CBD Revival

In a move that combines historical significance with urban renewal, the Office of the Mayor of Johannesburg has committed to using the old Pass Office at 80 Albert Street as its new administrative headquarters.

The building has a complex history that encapsulates Johannesburg's most painful periods of racial oppression and discrimination. During the 1950s and 60s, this was the head office of the Johannesburg Non-European Affairs Department. Officials in the department had the job of implementing the policy of separate development. They wielded bureaucratic power over virtually every aspect of Black peoples' lives - from employment and housing to sport and entertainment. The most well known function of the department was managing the notorious pass system in the city.

Blue plaque (The Heritage Portal)

The building's recent history is equally tragic. In a devastating incident that made headlines around the world in 2023, 77 people lost their lives in a fire, highlighting critical urban challenges. This catastrophe exposed systemic failures: buildings being illegally occupied, administrative neglect, and a lack of accountability from city officials. It also highlighted an ongoing trend in Johannesburg’s history - rapid urbanisation placing demands on a city council with limited resources and capacity.

The decision to move the Mayor’s Office to this heritage building is a powerful gesture to...

The article below forms part of Mike Alfred's series on Joburg personalities from the first decade of the 21st century. Click here to view Kathy Munro's fantastic introduction and here to view the series index. The stories were written in 2005/6.

On a Saturday afternoon, after a morning spent in a similar manner, a man wearing black trousers, a black T shirt and cap, all offsetting his white hair and beard, is showing a group of tour guides around Newtown and Joburg centre city. He walks energetically and purposefully, one might even describe him as bulldoggish in the way he moves, and he recites the facts supporting the city’s revitalization. For three hours he demonstrates the renewal of Joburg. The visitors are stunned. Their pencils are never still; their cameras click away. They crane their necks, viewing this transformed city. What he doesn’t tell them is that were it not for him and some far sighted and dedicated colleagues and associates, our city, the repository of living memories, of history, of wonderful architecture, would be well nigh moribund and lost in irreversible decay. After the tour, Neil Fraser downs a quick beer and rushes off to another engagement.

Neil Fraser

I talk to Fraser, born in 1939, Executive Director of the Central Johannesburg Partnership, in his office situated in a magnificent reclaimed building in...

Important editor's note: The initiatives mentioned in this article are only proposals. A thorough consultation phase with a spectrum of stakeholders still needs to take place before any plans are approved. The article was unpublished on 13 December 2017 following a request from the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership (JICP). On 24 December 2017 it was republished after the release of a similar article on BusinessTech.

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership’s (JICP) forum connecting the Mayor and his team to various stakeholders in the private sector. One of the talks that got me excited was ABSA's presentation of its bold plans for its precinct and surrounding area in the east of the city. If this vision can be realised the impact on the city could be huge!

Transforming the ABSA Tower

Arguably the most eye-catching part of the project will be the cladding of the ABSA Tower. Enthusiasts on the ground have known about this for a while and can't wait to see the results. The new facade is part of a much larger plan to convert the building to mixed use. Modern offices, a potent retail offering and a mix of residential units will be introduced to serve the growing community.

ABSA Tower (The Heritage Portal)

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For many years, the heritage community in Johannesburg has been searching for a way to let property owners know up front whether they need to follow heritage processes before carrying out work. This Heritage Month, I am happy to announce that such a tool has arrived with the launch of The Heritage Register (click here to view).

Very few Joburg citizens are aware that they need a permit from the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng (PHRAG) before they can alter or demolish any part of a property that is within a heritage area, is a declared (or provisionally declared) heritage site or is older than sixty years. With the new system, users can see which 'flags' apply and what processes they need to follow. Not only does this improve decision making and reduce the risk of breaking the law but it helps to preserve significant spaces and places across the city.

A screenshot of the 'flags' that appear on Heritage Register site listings. Users click on the label for guidance on what processes apply.

The Heritage Register provides users with various options to find the property they are looking for including a map search and a google search. Users must, however, be aware that only a few suburbs have been covered so if a property doesn't appear on the system, it doesn't necessarily mean that no flags apply (users will need to conduct their own research or hire a professional to assist when this happens).

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The news that the Ornico Group has moved its headquarters from a prime Sandton address to the Joburg CBD is making waves in heritage and property circles. Over the past year, the company has been refurbishing the historic Natal Bank Building and in recent weeks over 100 employees have moved in. This is a major psychological boost for the ongoing revival of the historic heart of Johannesburg.

The Natal Bank Building from above (source unknown). The building is located opposite City Hall and across from Beyers Naude Square.

The Natal Bank Building was planned in the late 1890s but was only completed in 1903 due to the destabilisation caused by the South African War. For almost six decades it was used as a bank building before finding a variety of new uses. According to a survey commissioned by the City of Johannesburg, it was used by a theatrical group for a couple of years in the sixties before becoming home to the Intelligence Department and Foreign Branch. One can only imagine the secretive network that was controlled from the building.

The Main...

