Page 316 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

314  GA UTENG , LIMPOPO AND MPUM ALANGA

1 Johannesburg art galleries, cafés, restaurants and
shops. Each Saturday morning,
The densely populated city of Johannesburg is the country’s traders gather on Mary Fitzgerald
financial and commercial heartland. The city has many names, Square outside to sell curios.
and most of them, including Egoli and Gauteng, mean “place Opposite the Market Theatre,
of gold”. Indeed, gold and glamour are close companions in the Africana Museum (1935)
was relaunched in 1994 as
this place, which grew from a primitive mining camp to a Museum Africa. The theme
metropolis in little over a century. The city pulsates with is Johannesburg and its people
entrepreneurial energy while, at the same time, retaining the at various stages of socio-
spirit of a frontier town. It lies at an altitude of 1,763 m political transformation.
(5,784 ft) above sea level, but at the Western Deep gold West of the theatre on Jeppe
Street, the Orien tal Plaza bazaar
mine, the shafts reach an astonishing 3,777 m (12,388 ft) is permeated by the aroma of
below ground. Eastern spices. Here, some 360
shops and stalls sell everything
from carpets to clothing. Many
traders are descendants of the
Indians who came here in the
19th century after their contracts
on the sugar plantations expired.
E Museum Africa
121 Bree St, Newtown. Tel 011 833
5624. Open 8am–5pm daily.
& 7 =
= Oriental Plaza
Bree and Margaret Mcingana sts,
Fordsburg. Tel 011 838 6752.
Open 8:30am–5pm Mon–Fri, 8:30am–
3pm Sat. Closed noon–2pm Fri. 0
= ∑ orientalplaza.co.za
Traditional arts and crafts are sold at many markets in Johannesburg
E SAB World of Beer
Exploring Johannesburg F Market Theatre Complex 15 Helen Joseph St (entrance in
Johannesburg’s attractions are Crn Bree and Miriam Makeba. Gerard Sekoto St), Newtown. Tel 011
widely spread so it is advisable Tel 011 832 1641. 0 - 7 836 4900. Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sat,
to hire a car or make use of the ∑ markettheatre.co.za 10am–5pm Sun & Mon. & 0 =
Gautrain or bus services such as The Market Theatre Complex is ∑ worldofbeer.co.za
Rea Vaya or the hop-on-hop-off the centre of the Newtown South African Breweries (SAB),
City Sight-seeing bus, or to take Cultural Precinct, which includes established in 1895, is the
one of the many half-day tours the Market Theatre, SAB World of largest brewer by volume in the
on offer. While most of the sights Beer, the Workers’ Museum and world. In this modern museum
in the city centre can be Library and Museum Africa. A there is an entertaining display of
explored on foot, this is a busy great effort has been made to the company’s long history. Other
place and caution is required. make this a safe place to visit. exhibits focus on the develop-
Originally an Indian fruit ment of brewing in ancient
City Centre market, the
P Origins Centre complex now
Yale Rd, Braamfontein. Tel 011 717 houses three
4700. Open 10am–5pm daily. theatres, two
Closed public hols. & - 0 =
∑ origins.org.za
Part of the University of the
Witwatersrand (Wits), this centre
traces the origins of man from
the Stone Age, and houses the
country’s most important Khoi
and San rock art. A technical
exhibit focuses on how genetic
testing contributes to under-
standing our ancestry. Also here
is the Wits Art Museum, with
displays of traditional African art. Museum Africa, part of the Market Theatre Complex in Newtown
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp389–90 and pp408–10

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