The powerhouse of Africa is also home to many Muslims and over a dozen mosques. Kerk Street Mosque was the city’s first, founded in 1906 CE. Serving the downtown Muslim community, it is a pure white building with a single tall minaret and a large white dome. Inside brass chandeliers hang from the lofty ceiling, curved arches soar and light pours in from tall windows. The whiteness is broken by fine latticework wooden balustrades and a rich red carpet.
Other mosques include Jamat Khana, Ma’aoz bun Jabal, Hamidia, Masjeed Babus-Salam, Masjeed Ash Shifa and Muqeemus Salaat. Plus there are muslim associations in Ennerdale and Greenside. Halal dining is not hard to find - Vintage India, Thai Garden restaurant and Cape Town Fish Market, Thai Garden Restaurant in Sandton and Jimmy’s Killer Prawns at The Zone in Rosebank Mall for starters.
Josi’s Tambo International Airport lies 25 km northeast of the city centre. Getting downtown to Park Station is quick and easy on the new Gautrain. The city is large and sprawling, but it is set within a forest so there are many unexpected oases. The Central Business District (CBD) is dominated by skyscrapers and has a colourful street tife. It is a good introduction to the hustle and bustle, thrills and spills of a thoroughly African city.
Affluent Josi can be found mainly in the sprawling northern suburbs. These include Sandton which is now the home of Johannesburg Stock Exchange and several multinational companies, Rosebank with its malls, galleries and craft market, Melrose and Melville, both leafy and home to state of the art architecture and alfresco dining. Soweto, former home of Nelson Mandela, is almost a city in itself and is of great historic interest.
Just over a hundred years ago the plateau upon which Joburg was built was home to Boer farmers. The land was used for cattle grazing and growing wheat and maize. In 1886 CE gold was discovered in Witwatersrand reef and settlers poured in from all over the world the gold rush resulted in a vibrant cosmopolitan society. Then came apartheid and the township of Soweto was established southwest of the city.
City tours can be booked through Johannesburg Tourism Company (www.joburgtourism.com), who will tailor your visit to your interests.  Essential is the Central Business District (CBD), there to ride to the top floor of the Carlton Centre.  Here from the lofty calm of Top of Africa observation deck the view of the sprawling city, reef mine and dumps will take your breath away.
Just west of the CBD Newton is the focus of the city fathers’ regeneration projects. Surrounded by museums, art and photo galleries, a jazz venue and cafes, the vast Mary Fitzgerald Square is the nucleus. Nearby is the Market Theatre complex with its plays, movies and dining venues. Don’t miss the atmospheric Gramadoelas restaurant which also serves halal food. Here you can sample Nelson Mandela’s favourite Umngqusho (braised beef shin, beans and maize). Bon appétit! Opened in 2004 CE in Bramfontein on the site of the Old Fort prison, Constitution Hill is both inspiring and impressive. Home to the country’s highest court, it is decorated with some 200 contemporary paintings and sculptures. Be sure to visit Number Four and the Womens Prison. Other attractions in the area include the Civic Theatre which showcases music, plays and dance, and the Origins Centre at Wits (University of Witwatersrand). This focuses on the traditions and rock art of the San People. And the Apartheid Museum in the southern suburbs is the sine qua non of a Josi visit. Golden Gity culture enthusiasts can head for Joburg Art Gallery, there to view artworks and sculpture by local painters and craftsmen. Museum Africa traces the city’s history and the South Africa Transport Museum on the concourse of the main railway station houses a fine collection of steam engines along with ox wagons and vintage cars. For birdlife there is Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary and Melville Kopies Nature Reserve has Stone and Iron Age ruins.
Shopping fans can enjoy some retail therapy at Newton Africa Market, MaiMai Market and the Rosebank Mall Rooftop Market, a 30 minute drive from the centre in the smart northern suburb of Rosebank. Further north is MonteCasino, a shopping, entertainment and hotel complex. And west of the CBD is Oriental Plaza, all that remains of Newton’s once-thriving Indian community. At this shopping complex which stocks silks, spices and just about everything else, bargaining is essential.
And so to Soweto which is home to the aforementioned Johannesburg Tourism Company, so they know the area well. My tour of the township took me to the artistically painted Orlando cooling towers. Here, from 100 metres above ground, I was able to view and photograph the skyline. Next came Nelson Mandela’s house and the Hector Peterson Memorial and museum. Then I enjoyed lunch at the Soweto Hotel, where you can also stay overnight. On the menu was Lamb Curry with Koesisters (syrupy deep fried cullers from Batavia) for dessert. Finally a stop at a craft market to buy souvenirs to take back home.
Top end accommodation can be found at the award-winning Saxon hotel in Sandhurst, a stone’s throw from Sandton. This oasis of elegance is surrounded by calm water and abundant bird life. I found it hard to believe I was still in the city here. And the Saxon breakfast can only be described as superlative. The hotel spa offers a full menu of treatments and there are two outdoor swimming pools, one heated. It is the last word in luxury, favoured by heads of state and royalty. To the north at Fairways the Tuscan-style Palazzo Montecasino hotel is set among exquisitely landscaped gardens with cascading water features and a stunning outdoor pool. It is one of three Southern Sun hotels at Montecasino. Don’t miss the Medeo restaurant for seriously good Italian cuisine with an African flair – and the adjacent Bird Gardens. In the mid-range is The Peech hotel, lovingly built by lively Briton James Peech, a former advertising man. This eco-boutique style property offers 16 comfortable rooms set around a one-acre garden with lush vegetation and outdoor pool. The Peech, another veritable oasis in town, has been described as ‘contemporary, edgy and Afrocentric.’ It also offers a library, gym and a bistro serving a wholesome breakfast and other mouthwatering meals. On the doorstep is trendy Melrose with its designer shops and fashionable eateries, many alfresco. For budget travellers the best place to hang your hat is the Backpackers Ritz in Dunkeld West. It even offers a pool and gardens. Otherwise Leho’s Soweto Backpackers in Orlando West is a good choice. It offers walking and cycling tours along with the possibility of voluntary work in the local community. If you have half a day to spare consider lunch on the pooldeck of the Westcliff Hotel in the upmarket suburb of Rosebank. It offers breathtaking views over the city north towards the Magaliesburg Mountains. And if you have more time, don’t miss a visit to the capital city of Pretoria,which has a magnificent mosque, Bloomfontein or the Kruger National Park.

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