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 Union Buildings GENERAL INFORMATIONSouth Africa’s financial and industrial heartland and the most densely populated province.
Gauteng generates some 37% of the GDP, has 70% of the labour force and performs 60% of the country’s research and development. Johannesburg is the provincial capital and main point of entry to the country. Pretoria the administrative capital of the nation. Soweto is the country’s largest black city. Most of the major corporate headquarters are located in Gauteng.
Unemployment 25,6 %
The only province with fewer women (49%) than men (51%). Main reason for this is the preponderance of African men.
The majority of the population in Gauteng is African (70%), Whites (23%), Coloured (4%) and Indian/Asian (2%)
LANGUAGE:
IsiZulu is the most widely spoken language (21%). Afrikaans is the second most spoken (17%). Around 13% speak English and a further 13% Sotho.
English has become the language of commerce and business.
Other language spoken, Sepedi, Setswana and isiXhosa.  Johannesburg - Economic Hub of SA ART & CULTURE The culture of the people is often reflected in their dress, their music, art and dance.
The Johannesburg theatre scene is lively and innovative while the Sate Theatre in Pretoria regularly stages classical ballet and opera.
The National Symphony Orchestra performs at a variety of venues.
Gauteng’s multi-cultural population has produced a wide range of traditional foods found nowhere else in the world, such as African “phutu” (porridge) to Afrikaner “potjiekos” (stew).
Any type of cuisine is available in Gauteng’s many restaurants, eg Italian, Greek, French, Chinese.
If you are not inclined to the classics, there are dozens of cafes and nightclubs offering everything from blues and cool jazz to rock pop and kwaito.
There is culture to be found in Gauteng’s many museums and theatres. Museum Africa for earliest ancestors - The Market Theatre Complex for the sounds of late night jazz, Mandela Museum, Military History Museum.  Voortrekker Monument Ox Wagons FAUNA & FLORA The Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens is situated against a backdrop of the breathtaking Witpoortjie Waterfall. Indigenous gardens and a nature reserve along the Roodekrans Ridge. Various theme gardens with cycads succulents and beautiful wild flowers from the region are to be seen. Over 230 species of birds have been recorded. The Lion Park to the north of Johannesburg City and the Rhino and Lion Park boasts a variety of antelope, lions and other wildlife. Krugersdorp Game Reserve to the west of Johannesburg has a splendid diversity of game, birds, trees and grasses. The Johannesburg and Pretoria Zoo’s ranked amongst the best in the world.  Hector Memorial SHOPPING
Gauteng offer the best shopping experience in Southern Africa. Offers good value for money and excellent service. A Few major markets: - The Market Square Precinct – a weekend market with African diversity and imagery in an art filled environment. Hand-made items, clothing and traditional art.
- The Mount Michael Organic Market in Bryanston – crafts made from natural products along with tempting range of organically grown foods.
- The Oriental Bazaar in Fordsburg is a bargain hunter’s paradise.
- The African Craft Market in Rosebank – extensive range of crafts from all over the continent.
- Gold and diamond jewellery stores available in all the shopping centers. Downtown Johannesburg has diamonds on sale directly from the cutters.
 Bruma Market
Johannesburg
Johannesburg was born out of the discovery of gold. Johannesburg was founded in 1886 and named after a surveyor Johan Rissik who was sent to select a site for the village and Johannes Joubert the mining commissioner.
This once dusty mining town has emerged to become a modern city, thriving with commercial, financial, industrial and trading opportunities. It is a city filled with excitement and contrasts through the unique cultural and social history of the people. Museums, cultural precincts, performing arts, theme parks, shopping and entertainment centres, craft markets, wildlife reservations and casinos all combine to create a unique experience for the visitor.
Johannesburg is the gateway to Africa – offering direct connections to the country’s major tourist attractions.
Includes:
Gold Reef City Theme Park and Casino, the Randburg Waterfront, Oriental Plaza, the Newtown cultural Precinct, Museum Africa, Santarama Miniland, Mellville Koppies (archaeological site), Botanical Gardens and the Montecasino Resort.
Johannesburg is literally a man-made forest with more than 6 million planted trees, of which 4,8 million is in private gardens. On a satellite photo, Johannesburg looks like a rain forest.  Johannesburg City NEWTOWN CULTURAL PRECINCT
Many of the cases Ghandi fought were for the Asian residents of this part of Johannesburg. The famous Market Theatre complex was actually termed the “Indian market” being the main fresh produce market for the burgeoning city.
