Zürich, Moscow, Lisbon and Madrid.
Kulula.com is a lowcost airline based in Johannesburg with flights to Namibia, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mango flies from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Durban as well as South African Airways does.

To/from the airport

• Car: The airport is easily accessible by car and it is located in northeast Johannesburg on the R24 Airport Freeway, which can be accessed by the N3 Eastern Bypass and the R21 highway.
• Rail: the airport is currently accessible by the Gautrain, which travels to Sandton. Extensions of this line will continue into Johannesburg and further towards Pretoria.
• Bus: several bus lines operate to and from the airport, but services are not always frequent or safe. Use the better shuttle buses provided by some airlines or take a taxi.

By Train

Spoornet is the national railway, with services between most major South African cities. Most of the connections are budget, but there is a Premier Class train between Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The Blue Train and the Pride of Africa by Rovos Rail are luxurious options to cross South Africa and beyond.
The main routes with Shosholoza Meyl are:

• Johannesburg - Cape Town via Kimberley and Matjiesfontein, 27 hours, premier class twice weekly, tourist 4 weekly and economy daily
• Johannesburg - Durban via Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg, 13,5 hours, premier class twice a week, tourist once a week and economy daily except Tuesday.
• Johannesburg - East London via Bloemfontein, 20 hours, economy sleeper class, daily except Saturday
• Johannesburg - Port Elizabeth via Kroonstad, Bloemfontein and Craddock, 21 hours, tourist class twice a week and daily economy class (except Saturday)
• Johannesburg/Pretoria - Musina via Louis Trichardt (Makhado), 17 hours, economy class daily except Saturday
• Johannesburg/Pretoria - Komatipoort via Nelspruit, 13 hours, economy class daily except Saturday, connecting with the onward train to Maputo, Mozambique.

By Car

Tarred roads run in all directions and getting there by car is straightforward. Car hire facilities include Avis, Imperial, Hertz, Budget, Value Car Hire, First Car Rental, Global Rental as well as many others. They have officies both downtown as at the international airport, where most travellers pick up their cars.
Sample distances from Johannesburg are:

• Bloemfontein - 398 kilometres
• Cape Town - 1402 kilometres
• Durban - 557 kilometres
• East London - 982 kilometres
• Kimberley - 476 kilometres
• Port Elizabeth - 1075 kilometres
• Pretoria - 58 kilometres

By Bus

From Johannesburg there are connections to Maputo in Mozambique (8 to 9 hours), to Gaborone in Botswana (6 hours) and to Bulawayo and Harare in Zimbabwe. To Lusaka in Zambia, there are buses, most of which stop on their way in Bulawayo, taking a total of 26 hours. It takes almost as long to get from Johannesburg to Windhoek (21 hours), the capital of Namibia. Daily connections also travel to Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland. There are even daily buses between Blantyre in Malawi and Johannesburg, travelling through Mozambique and Zimbabwe, taking about 30 hours to cover the distance.
Minibus taxis travel between Johannesburg and Gaborone, Johannesburg and Palapye (Botswana) and between Mafikeng in South Africa and Lobatse in Botswana.
Minibuses also travel between Johannesburg and Manzini in Swaziland (4 hours).
There are many companies offering services, but the main operators are Greyhound South Africa, Intercape and Translux, all offering at least services between major cities in neighbouring countries from Johannesburg and also to dozens of domestic destinations, including Cape Town, Durban, Nelspruit, Upington, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein.

The Baz Bus is a bus where you can hop on and off and is mostly used by backpackers travelling on a budget. They are dropped off at hostels. There are three routes two of which are routes between Durban and Pretoria via Johannesburg: one via the Drakensberg (Drakens Mountains) and one via Swaziland. In particular, if you are coming from Swaziland simply to fly out from Johannesburg, then taking the Baz Bus to one of the hostels near to the airport is the most convenient way - the fare is similar to taking a minibus from Manzini to the centre of Johannesburg then a taxi back out to near the airport.

Getting Around

Street Scene

© All Rights Reserved soupatrvlr

By Car

The best way to explore the city is by car, just make sure you know your route before heading out, and it's advisable to keep doors locked in inner-city areas. Car hire companies in Johannesburg include Avis, Budget Rent-a-Car, Hertz, Europcar and First Car Rental.

By Public Transport

The Gautrain (a speed train not part of the metro system) is a good, clean and safe way to jump fast between the airport, Malboro, Midrand, Rosebank, Pretoria and Centurion.
Public transport in Johannesburg is provided by city buses and informal minibus services. Bus (other than the feeder buses attached to the Gautrain system) is not a viable option if you are a foreign tourist/business visitor unfamiliar with South Africa. Large blue city buses run up and down the main roads and mini buses can be flagged down on the side of the street although they are not the best mode of transport as they are unreliable and often associated with crime. These should not be used unless you are very familiar with the way of life in South Africa and the basic geography of Johannesburg.

Sleep

Budget

Learn

• University of Johannesburg
• University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The SAPO (South African Post Office) is the nation's postal service. Post offices are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to noon on Saturdays. Domestic and international deliveries are reliable but can sometimes take up to several weeks. If you want to send something oversees of any value, try using one of the private mail services, like Postnet.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website