Sandton

Last updated

Sandton
City
SandtonGP-skyline.jpg
Sandton skyline
South Africa Gauteng location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sandton
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sandton
Africa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sandton
Coordinates: 26°6.42′S28°3.1′E / 26.10700°S 28.0517°E / -26.10700; 28.0517
Country South Africa
Province Gauteng
Municipality City of Johannesburg
Established1906
Area
[1]
 • Total143.54 km2 (55.42 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [1]
 • Total222,415
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
 •  Black African 34.7%
 •  Coloured 2.5%
 •  Indian/Asian 11.1%
 •  White 49.8%
 • Other1.9%
First languages (2011)
[1]
 •  English 63.9%
 •  Afrikaans 7.4%
 •  Zulu 6.3%
 •  Northern Sotho 3.2%
 • Other19.2%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
2196
PO box
2146

Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sandown and Bryanston. [2]

Contents

History

Early settlers

The three original farms, Zandfontein, Driefontein and Rietfontein, and later two additional farms, Witkoppen and Cyferfontein, upon which Sandton was founded. Sandton Farms.jpg
The three original farms, Zandfontein, Driefontein and Rietfontein, and later two additional farms, Witkoppen and Cyferfontein, upon which Sandton was founded.

Archaeological findings suggest the area which Sandton comprises today, had originally been occupied by various indigenous groups, before European settlement, most notably the Tswana and, to a lesser extent, Sotho people. The remains of an Iron Age smelter was discovered in Lone Hill, a suburb of northern Sandton. One of the first Voortrekker parties to settle in the area were the Esterhuysen family on the farm Zandfontein (Afrikaans and Dutch for Sandy Spring or Sand Fountain). A monument to commemorate them may be found just off Adrienne Street in Sandown where the family cemetery is located. Zandfontein, Driefontein (Afrikaans and Dutch for Three Springs/Fountains) and Rietfontein (Afrikaans and Dutch for Reed Spring or Fountain of Reeds) encumbered what was to become Sandton. The municipal coat of arms of Sandton pays homage to the three farms with three round fountain barrels on its chevron. [3] In the late 19th-century the Wilhelmi family of Hannover, Germany acquired the farm Driefontein No. 3 while Rietfontein was owned by the Ehler family. The original Driefontein homestead, now within the confines of the Field & Study Centre, was looted during the Anglo-Boer War. The ruins are visible on the northern bank of the Klein Jukskei River. The Wilhemi family, upon return from Germany built the 'new' 1906 Driefontein Farmhouse on what is present-day Fifteenth Street, Parkmore cum Riverclub. The farmhouse served as the icon and headquarters for the now defunct Sandton Historical Foundation and is listed as a City of Johannesburg Owned Heritage Site.

1960s and 1970s

Sandton was established as a separate municipality in 1969 by the office of the Administrator of the Transvaal. It had formerly not formed part of Johannesburg but was managed, in part by its administrators and Pretoria through the North Eastern Peri-Urban Land administration. Initially, it was very much a residential area consisting mostly of small holdings with a rural equestrian lifestyle attracting many of the upper-middle classes and Johannesburg elites. The Rivonia Trial derives its name from the Liliesleaf Farm precinct situated in the Sandton suburb where many of the Black freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela were captured by the South African state and subsequently tried for treason. Rivonia had previously been known as Edenburg and was changed to make itself distinct from Edenburg, Free State. It was named for the surname Riven. Sandton and its constituencies were traditionally relatively more liberal than surrounds. For example, the motion which never materialised by residents in favour for the inclusion of Alexandra, Gauteng then a demarcated black township in terms of the Group Areas Act, into Sandton's jurisdiction proved troublesome for the National Party government which had a strong constituency in the adjacent town of Randburg.[ citation needed ]

1980s and 1990s

The construction of Sandton City by Rapp & Maister (which was eventually taken over by the Liberty Group which still retains 75% of the complex) marked a significant change for the Sandton area. It created rapid commercialisation and industrialisation. Sandton came to symbolise the White Flight movement of Johannesburg and secured itself as Johannesburg's second Central Business District. After the demise of Apartheid, by 1996, Sandton initially formed part of the interim Eastern Metropolitan Substructure, [4] and in 2000 came to be included, along with the former towns of Randburg and Roodepoort, as part of the newly demarcated City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality thus losing its separate municipal government and town status. Despite this, Sandton is still unofficially regarded as a distinct region of the city and operates as a macro-suburb.