The municipality constructed blocks of dormitories or hostels that houses workers in overcrowded poorly ventilated conditions.
Look out for the Victoria Market Theater building, which also houses the city’s principal socio-historic museum, MuseumAfrica (good display on Ghandi), the hostel complexes and punishment cell, the Workers Library set up to give mineworkers in particular access to research Library facilities.
The Precinct includes the French Cultural Institute, the Foundation for Creative Arts, the Newtown Art Gallery, and the Yard of Ale, a great stopover for refreshments, and Gramadoelas Restaurant, which offers genuine South African cuisine.
GHANDI SQUARE
Downtown Johannesburg – Ghandi lived in South Africa for many years and in fact during this time, developed the philosophy of “passive resistance” or sayagraha. Ghandi qualified as a lawyer in India, was retained by some Indian merchants in Durban to manage a case for them. This led to the young man experiencing first-hand the already severe racial discrimination in operation even prior to the outbreak of the South African War in 1899. During his years in South Africa he fought many cases for clients who has lost their land to the ever-tightening grip of racially based laws.
You will see: A newly renovated city square, which commemorates the life of this remarkable man and the fact that his law office was just across the road from the square.  Enviroment Friendly Tree - Cell Phone Mast Soweto – the name is an acronym for South Western Township.
A vista of tightly packed houses, shanties and up-market residences spreads across 130 square kilometers and is home to more than four million people.
A sprawling metropolis is one of the most famous settlements in South Africa where the history of South Africa was written on the streets, in the schools and the shebeens. This diverse and patriotic community led the war for justice and freedom during the late 1970’s. Today Soweto is a living monument of the history of political struggle along with the hopes and aspirations of a dynamic and multi-cultural community facing the challenges of transformation.
At the largest taxi rank in the Southern Hemisphere it is buzzing with taxi’s and a hive of activity as people scrape a living together. Vegetables, medicinal plants and plant extracts as well as a range of consumer goods are sold from makeshift stalls erected out of whatever building material vendors can lay their hands on – old tables, crates and plastic, held together by wires.
It is a far cry from the apartheid era when such free trade was prohibited, both in selling wares and operating minibus taxis.
Some of the meanings to display different finger signs on the roadside to flag down minibus taxis:
Two fingers crossed means you’re going to the crossroads.
A curved finger in the shape of an “O” means to Orlando
Three fingers out means “Dobson Ville”
The Baragwanath hospital in Soweto is one of Africa’s largest hospital.
Soweto also has different suburbs. The middle-class areas are matchbox-size houses with an outside toilet and a collection of shacks in the garden, usually hired out to tenants.
Zone Four Extension in Diepkloof is for the professionals, millionaires and the mafia. Houses are comparable with those of the middle-class suburbs but with far fewer fences.
Squatter camps like Mandela Park consist of shanties covering a few square meters. Running water in the squatter camps is supply by the government and the Mandela Park has 2000 people with only five taps for water.
Affluent, middle-class and poverty stricken areas sit side by side in Soweto.
Vilikazi Street in Orlando west boasts the home of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, both Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, which makes this street unique in the world.  Lesedi Lesedi Cultural Village
Lesedi is a multi-cultural African village, set amongst the pristine Bushveld and rocky hills less than an hour’s drive north of Johannesburg. Situated at Lesedi are five traditional homesteads – the Zulus with their fighting sticks and cozy beehive huts.
The Xhosa with their perfectly thatched Rondawels and distinctive white blankets, the rhythmic drums and whistles of the Pedi Tribe and the conical straw hats and thick, coloured blankets of the Basotho Latest additions to the facilities are a shebeen and craft market with a quaint Spaza shop with the Ndbele. A superbly decorated restaurant where an exotic buffet serving ethnic dishes and a carvery may be enjoyed.
Sterfkontein Caves
The Sterkfontein Caves lies in the Sterkfontein Valley, now known to be the very cradle of humankind. This is endorsed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The caves are a mere 45 minute drive west of Johannesburg and are home to the world-renowned fossils of “Little Foot” and “Mr Ples” as well as other important paleo-antropological discoveries.
