RANDBURG Johannesburg - RANDBURG History - RANDBURG Information

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The history of Randburg, Gauteng South Africa and information on Randburg for accommodation, tourist destinations and business directories

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Randburg
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Weltevreden Park

Randburg is a large town in Gauteng, South Africa . It wa once a separate municipality but its municipal government has since become a part of the City of Johannesburg.

 

Randburg's residencial population tends to be more affluent than most Johannesburg dwellers. Randburg is well known for its vast number of shopping centres and entertainment areas, including the Cresta Centre, Brightwater Common, Sanlam Shopping Centre and various others.

Randburg has an up-market business sector.

Randburg contains 32 suburbs, most of them residential. These include Darrenwood, Linden, Cresta, Aldara Park, and others. There are many self-catering chalets, hotels, guest houses and lodges to be found in Randburg.

 

In the 1950s Randburg was a low-density residential area inhabited by mostly Afrikaans-speakingpeople.

 

In 1959 Randburg was granted municipality status. A plan was drawn up to develop a central business district with retail, civic and office uses. in the early 1960s retail activity comprised a shopping strip along Jan Smuts Avenue and Hendrik Verwoerd Drive arterials. A new plan in 1972 resulted in an outdoor mall, built in 1976.

 

When Cresta Centre opened in 1976 in the Randburg vicinity, it attracted many shoppers. However, urban decay set in.

 

In 2004, Johannesburg approved plans to declare the Randburg CBD a city improvement district (CID) and to transform the area into a safe, clean, attractive, user-friendly and desirable commercial area.
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In the 1850's and 1860's settlements by Boer pioneerswere already occuring.

  • The first farms were
    • Klipfontein
    • Driefontein
    • Olievenhoutspoort
    • Boskop.
  • These four farms were sub-divided among the sons of the early settlers.
  • Driefontein, which was the original farm, belonged to J L Pretorius.
  • In 1886 when he died, the farm was divided among his sons who later sold their portions.
  • A portion of the farm was bought by the widow of Jacobus Brink of Pretoria.
  • Her son Daniel Brink was one of the first true Randburgers
  • He started farming on a portion of Driefontein in 1906, which was so large that it was later sub-divided into the suburbs of
    • Kensington B
    • Beverley Gardens
    • Brian Brink
    • Vandia Grove.

 

Randburg's first windmill - in Milner Street - was erected in 1924 by Daniel Brink and is still in the possession of one of Brink's descendants.

 

 

 

Randburg's history is woven in with that of Johannesburg.

  • In 1928, stands could be obtained for as little as R50 an erf - a deposit of R10 and monthly payments of R1 a month in today's money.
  • A fair sized home cost approximately R1 200.
  • A tram ticket to downtown Johannesburg cost five cents.

 

 

1950s - less than 9 000 inhabitants in nine suburbs

959 - 13 Townships.

 

A decision had to be made as to whether they should be incorporated into Johannesburg or become an independent municipality.

Most of the residents voted for establishing their own town, so it was decided to hold a competition to chose the name for the town. The prize was 100 pounds. A total of 700 names were submittedl, 12 of which included the word "Rand".

 

The three chosen as final proposals were Randburg, Mooirand and Randstad. There were 6 people who submitted the name Randburg,and they shared the 100 pounds.


Alberton, Bedfordview, Benoni, Boksburg, Bryanston, Cresta, Edenvale, Florida, Fourways, Germiston, Houghton, Joburg city, Kempton park, Kilarney, Krugersdorp, Kyalami, Lesasia, Little falls, Melville, Meyerton, Midrand, Muldersdrift, North cliff, Randburg, Rosebank, Ruimsig, Santon, Soweto,
Weltevreden park.

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