Role in 21st century Johannesburg

Financial and business centre

Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg. Sandton.jpg
Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg.

Urban decay in downtown Johannesburg caused many corporate offices to move from the Johannesburg Central Business District to Sandton in the 1990s. It has become the new financial district of South Africa and Johannesburg's premier business centre. Much of the financial focus of Johannesburg has shifted from the Central Business District to Sandton. However, three of South Africa's four largest banks have kept their head offices in downtown Johannesburg. The other bank, Nedbank, has its headquarters in Sandton. A considerable amount of the city's A-grade office space is to be found in Sandton. The JSE Securities Exchange, Johannesburg's stock exchange, relocated its offices to Sandton from the central business district in the late 1990s.

Sandton is home to the Sandton Convention Centre, one of the largest convention centres on the continent and primary site of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (also known as "Rio + 10"), which Johannesburg hosted. The convention centre also hosted the African National Congress' victory celebrations after the party was re-elected at the 2004 election.

The Sandton Central commercial node, centred on the suburbs of Sandown and Sandhurst has some of the best and most expensive commercial properties and offices in South Africa. Illovo, Cullinan Office Park and Grayston Office Park are examples of properties featuring office spaces. Like many other commercial office nodes in the country, the Sandton Central office market was affected by COVID-19. [5]

Industrial areas situated in Sandton are Wynberg and Kramerville. Kramerville, once a run-down area, is now trendy and is the centre of the design and textiles industry in Sandton. [6]

When it comes to green buildings in Africa, Sandton is an epicentre. [7] One of the highest rated green buildings in South Africa – rated by Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) – is Upper Grayston Office Park, located in Sandton. [8]

Tourism and retail hub

One of the main attractions in Sandton is Sandton City, which ranks among the largest shopping centres in Africa. The completion of this precinct by the Liberty Group was the catalyst for the subsequent development of this entire area. Together with Nelson Mandela Square, the centre, with some 144,000 m2 of shopping space, is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Much of Johannesburg's business tourism is centred on Sandton, which has various 5-star hotels under the Southern Sun, Hilton, Radisson and Protea brands.

Liberty Group announced in 2008 that Sandton City will receive a R 1,77-billion upgrade. Nelson Mandela Square, formerly known as Sandton Square, was renamed in March 2004, after the unveiling of a 6-metre bronze statue of the former South African president. Liliesleaf Farm, where Nelson Mandela lived in the early 1960s and where many leading political activists were arrested in 1963 and tried as part of the now infamous Rivonia Trial, is just north of Nelson Mandela Square, close to the N1 Highway, off Rivonia Road. Discovery Holdings has, in 2018, completed a large new head office along with shopping mall in the area.

Maude Street adjacent to Sandton Convention Centre SandtonGP-MaudeStreet.jpg
Maude Street adjacent to Sandton Convention Centre

A 55-floor mixed use building, The Leonardo, become the tallest building in all of Africa at 234 metres (768 ft) following its completion in 2018.

