African Convergence

If you've never visited Johannesburg before you might think it to be quite a dangerous city, and you would be forgiven for believing so. Over the past twenty-five years or so Joburg has been notorious for its criminal activity, with many big businesses leaving the CBD. As a child I was always warned to stay away for the city centre.

Side note: Many people think Johannesburg (being the largest city in South Africa) is the capital of the country, when in fact Pretoria is the capital. Johannesburg is merely the financial hub.

However, over the past five years a number of rejuvenation projects have started transforming parts of the CBD, from housing developments to trending markets, restaurants and art galleries. While I wouldn't walk about flashing my bling, safety in the city centre has certainly improved. A couple of years ago I went on a walking tour of the city, and was fascinated to learn many new facts of Joburg's rich and diverse history. Since then I have taken many trips on my own to take photos with no hesitation.

If you cross the Nelson Mandela Bridge you get a stunning panoramic view of Joburg city and its central train station.

Johannesburg train station