Johannesburg, South Africa is a city that shouldn’t be there due to lacking natural resources, but it is. Locals affectionately call the city Joburg or Jozi. When my great grandfather was in South Africa 100 years ago, Jozi was young but booming because of gold. That’s the only reason there is a city there. With other resources lacking, this wasn’t a prime location for the largest city in South Africa and fourth largest urban area in Africa. However, for more than 100 years, Jozi has thrived as one of the richest cities on the continent.
Johannesburg Temple
Most of my time in Joburg was spent in the Johannesburg Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not having one close to where I live in Beijing, when I travel, I spend time in the temple. This temple looks similar to several others built around the same period, including temples in Dallas, Taipei, Boise, Chicago, and Guatemala. The garden behind the temple and the lush historical landscape on the campus behind it, add to the tranquility of the House of the Lord.
Red Bus Tour
My last day in Johannesburg, I wanted to cram in as much as possible, so I found where the Red Bus Tour stopped and hopped on. These hop-on, hop-off tour buses have built-in audio tours and allow passengers to get around the city to the main sights without having to figure out transportation. I got a great overview of the city’s history and culture this way. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to hop off and explore at all of the stops I had hoped to. Everything closes early in Joburg. However, I did make sure I got on one of their spur tours out to Soweto.
SOWETO
The South Western Townships or Soweto, is a reminder of a segregated South Africa. In the early 20th century, the South African government separated blacks from whites by relocating them to townships. These townships were physically separated by some form of barrier like a river. In Johannesburg, it was the hills of waste from gold mining that physically separated Joburg from Soweto.
Today, Soweto is a vibrant community. Our guide, a Soweto native, introduced us to the various areas and pointed out the sights. We visited the only street in the world where two Nobel laureates lived, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. We paused at the iconic Orlando cooling towers, and we learned about the 1976 student protests and inexcusable police violence toward the students.
Johannesburg may not be the safest city for strolling, though there are areas with nightlife. It doesn’t have the most impressive sights, though there are some great museums and rich heritage. Honestly, I enjoyed Pretoria more, and if I were to return to this part of South Africa, I would spend most of my time at the temple with a few specifically chosen adventures to have that I missed this time around.
