The famous Ponte City offers a unique stair-climbing challenge
ROAD RUNNING
along with views of Johannesburg that I guarantee you have never seen before .
The Road Less Travelled
For those of us living in the ‘ burbs , who don ’ t venture anywhere near town , the thought of driving into the ‘ ganglands ’ is worrying . I must say , though , that I felt 100 % safe . On the drive in , as the sun was rising , the town was asleep and quiet . Bar the litter and trash on the roads , which is the biggest eyesore ( and sadly , not an issue isolated to Johannesburg alone ), one could almost picture the old buildings in their heyday .
Parking in Ponte was safe and secure – no issues , no fuss . Driving down into the basement four floors below , glimpsing some old cars that appear to have been abandoned for many a year , the underground was eerily quiet . Next , finding the stairs to the first-floor shopping centre section was interesting – the external fire escape stairs in a cage made me aware of my fear of heights . Also , I forgot how cold town was . The tall buildings
Anyone who lives in Jozi knows the Ponte City tower , the iconic landmark situated in Berea . It ’ s the tallest residential building in Africa at 54 stories high , with a unique cylindrical design , and the history of this building is provocative . Initially the height of glitz and glamour , it deteriorated into slums and squalor , but it is on the rise again . The rubbish and suicide pit that filled the empty core was cleaned out , and the building is now home to thousands of residents . So , not only is it an iconic landmark , but the colourful history is a literal depiction of South African history , from the Apartheid era till now . The parallels are hard to miss .
Fame and Infamy for the Ponte
Images : Juliana Ambrosi & courtesy Dlala Nje Foundation
I knew some of the running clubs in Jozi used to do the Ponte Challenge , racing up the 948 steps from the ground floor to the 54th floor of the building as a fitness challenge , but that all took a bit of a dip since COVID . Having seen this iconic building so many times over the years , and having heard so much about the challenge , I decided to take it on , so I made contact with the Dlala Nje Foundation , the NGO based in the building that offers “ inner city immersions and experiences ” in some of Jozi ’ s most misunderstood areas , Hillbrow , Yeoville and Berea .
Dlala Nje was founded in 2012 with the aim to provide a safe learning environment , where kids get to be kids while being exposed to as many programmes , initiatives and experiences as possible , in a place where they get the chance to learn , to grow , to be safe , to develop friendships , whilst also being exposed to experiences that develop and challenge their worlds and their own perceptions . This allows them to figure out their potential and inspires them to reach out and grab it .
All operational costs of the foundation are funded by the Dlala Nje Experiences Business , which aims to challenge perceptions by taking guests through areas they would normally avoid , due to the reputation of those areas . The success of these walks , runs and visits over the last six years , has allowed the Dlala Nje team to build and run a community centre at Ponte City that truly helps the children and youth of Berea . So , tackling the Ponte Challenge is not just a fitness challenge , but also supports a great cause . Included are refreshments and a breakfast on the 54th floor ,
The Ponte City tower was the first cylindrical skyscraper in Africa in 1975
The Ponte City skyscraper was built in the Berea suburb of Johannesburg in 1975 and reached a height of 173m , making it the tallest residential skyscraper in Africa . The 54-storey building was the first cylindrical skyscraper in Africa , with an open centre known as “ the core ,” which allows additional light into the apartments . At the time of design , Johannesburg bylaws required kitchens and bathrooms to have a window , so the designers opted for a cylindrical design with a hollow interior to allow light to enter the apartments from both sides .
Fun Fact : At the bottom of the immense building were retail stores , and initial plans included an indoor ski slope on the slanted , rocky floor of the inner core .
When built , Ponte City was seen as an extremely desirable address , due to its location and views over Johannesburg , but during the late 1980s , gang activity caused the crime rate to soar at the tower and in the surrounding neighbourhoods . By the 1990s , several gangs had moved into the building , and it became extremely unsafe . Also , many inhabitants simply threw their rubbish into the core , which filled with debris five stories high ! Ponte City thus became symbolic of the crime and urban decay gripping the once cosmopolitan Berea area , and there were even proposals in the mid-1990s to turn the building into a high-rise prison .
In recent years the building has been cleaned up and refurbished , and is once again considered a safe property . So much so that the Ponte has featured in several films or television programmes , including one of the final shots of the 2009 film District 9 , while a battle scene was filmed inside the tower for the 2016 movie Resident Evil : The Final Chapter .
Fun Fact : The neon sign on top of the building is the highest and largest sign in the Southern Hemisphere . Prior to 2000 , it advertised Coca-Cola , but it currently advertises the mobile phone company , Vodacom .
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