The Petrus Molefe Monument, also known as the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Monument, is located in the Petrus Molefe Eco-Park on Mtambo Street in Dhlamini Soweto. Molefe was the first operative to be killed during the early operations of MK. Thank you to the City of Johannesburg for giving us permission to publish the details below.
The Kimberley City Hall is one of the city's major attractions and a declared heritage site. It may be hard for current visitors to imagine a time when the future of the building was in doubt. Below is an article describing heroic efforts to save the landmark building in the mid 1970s. It was published in Restorica, the journal of the Simon van Der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa).
This gem of a piece was published in the South African Railway Magazine (October 1906 issue). The unknown author describes what life was like for railway men posted to small railway stations in the Karoo. Thank you to the Heritage Office at Transnet for giving us access to their archives.
The Mai Mai Market is one of the oldest markets in Johannesburg. Many sources describe it as 'the Place of Healers' (Ezinyangeni). People from across Gauteng flock there in search of cures for a myriad of ailments. The market is located to the east of the city on the corner of Anderson and Berea Streets and has been through many periods of neglect and revitalisation. There appears to be a relatively settled community and thriving trade for those lucky enough to run a business at Mai Mai.
The article below tells the intriguing story of the foundation stone of the planned but never built Centenary Memorial Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg. The piece was compiled by HSB Humphreys and appeared in the December 1975 edition of Restorica. It would be very interesting to find out where the foundation stone is today. Did it find a suitable home? Has it remained in storage? Has it disappeared?
Five Jeppe men were prominent in the early history of the Transvaal and the Witwatersrand Gold fields. Three were brothers, two were the sons of the youngest brother. Two played significant roles in state administration, two were entrepreneur-businessmen and one was a jurist. But by enunciating these men’s foundation careers, is to tell only part of the story, for they all pursued a myriad of interests, involvements and occupations. All appeared assuredly capable of operating in a broad professional and public arenas.
In the article below Lesley T Townsend takes a brief look at the history and architectural style of the Bo-Kaap as well as the major restoration project that took place in the early 1970s. The article appeared in the 1975 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation, today the Heritage Association of South Africa (HASA). Thank you to the University of Pretoria for giving us permission to publish.
Early Johannesburg Its buildings and its People, Hannes Meiring, with text by G-M van der Waal and Wilhelm Grutter, Human & Rousseau, 1986. 143 pages. This book has the feel of a album and was published in the Johannesburg centenary year. I think it was one of the most appealing of centenary publications. The inimitable Meiring style comes through in his light touch but detailed sketches of Johannesburg buildings. The project started as drawings in a series, "Ou Johannesburg ", for Die Beeld.
Hannes Meiring: My Country in Line and Colour - An Unconventional Look at South African Architecture. Fernwood Press, 2004. Meiring was a fine architect who died in 2010. He was a sensitive conservation and heritage professional. Published some 11 years ago this finely produced volume is a compilation of many of Meiring's architectural sketches and water colours .
Parktown centenary Souvenir, 1892- 1992, The past with a future. Published by the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust, Editorial board: Den Adams, Flo Bird, Leigh Jackson and Carmen Welz. This souvenir booklet in A4 format celebrated the centenary of Parktown in 1992, it has the feel of a home made newsletter with a strong promotional bias , it mixes snippets of history about institutions and people with advertisements by local sponsors . 1992 is now ancient history.
