Joburg snapshot: The most important news stories – January 2025

16 Jan 2025

Herman Wald's 'Impala Stampede' sculpture in Main Street captures the spirit of Joburg's changemakers. Photo: Bridget Hilton-Barber.

Inside JAG, Joburg's landmark gallery. It's been nominated as a G20 Summit host venue for 2025. Photo: Goodman Gallery.

Holders of a visitor's pass can now access Indwe Park, Braamfontein's secret green spot. Photo: Supplied.

Like any place, Joburg has the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's a complex city, and we see it all. But we're inclined to trend toward the good. There's lots of it. What you'll find below is a highlights reel of initiatives and developing stories that are worth getting excited about in January 2025. A few of these topics warrant a deep dive, and we intend to go there as the year unfolds. For now, here are some fruitful community efforts, bids to keep an eye on, and reopenings of beloved institutions to keep you cheerful as you move into 2025.

To be the first to find out about all the good stuff, sign up to our community WhatsApp group, City VIP.

Gunning for the Joburg Grand Prix

Sandton's Katherine Street was transformed into a motorsport arena in October 2024, where Briton David Coulthard put the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB7 through its paces. Photo: Craig Kolesky.

Petrolheads rejoice! We first got wind of a potential announcement at the Red Bull Showrun in Sandton in October 2024, where the question on everybody's lips was, "Is Formula One coming to South Africa?" Racing legend David Coulthard would neither confirm nor deny, but certainly dropped a few hints, while a new rendition of our national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika fanned the flames. (Check out the video here if you missed it, it's a riot.)

Now, South African F1 fans have a friend in Sport, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, who has formed a Bid Steering Committee to put Joburg in the running to host a Grand Prix race at the recently renovated Kyalami circuit. Pending a successful application, this would be the first F1 world championship race hosted in the country since 1993. The Mother City is also being considered as a racing venue, with plans to set up a street circuit around Cape Town Stadium. Winning bids are expected to be announced in February – watch this space.

Joburg welcomes the 2025 G20 Summit

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hands the baton to President Cyril Ramaphosa as South Africa takes on the G20 presidency for 2025. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert.

While the fate of the Grand Prix in Joburg hangs in the balance, we do know this for certain: the G20 Summit is being hosted in Johannesburg in November. And it's a big deal. Looking to the example of Brazil as the 2024 host country, holding the G20 presidency (Dec 1, 2024 – Nov 30, 2025) puts South Africa in the global spotlight – with eyes trained on our city most of all.

Founded in 1999 as a crisis management forum, G20 members comprise 19 countries across the world's major economies, representing 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world's population. The present agenda includes trade, the climate crisis, health, agriculture, energy, environment, and anticorruption, with a particular focus on this year's themes of solidarity, equality, and sustainability. Visit g20.org to find out more.

Equipped with a Memorandum of Understanding concluded with the Gauteng Provincial Government and the City of Joburg, not-for-profit outfit Jozi My Jozi is a key partner in the lead-up to this prestigious gathering. If leveraged correctly, this is a chance to drive meaningful change for the city and its residents. Jozi My Jozi director and co-founder of restaurant chain Nando's, Robbie Brozin, sees the summit as a transformative event for Joburg and South Africa, saying, "The G20 Summit in 2025 is more than a global event; it is a stepping stone towards a brighter future for Johannesburg."

In the weeks to come, we'll be exploring the G20 in depth to unpack what it means for Joburg.

City champions Jozi My Jozi make a dream come true in Berea

Berea's Donald MacKay Park gets a new lease of life with help from Jozi My Jozi and partners. Photo: Jozi My Jozi.

In March 2024 they got the Nelson Mandela Bridge all lit up again (see the photos here) and, as a swan song to 2024, Jozi My Jozi and partners were instrumental in revitalising the historic Donald MacKay Park in Harrow Road, Berea. A community food garden is central to the transformation, which also includes the planting of indigenous trees, the painting of colourful murals, a major upgrade to the park's sports facilities, and a revamped playground area.

This sets a welcome tone for the movement's future projects, all geared towards their vision for a safer, cleaner, and more vibrant Johannesburg – particularly in urban areas. Intending to maximise the impact of the G20 on the city for good, Jozi My Jozi director and IQbusiness CEO Adam Craker says, "Projects such as the ‘Gateways Project’, which aims to secure, clean up, and beautify the 12 key entry points into the City Centre, send a powerful message about South Africa's readiness to embrace change. With thousands of international delegates expected to attend the G20 Summit, first impressions will matter immensely. Jozi My Jozi's efforts to enhance public spaces will improve safety and security, while creating an inviting atmosphere for visitors. Initiatives such as cleaning campaigns, landscaping projects, and art installations will help shift perceptions of Johannesburg from a city burdened by challenges to one brimming with potential and creativity."

Follow @JoziMyJozi on Instagram to stay in the loop.

Hope for Joburg's landmark gallery – JAG

A historic photo of the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Photo: Lutyens Trust via **The Heritage Portal**.

The dismal state of the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), once a source of pride for the city, has been the subject of much talk and many think pieces in recent months. A statement issued in November 2024 highlights three major areas of concern, discussed between members of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF), Friends of the Johannesburg Art Gallery (FOJ), and the City of Joburg. In broad strokes: JAG's multimillion-rand art collection is at risk of environmental damage; the building needs urgent, extensive repairs and restoration; and the governance structure of the gallery must be resolved and responsibility duly taken. Read the release in full here.