The fossil rich history dates back more than three million years. The first virtually complete cranium of an early, ape-like australopithecine creature (Mrs Ples) was found at the Caves in 1947 during excavations by Dr Robert Broom. In 1998 Wits University found another intact fossilized skeleton of an early ape-man “Little Foot”. The caves finds tell us a great deal about hominid posture and locomotion, as well as which skulls are associated with which bones.
During nearly half a century between these two big discoveries, more than 600 fossil bones or bone fragments came from Sterkfontein caves, making it one of the richest and most famous palaeo-antropolgical sites in the world.
In 2000 Wits announced the discovery of Eurydice and Orpheus, the largely complete skull of a female hominid and a mandible of a related ape-man. Thought to be between 1,5 and 2 million years old, they are the most complete scientifically described ape-man skull.
There are still stalagmites and stalactites to be seen, an underground lake with crystal clear water and there are still fossil sites to be seen.
Pretoria
Pretoria is the capital city of South Africa and the seat of government administration it is a modern city built on the wealth of the Cullinan Diamond mines. The Union Buildings, overlooking the city are a monument to bygone eras of colonial power, the apartheid years and the freedom struggle. It was on the steps of the Union Buildings that President Mandela addressed the nation at his inauguration.
The Voortrekker monument is a memorial built to honour the early pioneers with a series of maps that charts the most important migratory patterns of the history of Southern Africa. Church Square is in the center of the city with the Paul Kruger statue looking down on the passers by.
Pretoria – The Garden City of Gauteng.
Magnificent parks and zoological gardens, a canopy of Jacaranda blooms in spring and summer, friendly community, serene village atmosphere yet a bussing city center with excellent infrastructure.
Situated mid-point between Victoria Falls and Cape Town.
The greatest landmark is the Union Buildings designed by Sir Herbert Baker. Also the place where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected President.
Church Square, in the center of Pretoria, is worth a visit with its imposing statue of President Paul Kruger and surrounded by historical buildings such as the Mint, the Palace of Justice, the Old State Bank and the Raadsaal.
Other historical places:
Various Boer Republic House Museums
Paul Kruger House
The Transvaal Museum
Museum of science and technology.
Wonderboom (giant fig tree)
Voortrekker Monument
Sammy Marks Museums
Melrose House
The Pretoria Zoo – one of the best in the world.
Aquarium and Reptile Park, the largest inland salt-water aquarium in South Africa.
The Lippizaner center to the South, where famous white horses display their moves.
The Ndebele Village – displays the most wonderful colour designs.
The Hartebeespoort dam – recreational dam and residential area with watersport, mountain climbing, the De Wildt Cheetah rehabilitation center, elephant sanctuary (walk with the elephants), curio stalls at Welwitcha Market, flea markets, Reptile center, cable cars to the top of the Magaliesburg mountain range.
Cullinan Diamond Mine The small town of Cullinan was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan and was established together with the Premier Mine in 1902. Situated about 30 kilometers east of Pretoria, this is one of the richest diamond mines in the world, yielding an average of 2 million carats a year.
Three of the world’s most famous diamonds the Cullinan, the Centenary Diamond and the Premier Rose were mined at the Cullinan Mine.
MAGALIESBURG
The name used to describe the 12- km strip containing one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.
Beautiful area of coniferous forests, crisp streams and rolling hills. The area is locally known as Cashan, after the powerful chief of its ancient inhabitants, the Kwena Mmatau.
RANDBURG
Rapidly developing urban and commercial center north-west of Johannesburg. Boasts the Randburg Waterfront modeled on a marina, boasts fine restaurants and a unique shopping experience.
SANDTON
Prosperous business, commercial and residential district with its own sophisticated appeal. A cosmopolitan atmosphere permeates its international hotels, conference centers and shopping malls. Upmarket recreation facilities including theatres, restaurants, hotels, guesthouses and business centers combine to make Sandton a distinctive business and attractive leisure destination close to both Johannesburg and Tswane.
Sources: Huisgenoot – 29 May 2003. Huisgenoot – 29 May 2003. Gauteng Tourism Authority Information Booklet SA 2001-2002 – South African Tourism
Gauteng – by GEDA (Gauteng Economic Development Agency)
The World Factbook 2002 – South Africa – Internet CIA
The very Best of Johannesburg and surrounds – Duncan Guy
The Travel Companion – Gauteng Tourism Authority
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