Moving to Johannesburg

Expats moving to Johannesburg will discover the most populous and international city in South Africa. It is the economic hub of the country and most important financial centre on the African continent with the most advanced infrastructure.

The pace of life in Joburg (nickname for Johannesburg) can be frenetic as business people pursue their ambitions and consumers shop with apparent disregard for high levels of debt. Johannesburg is known to locals as Egoli (Place of Gold), a reference to the concentration of gold below the ground and the proliferation of wealth above it.

There are some downsides to the lifestyle in Johannesburg: with no viable public transport, barring the kamikaze-propelled minibus taxis, and walking unadvised due to safety concerns and the large distances, owning a car is essential. There are few parks, lakes or rivers where residents can relax; instead, locals head to the mega shopping malls for shopping, socialising and movie watching.

Johannesburg is not without beauty though. The affluent suburbs are spacious, leafy and quiet, and beyond the electrified fences, one can find landscaped gardens of Edenic splendour. For those that can afford to live in these safe and bucolic neighbourhoods, Johannesburg offers an exceptionally high standard of living coupled with great economic opportunity.

 

It is, however, a city with a reputation for violence and crime. Happily, the crime rate has dropped substantially over the past few years and with basic precaution and adequate home security you can maximise your levels of safety.

 

Expats often remark on the ideal climate that Johannesburg enjoys and is one major attraction for alot of people moving to Johannesburg. This however is far different from the capricious weather of Cape Town in the south. Johannesburg has summers of long, hot days and unblemished blue skies, with spectacular late afternoon thunderstorms; winters feature bitterly cold mornings resolving into dry, warm days.