Roodepoort, Gauteng
Encyclopedia
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Johannesburg's most famous botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
, Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens (now renamed Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden
The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden is a botanical reserve in Johannesburg...
in honour of Walter Sisulu
Walter Sisulu
Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress .-Family and Education:...
), is located in Roodepoort. Formerly an independent municipality, Roodepoort became part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, South Africa...
in the late 1990s, along with Randburg and Sandton.
Although Roodepoort has traditionally been regarded as being part of the West Rand
West Rand
The West Rand is the name of the urban western part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. This area became settled by Europeans after a gold-bearing reef discovered in 1886 and sparked the gold rush that gave rise to the establishment of...
, it is was not made part of the West Rand District Municipality
West Rand District Municipality
The West Rand District Municipality is one of the districts of Gauteng province of South Africa, that covers the West Rand area, with the exception of Roodepoort. The seat of the district municipality is Randfontein. The most spoken language of its 744 168 people is Setswana...
, instead being integrated into the City of Johannesburg Metropolitam Municipality, following the post-apartheid reorganisation of local government in the late 1990s.
In 1884, brothers Fred and Harry Struben, having discovered gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
on the farm Wilgespruit at the western end of the Witwatersrand
Witwatersrand
The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...
, were granted concessions to mine the area. When George Harrison's find at Langlaagte came to light and gold fever took hold, the Strubens brothers were joined by a swarm of gold diggers. Though the Confidence Reef bore little gold and their mine was unprofitable, the ramshackle town that grew around it became the Roodepoort municipality in 1904. Incorporating the towns of Hamburg, Florida
Florida, Gauteng
Florida, Gauteng is a location in South Africa. It is located about 10 miles west of Johannesburg. The area which is referred to as Florida was originally established as the farm Vogelstruisfontein...
and Maraisburg, Roodepoort became a city in 1977.
Residential Areas in the new developing parts of Roodepoort are said to be expanding at a faster pace than anywhere else in South Africa.
This growth is said to be fueled by various factors such as the fast growing Black middle class
Black middle class
The black middle class, within the United States, refers to African Americans who occupy a middle class status within the American class structure. It is predominately a development that arose after the 1960s, during which the African American Civil Rights Movement led to reform movements aimed at...
, the close proximity to other large Gauteng cities, an already established and advanced infrastructure and much more.
It has also major water problems having been built on a vlei and the municipality still allows developments to take place.
City life
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
South Africa and has seen large population growth due to Johannesburg urban sprawl. This is one of the gateways to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
from Northern areas of South Africa and Botswana and so it has economic and logistical importance. Areas of interest for entertainment include the highly popular Stones nightclub at Featherbrooke Village shopping centre which is one of the student hotspots.
For a taste of Roodepoort night life, Town Square (Hendrik Potgieter Road) with its News Cafe is an over 21s bar to experience. Right next door a taste of coffee delight at Mugg & Bean
Mugg & Bean
Mugg & Bean is a full-service, fast casual, coffee-themed franchise restaurant chain originating from South Africa. Despite originating in South Africa, there is an obvious and intended influence from "American" coffee shops--most specifically, what is perceived to be "San Francisco"-style shops...
who specialize in out of this world desserts and designer coffees. Roodepoort is also home to a number of chain restaurants such as Nando's
Nando's
Nando's is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in thirty countries on five continents....
, Pizza Chicken Perfect, Dros and recently Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
. The Ruimsig area of Roodepoort is home to the aforementioned Featherbrooke Village and Ruimsig Boulevard Shopping centres which are both on the junction of Hendrik Potgieter and Doreen Road. This constantly expanding area boasts a wealth of residential growth and already is home to a Planet Fitness gym, two grocery stores and up to a hundred residential complexes.