Taking a cue from the way the 2024 G20 Summit held at Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Modern Art was a catalyst for transforming the city's cultural and economic landscape, a petition is circling to create a similar opportunity for Joburg. It proposes JAG as the host venue for the 2025 G20 Summit. If effective, the concerns highlighted by the JHF and FOJ will need to be addressed. Our hope is that JAG is restored to its former glory. Sign the petition here.

Visit Braamfontein's secret art-filled park – Indwe Park

Liberty's Indwe Park is a magical green space in Braamfontein. Photo: Supplied.

A concrete parking lot transformed into an urban oasis by architect Edmund Batley and team, replete with art installations, an earthing mound, medicinal plant gardens, natural pools, and a reflexology walkway, Indwe Park is a fabulous spot for a walk and a picnic in the heart of the city. You'll find this four-hectare landscaped garden, named after South Africa's national bird, the blue crane, directly opposite Wits University in the precinct of Liberty's Braamfontein headquarters.

The project drew attention in 2022 and fell back into relative obscurity as the park did not open to the general public until January 2025. Having experienced this magical space a few times over the years, we were thrilled when James Delaney – one of the artists whose sculptures you'll see dotted around the gardens – announced the news.

While public access is still being trialled, we've obtained a special visitor's pass to Indwe Park for Johannesburg In Your Pocket subscribers to show to security on arrival. Email us at johannesburg@inyourpocket.com and we'll send it to you. It's a privilege to be able to explore this space. House rules: respect the environment by leaving it as you found it; there are no dustbins on site, so anything you carry in must be taken back out with you. And for those wondering, it's dog-friendly!

Indwe Park is open seven days a week and there is safe parking on site. Go up the ramp as if you're heading to Liberty's head office at 2 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein.

Sites, stars, and bars

COMEBACK CAVES

The Sterkfontein Caves are at least 20 million years old. Photo: Johannesburg In Your Pocket.

After a long hiatus, a little birdie has it that the Sterkfontein Caves at the Cradle of Humankind are reopening in 2025. We'll share updates as soon as more is known. Suffice to say, you'll once again be able to encounter the cave system where the remains of Little Foot and Mrs Ples were found when visiting the Maropeng Museum.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

The concrete and copper-domed planetarium (that first opened in 1960) has been transformed into the state-of-the art Wits Anglo American Digital Dome. Photo: Elsa Young.

After impressive architectural and technological upgrades, Joburg's beloved planetarium – now called the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome – is set to open its doors to the public from February 2025. We'll be first in line. Read more about the transformation here.

STARS ON STAGE
The indie theatre you know and love, POPArt has a new home at 59 Dorset Road, Parkwood, that heralds a wonderful vision. This era sees the creation of a dedicated community arts centre that will focus on developing new work and skills. There are also performing arts classes, workshops, and other programmes. Of course, there'll be a theatre space too. Follow @popartjhb on Instagram to stay in the loop.

BARBICAN BEGINS AGAIN

Looking up at the Barbican, a beautifully preserved Art Deco building in Johannesburg. Photo: Bridge Books.

Since the building changed ownership, Bridge Books has made the ground floor of the Barbican its new HQ, and there's more on the cards for this City Centre landmark. According to the JHF in their write-up for a tour of the Barbican and its neighbours (sold out, but follow @johannesburg_heritage on Instagram for future dates), "When completed in 1929, the Barbican was, for a brief moment, the tallest building in South Africa. At the time, Johannesburg was known as 'New York on the Highveld' and visitors flocked to the city to marvel at the miracle of modernisation. And the staggering 11-storey skyscraper on the corner of Risk and President streets was the poster child for progress; the epitome of all things glitzy, glamorous and American!" Renovations are under way to reimagine the space; we'll be keeping an eye on this.

CHEERS TO KITCHENER'S

One of the city's oldest bars, Kitchener's, is still going strong. Photo: Supplied.

Dubbed "the sexiest bar in Joburg since 1906", it was a sad day indeed when Kitchener's closed up shop – a space that has been the backdrop for so many storied nights out in the city. Luckily, the goodbye wasn't total. Play Braam stepped in as the bar's new custodian, and Kitchener's is once again open and on the scene. Pizza is a new addition to the menu, and the space has a new look, but fret not: they're still serving drinks, live music, and comedy sets.

RAISING THE DRAGON

The resurrected dragon pillar is unveiled at Joburg's first Chinatown. Photo: Eric Itzkin via The Heritage Portal.

In 2020, one of the granite dragon pillars standing sentinel at the entrance to Joburg's first Chinatown in Commissioner Street was knocked down by a "runaway Rea Vaya bus" (quoting The Heritage Portal). The pillar was damaged and the head of the dragon was knocked clean off, but it thankfully remained in one piece and was set aside. Still, the question of restoration remained. Importing a replacement would've proved too costly, so the decision was made to reassemble two fallen granite pieces, reconstruct, restore, and re-erect the dragon pillar on site. The City of Joburg and the Johannesburg Development Agency commissioned a team to do the work in August and September of 2024, and the reborn dragon once again occupies its rightful place. It's particularly fitting as the Chinese New Year approaches – celebrations are loading for Sat, Feb 1 and Sun, Feb 2 in Alberton and the Nan Hua Buddhist Temple, respectively. Stay tuned for the details.