Joburg stop of the month: Mining District Walk

14 August 2015 | Carina van Wyk

Johannesburg’s corporate mining district is a large open-air museum that portrays the history and legacy of mining in South Africa. Next time you’re on City Sightseeing’s red bus, hop off at stop 10 and take a walk through the area.

The Leaping Impala or Impala Stampede sculpture (image above), reinstalled on the Anglo American Campus in 2002, was donated by the Oppenheimer family to the city in 1960.

You’ll also come across the following along the way:

The pedestrianised part of Main Street. (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))

Headgear that was imported from a platinum mine to tell the story of the discovery of platinum in South Africa. (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))

The South African Chamber of Mines (opens in a new tab). (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))

A stamp mill in front of the Chamber of Mines that was used to crush rock at one of Joburg’s first mines. (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))

The Mine Shaft Museum at the Standard Bank head office in Simmonds Street. It’s an actual shaft that was discovered during construction of the building. (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))

A pond outside the Anglo American building. (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))

Chancellor House is one of Joburg’s most famous landmarks. This is where Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo launched the country’s first black law practice in the 1950s. (Image: South African Tourism (opens in a new tab))