Hidden Johannesburg: Deep Travel in the Heart of South Africa
In her latest feature for One Planet Journey, long-time resident and travel writer Pamela Brennan takes us far beyond the clichés of Joburg. Explore the mine that has produced half of the world’s gold, before diving into the cultural layers of The Wilds and the Origins Centre Museum. Pamela’s story is a love letter to deep travel in hidden parts of Johannesburg, a city that constantly reinvents itself.
Johannesburg: As the Pendulum swings
Did you enjoy our deep travel adventure to the quintessential Southern Suburbs of Cape Town? It’s a running joke to ask someone when you first meet, “Where are you formerly from?” Although born in Durban, I say, “I’m formerly from Johannesburg”. It’s the place I have lived the longest, so it will always be home. My neighbour in Cape Town has a beautiful 120-year-old antique grandfather clock with a brass pendulum that chimes the hour. Let us “collect time“, as talented local poet Zeenit Saban Jacobs so eloquently phrases it.
Johannesburg invites you to swing with it. From the gold rush that changed the country to the stillness of birdwatching in Soweto. From the bold sculptures in The Wilds to exploring Indigenous art and storytelling at the Origins Centre Museum. If you are ready for deep travel, and to discover hidden parts of Johannesburg, this city will reward your curiosity.
The Mineral Revolution at Kloofendaal Nature Reserve
It’s a late winter morning, the perfect weather for a short hike on the West Rand. The bushveld welcomes you with sugarbush protea buds peeking through the karee trees and a chorus of birds. The enormous Struben Stamp Mills stand out in stark contrast to this natural beauty. It bears witness to the assets found beneath the surface of this city.
The Stamp Mills were shipped from England in 1884 by Fred and Harry Struben. Initially, they used it to mill ore from the Struben’s Confidence Reef, which unfortunately had less value than hoped for.
The Struben brothers later put it to use to crush milled ore from Langlaagte, after the discovery of the Main Reef in 1886. They played a pivotal role in the development of the Crown Reef Gold Mine. Gold exploration catapulted Johannesburg into the Mineral Revolution. This 3,000-million-year-old area was the shoreline of an ancient sea in the Witwatersrand Basin. As a result, it holds gold-bearing rock, which became exposed after the Vredefort meteorite impact event. The Main Reef at Crown Mines has yielded half of all the world’s gold.
The Friends of Kloofendaal, a community organisation, assisted with relocating the Struben Stamp Mills in 2009 to preserve the city’s cultural heritage. Hidden from view, it still stands proud, reminding you why Johannesburg bears the name ‘eGoli’, the Zulu word meaning ‘place of gold’.
Rod Kruger offers a fantastic archaeological tour to see the worked-out Confidence Reef mine shafts and to explore the evolution of the mining industry.
McBirdie of Soweto, not Scotland!
Driving down Chris Hani Road in Soweto, on a Saturday morning, is an adventure in itself as throngs of people head out. This township provided low-cost housing for the growing labour force in Johannesburg. The blaring amapiano music, the aroma of roasting corn, taxis hurtling along, and innumerable roadside hawkers punting their wares will assault your senses. Watch out!
The cooling towers of Power Park beckon with their brightly painted advertisement murals. It caters to the adrenaline-seeking junkies with bungee jumping, tower swings, and quad biking.
Raymond Rampolokeng, aka McBirdie, arrives, sporting a pair of binoculars for a far more leisurely pursuit. His affable demeanour puts you at ease. We headed out of the adventure park to Moroka Dam. He stops mid-sentence to listen to bird calls and, in true twitcher fashion, then verifies it with a quick peek using his binoculars. It makes the conversation, which vacillates from birds to ecotourism, all the more riveting.
Avitourism and community-based tourism
Raymond took up the niche tourism activity of birding after volunteering at a Tourism Mentorship program. It helped him connect with Birdlife South Africa and the Wits Bird Club. He went on to train and qualify as a Professional Bird Guide in Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. When he returned to Soweto, he started a company called Bay of Grace Tours. He offers packaged birding tours for local and international tourists.
Raymond is passionate about environmental education and supporting community-based tourism projects. He would love for the open area around Moroka Dam to be declared a nature conservancy. Currently, it’s used as grazing land and a sports field. It is also home to the Soweto Rowing Club. Raymond, also known as McBirdie, plays a pivotal role in destination stewardship by organising clean-up campaigns with corporate partners.
He spoke of South Africa’s R2 billion (€97 million) avitourism industry, which can escalate the multiplier effect for communities. Birdwatching is creating employment and generating revenue through accommodation and transport services for birders in Soweto and other birding hotspots in South Africa.
As we drive out of Soweto, I’m in awe of having met someone so iconic. It’s easy to see why he is called the McBirdie of Soweto. Raymond inspires you to gain a different perspective of the area. One can only support and admire his quest to create a beautiful natural legacy in his local community.
“I only count the sunny hours.” – The Wilds Municipal Nature Reserve
It’s an instinctive case of place attachment: after having lived in the city for so long, we returned to The Wilds Municipal Nature Reserve to explore hidden Johannesburg. The hum of the city echoes as you follow the winding stone paths, indulging in a dose of deep travel. Suddenly, a disgruntled soccer umpire’s whistle pierces the air.
The brightly painted laser-cut fauna ranges from pangolins to klipspringers, and even a 5-meter-tall pink giraffe towers over the picnic area! A Malcolm Barnfield sundial, perched at the highest point of the Park, has the wise inscription, “I only count the sunny hours.” There are garden benches to sit and admire the pink ostriches and the superb view of the Johannesburg skyline beyond.
67 is for Mandela
James Dalaney installed the parliament of 67 owl sculptures on 18 July 2017. We celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday on Mandela Day. The owls commemorate the 67 years that Madiba spent in public service. A family walks past, and the kids are thrilled because they have found 11 of the owl sculptures.
Once a derelict park, resident artist James Delaney embarked on a one-man crusade to restore this neglected space. He secured the necessary funds and support despite opposition. He has successfully created an art tourism hub amidst a frenetic city. James Delaney continues to collaborate with city parks and local community members to maintain and improve this space. The sound of babbling canals fills your ears as you seek out the beautifully detailed mosaics dotted around the garden.
I leave safe in the knowledge that The Wilds Municipal Nature Reserve will thrive. The pendulum swings forward in another hidden part of Johannesburg, as opposed to the conventional travel spots.
“Cosmic Echoes” – Youth Day at the Origins Centre Museum
What a wonderful surprise to visit the Origins Centre Museum, and especially with an invitation to the Youth Day event on June 16. The enthusiastic staff welcomed us to a thought-provoking discussion that was in progress. We were able to view an art exhibition titled Cosmic Echoes: Shared Sky Indigenous Art.
South African and Australian indigenous artists collaborated on this exhibition, building the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Mid and Low telescopes in their respective communities. The movements of the night sky, ever since ancient times, have shaped their understanding of the world. While scientists forge ahead in astronomy, they also pay homage to these communities.
The Origins Centre Museum shows the San as one of the oldest peoples on the planet. They have genetic traces not found anywhere else in the world. The exhibits share how genetic tests contribute to an understanding of our ancestry. The pendulum swings back to showcase the traditional San tools, artifacts, and rock art from the Earlier and Middle Stone Age.
Hidden spots in Johannesburg – part of the reinvention
And just like that, the pendulum keeps swinging. It reminds us that Johannesburg is evolving. It is a city that continues to metamorphose. These people and these hidden Johannesburg spaces epitomise deep travel. For those willing to slow down and listen, eGoli will surely transform you.
Have you been to South Africa? Did you visit Johannesburg? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.
