Joburg Firsts

In the article below, journalist Lucille Davie uncovers some wonderful Joburg history. Read on for some of the city's fascinating 'firsts'.  The piece was first published on 24 November 2003. Click here to view more of Davie's work.

Johannesburg is a modern city in every sense – tall skyscrapers, a complex network of freeways, a bustling metropolis of industry and commerce, and a hub to which people are drawn.

Joburg Skyline (The Heritage Portal)

It was declared a city in 1928 but life for Johannesburg began on 20 September 1886, when President Paul Kruger declared the area open for public digging, under the leadership of Carl von Brandis. The city grew quickly, from a tent town to wood and iron shacks, to brick buildings, within a decade or two.

Von Brandis Statue (The Heritage Portal)

The city kept pace with Paris and London in new developments towards the end of the 19th century – electric lighting, motor cars, telephones . . . Historian and former chief librarian of the city, Anna Smith, in Johannesburg Firsts, has painstakingly...

The secret of a successful visit to Museum Africa is to concentrate on one exhibition, so giving oneself reason to return for another visit. A recent question on the Breakfast Quiz of Classic FM about the first Traffic Light installed in Johannesburg, triggered just such a focused visit to Newtown, as I set out to explore an evergreen permanent exhibition on Johannesburg Firsts.  

It's a tucked away, almost hidden gem and l was delighted to meet Diana Wall, the Museum Africa curator who switched on the lights and gave me a free run of the space. Here you will encounter photographs, clear texts and a selection of artifacts pinpointing Johannesburg's "firsts".  The history of the city from early gold mining days to fairly recent changes in city structures falls into place. It's taken imagination and extensive research to compile the long lists of firsts, from first mining exploration to first skyscrapers, from first park to first dog show, first school to first university. Photographs of people, places, maps, buildings, dramatic events (such as the first explosion... the Braamfontein dynamite disaster) capture the evolution of the town from mining camp, to thriving metropolis. The sense of drama and pioneering endeavours, the hardship of early days come to life. 

Braamfontein Dynamite Explosion - A Johannesburg Album (Oscar Norwich)

In 1976 Anna Smith, City Librarian compiled a book (now difficult...