Sandton Central Management District

The central business area of Sandton is divided into three City Improvement Districts, which have a unified identity called the Sandton Central Management District, branded as Sandton Central. [9] This district is responsible, using additional funds levied on its behalf by the municipality, for the provision of additional services. [10] The Sandton Central Management district provides additional cleaning, law enforcement, beautification and planning services to the area it services. [11]

Transport

Gautrain

Sandton houses the flagship station of the Gautrain rapid rail link. The station is located on the corner of West Street and Rivonia Road. The system has direct connections to OR Tambo International Airport and an inter-city commuter service from Pretoria through Rosebank to Johannesburg Park Station [12] Sandton's associated Gaubus network comprises direct routes to Fourways, Gallo Manor, Randburg and Rivonia. People can also connect busses and travel to many parts of Centurion, Marlboro, Parktown, Rosebank and Pretoria using the service. [13]

Roads

The main freeway to get in to the city is the M1 freeway through the M60 at Marlboro Drive, the M40 at Grayston Drive and the M30 at Corlett Drive. The N1 freeway (Western Bypass) passes through the northern part of Sandton, with off-ramps at the M9 (Rivonia Road) & R511/M81 (Winnie Mandela Drive). One can use the M9, M27, M71, M75 and M85 metropolitan routes.

Education

The main campus of the Lycée Jules Verne , a French international school, is in Sandton. [14] Sandton used to be home of the former Bond University South Africa. Sandton also houses many primary to high schools including:

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randburg</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort, in the late 1990s. During the transitional period of 1996–2000, Randburg was part of the Northern Metropolitan Local Council (MLC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandton City</span> Shopping mall in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa

Sandton City is a large shopping centre situated in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built and owned by property development company Rapp and Maister, in partnership with brothers Hilliard and Eli Leibowitz, and was later taken over by Liberty Life.

The area referred to as Fourways is the fastest-developing commercial and residential hub in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, South Africa. The main access routes to Fourways are off the N1 at R511 Winnie Mandela Drive, or alternatively along R564 Witkoppen Road. It is located mostly in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. It is roughly as far as one can go in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area before it dissolves into rolling hills, game farms and the capital Pretoria, 55 kilometres to the northeast. Hartebeespoort Dam and the Magaliesberg Mountains lie half an hour to the north-west. It is bordered by Bryanston to the east and south and Randburg to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N1 Western Bypass (Johannesburg)</span> Road in South Africa

The Western Bypass is a section of the N1 and the Johannesburg Ring Road located in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Known at the time as the Concrete Highway, the freeway was initially opened in 1975 as a route to avoid the city centre of Johannesburg and to provide access to the western areas of the Witwatersrand. From the south, the Western Bypass begins at the Diepkloof Interchange in Soweto, where it splits from the N12 freeway and ends at the Buccleuch Interchange, where it merges with the N3 Eastern Bypass, M1 South and N1 Ben Schoeman freeways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryanston, Gauteng</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Bryanston, Gauteng is an affluent residential suburb of Sandton, South Africa north of Johannesburg. First named as an area in 1949, it was established in 1969 as a suburb of Sandton and provided with tarred roads and municipal services, but after municipal boundaries were revised following the end of Apartheid, Sandton was merged with Johannesburg to form part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The multi-lane N1 Western Johannesburg Bypass freeway forms its northern boundary with access at William Nicol offramp. It is located in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburbs of Johannesburg</span>

The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. As in other Commonwealth countries, the term suburb refers to a "neighbourhood", although in South Africa most "suburbs" have legally recognised borders and often separate postal codes. The municipal functions for the area, such as municipal policing and social services, are still managed by the city government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kempton Park, South Africa</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa Postal address 1619

Kempton Park is a city in the East Rand region of Gauteng province, South Africa. It is part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It is situated south of Tembisa, one of the largest townships in South Africa, which is also part of Ekurhuleni. South Africa's busiest airport, O. R. Tambo International Airport is located in Kempton Park.

Randpark is a suburb of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in the northern suburbs of the City of Johannesburg.

