Why is johannesburg called johannesburg

Share this article. Page Content. What is not in dispute is that it was named after a man named Johann. But Johann was a common Dutch name in the late nineteenth century, and there are a number of Johanns who could claim credit. The confusion can be blamed on a blustery wind which in the summer of , blew away the tent of commissioner Carl von Brandis as he arrived to proclaim the new town to a motley crowd of gold prospectors.

Among the records to disappear on that stormy night, were the plans and instructions from the Surveyor General, believed to have announced - and explained - the new name. For Johannesburg was proclaimed in a great hurry - it had to be; the flood of gold prospectors had already begun. As a result, the decision bypassed the usual government procedures, and was left entirely in the hands of the Surveyor General's office, temporarily headed by one Johann Rissik.

When gold was discovered in mid, the state sent two men, Rissik and Christiaan Johannes Joubert to investigate the area and choose a site on which a town could be built. Did the two decide to call the town Johannesburg because Johann was a name they both had in common? Ten years were to pass before anyone sought to enquire as to where the name originated. In February , the Swiss Consul in Johannesburg asked the government to kindly explain the name.

She taught for 20 years, and was a journalist for 19 years. For 13 years she wrote on the history and heritage of Johannesburg for the joburg. For three years she wrote a monthly column for the Saturday Star , entitled Jozi Rewired. A selection of all these articles is available on lucilledavie.

She now conducts Joburg tours, teaches English to expat children and adults, and writes about Jozi people and other Jozi stuff. Her interests include reading, writing, mountain biking, swimming, and travelling. African ancestors continue to give Africans a shared and personal sense of self-affirmation, identity and unfettered belonging.

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