Celebrating the golden years

The city of gold is 125 years old, a milestone celebrated with a concert and an exhibition tracing its tumultuous history.
A HOST of joyful residents partied till the wee hours of the morning in celebrating a milestone of the city founded on gold – for Johannesburg turned 125 on Saturday, 19 November.

Executive mayor Parks Tau opens Johannesburg 125 Years Experience (Photo: Enoch lehung, City of Johannesburg)Executive mayor Parks Tau opens the exhibition Johannesburg 125 Years Experience (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)Even the drizzle could not dampen the spirits of the young and energetic Joburgers at the party at Newtown Park in the inner city. Present to open the proceedings was Executive Mayor Parks Tau, accompanied by the City manager, Trevor Fowler. The members of the mayoral committee for community development, Chris Vondo; for transport, Rehana Moosajee; and for development planning and urban management, Ruby Mathang; and other City officials also joined the celebrations.

Speaking to City officials, business people and community representatives, Tau said it was important for every citizen of Johannesburg to know the rich history of the city. “When we do so, we discover that a systematic and critical research of our past reveals an unusual wealth of information. As we do so, we discover knowledge and deep heroism that inspires us to do more.

“Johannesburg grew from tent town to wood and iron shanties to bricks and mortar buildings at the pace of an historical wink of an eye,” said Tau.

An exhibition, Johannesburg 125 Years Experience, was opened on the night, where City officials followed the city’s journey from mining town to economic power house of Africa. The exhibition, housed at Newtown’s Museum Africa, comprises a range of pictures and history of early Joburg, Joburg during apartheid and its transformation into a world-class African city.

Sipho Hotstix Mabuse dazzles the crowd (Photo: Enoch lehung, City of Johannesburg)Sipho Hotstix Mabuse dazzles the crowd (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)It ventures through the years of the gold rush, when gold diggers and fortune seekers flocked to the reef from every corner of the earth. Detailed histories of municipal entities such as City Power, Johannesburg City Parks, Joburg Water, Johannesburg Development Agency and emergency management services are included in the display.

Companies that have been operating in the city for many years and that have contributed to its economic growth are also in the exhibition. They include the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Ericsson, SABC, Coke SA, PPC Cement, Imperial Trucks, Rand Water, Standard Bank, and Telkom.

There is a trip down the dark days of apartheid, when blacks were driven far from white areas under the Group Areas Act, resulting in the formation of historic Joburg townships such as Alexandra and Soweto. Alexandra is the oldest township in the city, and in 2012 it will celebrate its centenary.

Johannesburg is one of the youngest major cities in the world. It was founded in 1886 after gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand. “So it is for a good reason that Johannesburg is known to many as ‘Egoli’ [Zulu] or ‘Gauteng’ [Sotho], both names meaning ‘the Place of Gold,’” said Tau.

Revellers groove away at the Johannesburg 125 Years Experience concert (Photo: Enoch lehung, City of Johannesburg)Revellers groove away at the Johannesburg 125 Years Experience concert (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)After doing the rounds at the exhibition, Tau and his officials watched a documentary on the transition of Joburg from the hands of apartheid to a city that is a part of a free and democratic South Africa.

Histories of the early leaders and city founders are also on display. The exhibition will be at Museum Africa for the next six months.

After the formalities, Tau and Fowler took to the concert stage and greeted the cheerful crowd that had gathered to celebrate this milestone. Joburg artists, including Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse performed. He took the crowd back in time with his Shikisha hit.

The evening just got more electrifying, as the flamboyant HHP performed a popular song from the 1980s, Jabulani. And finally, a performance from Professor summed-up was what a great evening.