Impressions of Johannesburg & SA

Johannesburg - population of 25 million. Wow. That’s more than the whole of Australia (in 2025)!

30% unemployment so lots of crime. There were warning signs on the roads about the high chance of hijacking at certain intersections.

At intersections people try to eke out a living by selling doodads. Also fruit and vegie stalls or stalls of firewood for example.

Our accommodation was in a huge, gated area where you are photographed before the boom gates will open. Even then the houses had very high walls with electric fences on top of the wall. Many were mansions.

Lots of people walking or getting taxicabs. It has the biggest taxicab rank in the world.

Each town has an area a bit out of town which is the black area and they would walk everywhere.

Telecommunication towers have fake branches so that they appear like trees.

Many houses, especially in the country areas have a round shaped building in their yard. This was the traditional shape of homes. As well as being practical it was believed that evil spirits hid in corners — so circular homes offered no hiding place for them. These buildings are used to communicate with the ancestors, so people with enough room and money will have one of these - aka a status symbol.

Additionally, round homes were often decorated with patterns, symbols, and colours that represented the tribe’s identity, values, or history. Every detail, from the door’s direction to the central fireplace, held meaning.Read more