Jo'burg cultural picks: January 20 2012

19 Jan 2012 21:04 - Matthew Krouse

Walking tours of Johannesburg give both tourists and locals a chance to discover the city's secrets.

■ Gerald Garner, author of the books Spaces & Places—Johannesburg and Johannesburg Ten Ahead, has recently introduced walking tours of the inner city.

These are popular with tourists and locals alike and Garner has even hosted corporate groups on a discovery of the changing metropolis. This month, he presents two similar tours that will kick off from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown.

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Check out the public art in Newtown, Turbine Hall, Chancellor House, the Anglo American Campus, Darkies Café, the Ashanti Hotel and Dogon apartments, Main Street Mall, Gandhi Square, the City Hall, Ernest Oppenheimer Park and, time permitting, trendy Braamfontein.

Meet at Mary Fitzgerald Square on January 20 at 12.30pm and on January 28 at 9am. The cost is R230 a person and a maximum of 25 will be accommodated. To book, email: gerald@joburgplaces.com. Website: joburgplaces.com. Tel: 082 894 5216.

■ The historical Satyagraha House is a modest thatched-roof structure. Basically, it was two rondawels linked together and designed by architect Hermann Kallenbach, who owned the property. It was home to Kallenbach and Mahatma Gandhi from 1908 to 1909. It has been restored and turned into a museum surrounded by tastefully decorated bedroom suites that serve as a guesthouse. The new name comes from the philosophy of passive resistance developed by Gandhi in South Africa and later applied in India with enormous success, leading, ultimately, to the country’s independence. However, the story of the house shows a side of Gandhi previously unknown.

Satyagraha House, 15 Pine Road, Orchards, on January 21 at 2pm. The cost of the tour is R80, which includes tea. Booking is essential through Computicket or phone: 011 482 3349.