Industria

Which of our city’s architectural treasures don’t receive the credit they deserve? During lockdown we explored Joburg’s most underrated historic buildings on our Instagram and Facebook pages, and we’re happy to share them here too! 

Our first nomination is the Lion Match Factory in Industria. Designed in 1936 by Richard Day, the monumental Lion Match Factory is an Art Deco palace of industry. The facade is delineated by a series of simplified columns, decorated with three matches on their capitals. The columns are framed by a cornice of crisp parallel lines that emphasise the building’s horizontality. The architect clearly defines three entrances - two on either end in monumental projecting wings, and the main entrance framed by elegant Art Deco waterfalls and topped with a clock and flagpoles.

Lion Match Factory, Industria (Johannesburg Heritage Foundation)

Our second nomination for Joburg’s most underrated historic buildings is House Hains in Yeoville. Almost everyone knows Dolobran in Parktown, the most whimsical and romantic of Parktown’s mansions. Its architect, Cope-Christie, designed precious few buildings in Johannesburg, but...

A prestigious blue plaque was recently unveiled on the old offices and printing works of Bantu World, the first national publication aimed solely at a black readership. Below are a few details on the history and significance of the site compiled by Tsica Heritage Consultants for the City of Joburg.

History

11 Newclare Road was the printing works and offices of the Bantu Press PTY Ltd. Although white owned, Bantu World served as pre-cursor to Drum magazine and The Sowetan. Unlike previous black newspapers it had a national footprint with circulation figures that put the older independent newspapers to shame.

Bertram F.G. Paver founded the press in April 1932. While working in advertising, Paver had the idea of taking over most of the existing black newspapers and coordinating advertising – a project clearly aimed at penetrating the emerging urban black consumer market. Soon after however, the press had essentially acquired many independent publications such as Imvo, Ilongo, Ikwezi le Afrika and Mochochonono (Couzens, 1976)

From the outset, influential figures from the publishing industry were involved as highlighted by P Mbonambi (see source 4 below):

Such a literary bent attracted many aspirant writers, mostly freelancers, and editors who later became luminaries in politics, journalism and literature, people such as T.D. Mweli Skota, P.D. Segale, Obed S. Mooki, S.E. Krune Mqhayi (a foremost Xhosa literary figure), Henry D. Tyamzashe (former editor of Workers’ Herald), B.W. Vilakazi (an eminent Zulu scholar), A.C. Jordan, Jordan Ngubane (future editor of Inkundla ya Bantu), R.R.R. and...