Over the last few months, Mayor Herman Mashaba has been communicating his vision for accelerating the rejuvenation of Johannesburg's inner city. He has met with business people and property developers and challenged them to turn the CBD into a construction site. He has committed to tackle corruption and improve the enforcement of the city's by-laws. He has said all the right things about harnessing heritage sites and reusing old buildings. As a result inner city enthusiasts (and I'm sure many residents and workers as well) are feeling a new wave of optimism. It is going to be fascinating to watch the changes that occur in the coming years as the new administration tackles huge challenges in a complex environment. 

Many of the projects featured in this piece were already in motion before the new administration took office. I hope to see a solid acceleration of activity (sensitively approached of course) in the coming years. (Note: As many structures in the inner city have cultural significance and/or are older than sixty years the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng (PHRAG) will need to increase its capacity. If not there may be a bottleneck of applications or more worryingly the PHRAG may be bypassed. This will be one to watch). 

Below are a number of projects I have spotted on recent walks around parts of the inner city. As the title of the article suggests this is not a full round up of activity. I have also included some updates where construction has yet to begin and highlighted projects and...

[Originally published in June 2015]. By the end of the first quarter of 2016 work on the landmark Stuttafords Building on the corner of Rissik and Pritchard Streets in central Johannesburg should be complete. The building is being transformed from abandoned retail space into upmarket residential units (approximately 120). We are ecstatic that this project is underway after a series of false dawns in the last few years.

On Thursday we were lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the building by Renney Plit, Director: Operations at Afhco. Below are a few notes and photographs from our visit.

We arrived on site just after ten on a very crisp winter morning. It was fantastic to see scaffolding erected for the restoration of the façade and workers buzzing around the site.

Scaffolding in place for restoration of the facade (The Heritage Portal)

A flurry of activity on site (The Heritage Portal)

Workmen begin their day (The Heritage...

Pritchard Street is one of Johannesburg’s iconic streets. For many decades, the most prestigious shops in the city craved a Pritchard Street address and shoppers came from all over South Africa to marvel at the latest goods and fashions from around the world. By the 1970s, the rise of suburban malls saw a major shift in shopping patterns with upmarket customers abandoning the historic retail district. This shift in buying behaviour led to the closure of landmark department stores such as John Orrs and Stuttafords.

Pritchard Street adapted to changing customer needs but few could argue that by the 1980s the era of glitz and glamour was well over. With the general decline of the CBD in the late 1990s and early 2000s many buildings on the street fell into disrepair while others operated well below their potential. In recent years, however, a revival has been underway and if you walk along Pritchard Street today it is hard not to get excited about all the activity!

On the corner of Pritchard and Rissik Streets, Afhco has completed a residential conversion of the Stuttafords Building. Over 100 units have been created many with magnificent views over the city.

Stuttafords - restored in 2015-16 (The Heritage Portal)

Next door to Stuttafords as you move eastwards is the Game Building painted in the colours of the South African flag. While...

[Originally published in September 2015] Last week Jacques Stoltz reported that the massive Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct (Kopanong Precinct) may finally be moving ahead. The project involves the 'rehabilitation, development and management' of twenty-one buildings in the historic heart of Johannesburg at a projected cost of R5 billion. This is certainly exciting news but what is more exciting for us is that this is just one (by far the biggest of course) of many projects transforming the CBD. A quick survey of projects could easily lead an observer to conclude that a new chapter in the history of the Inner City is upon us!

Scale Model of part of the Kopanong Precinct (Jacques Stoltz)

In 2014 the Atterbury Group completed the R1.2 billion award winning Newtown Junction. The project is truly massive and brings much needed amenities to residents and visitors of the Inner City. For many years we heard Newtown residents complain that they had to travel outside the city (or a long way within it) to do their shopping. Newtown Junction fills a massive need in this regard and also adds solid entertainment facilities. The huge number of parking bays will certainly help draw more visitors to the precinct as well. Nedbank will be the anchor tenant for the office component of...

After many years of depressing headlines there is finally some good news for the Germiston Carnegie Library. The following fascinating piece has been compiled by Nicholas Clarke, the heritage consultant on the project.

Many a distressed post dating over the past two years can be found regarding the disastrous state of preservation of the old Carnegie Library in Germiston as well as the lack of care for the Commonwealth Memorial (also known as the Cenotaph) to the Great War (World War I) on Market Square. Both stand, seemingly abandoned, awaiting new use. The site was fenced of by Ekurhuleni Metro to ensure that the site not be further vandalised.

The abandoned Carnegie Library (Nicholas Clarke)

The good news is that plans are afoot to restore the Cenotaph and transform the ruins of the Carnegie Library into a new Civic Theatre. Plans have been in the pipeline for some years and many people in Germiston are aware of indications that the project would have been completed by June 2012. As with most things in life complications emerged during the process, not only in terms of the administration of the project, but also in terms of physical restraints such as soil conditions. 

Site works are planned to start! The stabilisation of the extant walls the first priority. To...