Rivonia is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Sandton area. It is located in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Rivonia is one of the most affluent residential and business suburbs of Johannesburg, and regarded as the hub of upstart and established I.T. companies. The main retail thoroughfare in the area, Rivonia Boulevard, is the location of several shopping complexes as well as many other shops and restaurants. The area known as Rivonia includes the original township of Edenburg, Edenburg Extension 1, and 19 smaller extensions designated 'Rivonia Extension ...', numbered from 0 to 25. There is no designated township called Rivonia. The post code for Rivonia is 2128.

Sandown is an affluent suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, in Sandton. It is located in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Sandown is both a residential and commercial area and is home to the offices of many major national and international corporations as well as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in the area known as Sandton Central. The Gautrain rapid rail system's Sandton Station is located in Sandown, linking Sandton to O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg Central and the Capital City, Pretoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liliesleaf Farm</span> 1960s safe house for African National Congress activitists

Liliesleaf Farm, also spelt Lilliesleaf and also known simply as Liliesleaf, is a location in northern Johannesburg, South Africa, which is most noted for its use as a safe house for African National Congress (ANC) activists during the apartheid years in the 1960s. In 1963, the South African police raided the farm, arresting more than a dozen ANC leaders and activists, who were then tried and prosecuted during the Rivonia Trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandton (Gautrain station)</span>

Sandton is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit system in Sandton, Johannesburg. It opened to traffic on 8 June 2010 with service to OR Tambo International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midrand (Gautrain station)</span>

Midrand is a metro station on the Gautrain rapid transit system in Midrand, Gauteng. It opened on 2 August 2011 as part of the second phase of the Gautrain project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrorail Gauteng</span> South African commuter rail network

Metrorail Gauteng is a network of commuter rail services in Gauteng province in South Africa, serving the Johannesburg and Pretoria metro areas. It is operated by Metrorail, a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).

Kensington B is a suburb in Randburg, which is an area located in northern Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

M9 is a major metropolitan route in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Passing through the heart of the Witwatersrand, it connects the southern suburbs of Johannesburg via the centre of Johannesburg, with the northern suburbs and business centres of Rosebank and Sandton before ending in the outer northern suburbs.

The M40 is a metropolitan route in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa that connects Sandton with Bedfordview via Wynberg, Kew, Lyndhurst and Senderwood.

The M64 is a short metropolitan route in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is in the city of Sandton, connecting Sandown with Douglasdale via Bryanston.

The M74 is a short metropolitan route in Sandton, South Africa. It connects the suburb of Bryanston with Rivonia, Morningside and Marlboro.

The M75 is a short metropolitan route in Sandton, South Africa. It connects the suburb of Bryanston with the Sandton city centre.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Sandton". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ Raper, P. E. "Sandton". Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Sandton (South Africa)". www.crwflags.com.
  4. ↑ Lodge, Tom (1 June 2003). Politics in South Africa: From Mandela to Mbeki. New Africa Books. ISBN   9780864865052 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ "Sandton Central - October 2022". www.rennieproperty.co.za. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  6. ↑ " "Kramerville on the Rise | Commercial Property News | to Let". Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2013.." "Kramerville on the Rise"
  7. ↑ "Sandton is an epicentre for green building in Africa". Engineering News. 31 March 2016.
  8. ↑ https://api.gbcsa.org.za/storage/uploads/Project-study-321/27-upper-grayston.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  9. ↑ What is The Sandton Central Management District? Archived 12 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ A City Improvement District Archived 12 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ The Sandton Central AGM Report 2009 - 2010 Archived 11 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Mafika (8 June 2010). "Gallery: Launch of the Gautrain". Brand South Africa. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "Gautrain | For people on the move". gautrain.co.za. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "Contact and access map Archived 10 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine ." Lycée Jules Verne . Retrieved on 18 January 2015. "Lycée Français Jules Verne, Corner Bauhinia and Cestrum, Morningside Ext 40" and "Ecole Miriam Makeba 816 - 818 George Avenue Corner George & Eastwood, Eastwood – Arcadia, Pretoria"
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.