Johannesburg in One Day

Some people may think it is the capital, however, it is just its largest and most populous city, as well as one of the busiest airports in Africa.

Apart from the famous Soweto neighbourhood, where due to lack of time we could not go, the city (also called ‘Joburg’ by locals) has some points of interest, mostly related to apartheid.

Date of the visit: October 2019.

City Hall

Although it appears in all travel guides as an interesting point, it is just a Edwardian building whose facade looks at a small but central square.

CBD (Central Business District)

It is recommended to walk around the day through the hectic and bustling main square. Despite being an area full of skyscrapers, offices and some multinationals, it is a dangerous area that must be avoided at night.

Constitution Hill

It is an old prison located on top of a hill from which you can see a beautiful view of the city skyline.

The complex is currently converted into a museum, and the traveller can visit many of the different sections of which it was composed. It provides interesting information about apartheid, an omnipresent topic in any visit to the country.

It is also reported that there were prisoners, among others, Nelson Mandela and Indira Ghandi.

Personally I was impressed by the differences in treatment that existed between black and white prisoners. (For example, whites were entitled to a pillow and two more blankets).

Apartheid Museum

Located in an area far from the city centre, I suggest getting there using a taxi application.

Upon entering, the visitor receives, on their entrance ticket, symbolically, an inscription that can be “white” or “black”. Depending on this, the museum is accessed through one entrance or another, as can be seen in the following photo.

It is, in my opinion, an excellent idea to put yourself in place of what should have been to live those times, that hopefully will not happen again.

On the day of our visit, there was a temporary exhibition dedicated to Nelson Mandela (also called “Madiba” by his followers), possibly the most important political figure in the recent history of South Africa

The visitor had access to detailed information of his childhood, youth, stay at the university as well as his imprisonment for 27 years.

As a musician, I was able to know the figure of Johnny Clegg, an English born, but nationalised South African musician, who by his songs and friendship with Madiba became a firm activist and defender for the rights of the black people in the country.

In the rest of the museum, the visitor accesses information on how the segregation policy originated in the 40’s of the last century, and how 10% of the white population ruled the black population of 90% with an iron hand until 1990.

Shocking is the video, in black and white, of the speech of a political promoter of racial segregation, where he tries to explain that, in short, that political decision was made for ‘the good of future generations’. Frankly speaking, that marked me.

Apart from that, there is also information on different cases of arrests, capital sentences, as well as deaths without even trial, in the police facilities themselves (such as Steve Biko, whose violent death came to light thanks to the investigations of the journalist and also his friend Donald Woods. This story is told in the moving film Cry Freedom, by Richard Attenborough in 1987).

In general, the visitor is, in a way, shocked after the visit, however, in my opinion it is essential to know what happened so that it does not happen again.

Apart from tourism, the museum is instructive and informative. Dear traveller, do not forget to visit it.

Rosebank

It is a lively area with shopping centres, bars and restaurants, ideal for dinner, drinks and relax after visiting the city.

There are many options depending on the preferences of the traveller. We dined incredibly well in a meat restaurant inside the mall.

In general, it is an interesting city, although it is not particularly beautiful, it is still a must see in South Africa. In my opinion, 1-2 days is more than enough for a complete visit. Please, find below further details about tickets in both Apartheid museum and Constitution Hill, as well as tourist information about the Gauteng region.

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