Midrand

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Midrand
Midrand Location of the town in Gauteng
Midrand
Coordinates: 25°59′57″S 28°7′35″E / 25.99917°S 28.12639°E / -25.99917; 28.12639Coordinates: 25°59′57″S 28°7′35″E / 25.99917°S 28.12639°E / -25.99917; 28.12639
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	City of Johannesburg
Area[1]
• Total	163.40 km2 (63.09 sq mi)
Population (2001)[1]
• Total	44,563
• Density	270/km2 (710/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2001)[1]
• Black African	54.8%
• Coloured	2.0%
• Indian/Asian	6.4%
• White	36.8%
First languages (2001)[1]
• English	41.1%
• Northern Sotho	12.8%
• Zulu	12.5%
• Afrikaans	7.2%
• Other	26.4%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

The Johannesburg Water tower dominates the Midrand skyline.

Midrand is a wealthy area in central Gauteng Province, Johannesburg, South Africa, between Centurion and Sandton.

History

Midrand was established as a municipality in 1981, but was incorporated the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in 2000. It was made part of Region 2 and, as of 2006, when the number of regions were reduced to seven, it forms part of Region A.

Midrand's town council officially ceased to exist in 1998 when Act 15 of 1981 Town Council of Midrand Act was repealed by Act 10 of 1998 Rationalisation of Local Government Affairs Act.^[2]

Though no longer an independent town, the name Midrand is still on common use to denote the suburbs around the N1 highway north of the Jukskei River up to the border with City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. (This portion of the N1 highway is also known as the Ben Schoeman Highway.) Suburbs that are generally regarded as being in Midrand include among others: Carlswald, Crowthorne, Glen Austin, Halfway House, Halfway Gardens, Kyalami, Vorna Valley and Randjesfontein.

In 2010, it was reported that the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality wished to annex Midrand from the City of Johannesburg, reportedly to boost the City of Tshwane's income, which was severely strained.^[3]

The city is relatively modern, having experienced much growth in the last decade. Many businesses have relocated there due to its proximity to good highway links and its location in the economic centre of Gauteng Province. Midrand's development has meant there is little break between the outskirts of Johannesburg and those of Pretoria, and the Gauteng Provincial Government envisages that, according to current growth trends, much of the province will be city by 2015.

Government

The South African Civil Aviation Authority is headquartered in Midrand.^[4] Midrand is also the location of the African Union's Pan-African Parliament and of the NEPAD secretariat.

Landmarks

Midrand has the largest^{[citation needed]} conference centre in South Africa which is known as Gallagher Estate which was built on the former site of Laerskool/Primary School Halfway House, which subsequently moved to new grounds near the firestation.

Education

The Midrand Graduate Institute and UNISA's Graduate School of Business Leadership is located in Midrand.

Sports

Kyalami, an international renowned racetrack is in Midrand and is the venue for many of South Africa's premier motor racing events. The South African Lipizzaners riding academy is situated in the smallholdings of Kyalami.

References

External links

• Midrand Chamber of Commerce
• Midrand Free Business Directory, Community Forum and Classifieds