04/10/2026
Johannesburg is officially 140 years old today (4 October). Of course, the region’s history spans back thousands of years ago, but the modern City of Gold came into being in 1886 with the triangular farm, Randjieslaagte, proclaimed for town development in October of that year.
To celebrate 14 decades of Jozi, herewith an excerpt of Gerald Garner’s new LocalPlaces – Johannesburg book. It details the complete, concise history of Johannesburg and South Africa:
“In 1886, the Witwatersrand consisted of only a handful of Boer farms. The nearest town was Pretoria, about 70 kilometres to the north. A rough dirt road connected the area to Kimberley, the city of diamonds, some 480 kilometres away. News of the discovery spread rapidly. In Kimberley, many miners packed their belongings onto horse carts and ox-wagons and raced towards the new goldfields. A frantic rush followed as prospectors hurried to arrive first, pitch their tents, stake their claims, and start digging for gold.
“One of the first people to arrive from Kimberley was Ignatius Ferreira. He quickly established a mining camp, still remembered today in the name Ferreirastown. He also launched one of the area's earliest mines, Ferreira's Mine.
“From Kimberley, news travelled along the railway line to Cape Town, from where ships carried word of the discovery across the world. During the next eight years, tens of thousands of migrants arrived through the ports of Cape Town and Durban before making their way inland to Johannesburg's goldfields.
“’Many of these migrants came from across the British Empire, including New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Others arrived from the United States. To this day, part of Soweto is known as New Canada, recalling the Canadian prospectors who camped there during the gold rush. Many Americans also came to Johannesburg, bringing valuable mining experience gained during California's famous gold rush of 1848 to 1855. They contributed important mining knowledge and technology to the rapidly growing industry.
“While most migrants came from the English-speaking world, many came from the rest of the world. Especially Europe. Many were of Jewish origin, having fled the Russian pogroms in Lithuania. Johannesburg’s Jewish population grew rapidly from about 4000 in 1886 to 40 000 by 1914.
“Most migrants travelled by train from Cape Town to Kimberley and then continued by horse cart to Johannesburg. Once they arrived, they helped build a sprawling Victorian city almost overnight. By 1896, barely a decade after the discovery of gold, Johannesburg's population had already surpassed 100 000 people – and double that by the turn of the century.
“It was not only foreign migrants building Johannesburg. Many local, black African people also streamed into the city taking up labour opportunities in the mines. Prominently in this regard were Zulu migrants. By 1890, as many as 14 000 black African people worked on the mines. This number increased rapidly to approximately 100 000 by 1899 - making Johannesburg one of the fastest-growing cities in the world at that time.”
Celebrate 140 years of Johannesburg and pre-order your copy of LocalPlaces – Johannesburg. Print copies will be available for distribution by early December. But orders are already open. Best is if you order a printed copy now, we will send you the pre-issue ebook in the meantime to enjoy and the printed book in December.
Order here: https://www.localplaces.co.za/product/localplaces-johannesburg/
