A brief introduction to Johannesburg

Makers Valley is a diverse, entrepreneurial neighbourhood in the east of Johannesburg, South Africa.

‘Joburg,’ ‘Jozi,’ ‘eGoli,’ ‘City of Gold,’ as Johannesburg is called by its inhabitants, is located in Gauteng (‘pronounced gow-teng’), the smallest, most populated, and wealthiest of South Africa’s nine provinces. Johannesburg’s commercial activities are the largest on the continent of Africa and as a result the city attracts millions of people to live and work there.

The extremely rich and the very poor live side by side in the city highlighting the stark inequality that has characterised South Africa’s development since the start of colonisation. Unemployment is high; a significant percentage of the city live in inadequate housing; and approximately 1.6 million people in the city live in poverty.

Where is Makers Valley?

Makers Valley is the unofficial name referring to an area very close to the inner city of Johannesburg. Only a 15 minute drive or 30 minute bus ride from the central business dictrict (CBD) of Johannesburg, Makers valley has a mixture of residential, commercial and light industrial buildings.

What is Makers valley?

The name Makers Valley is derived from the fact that making (of various types) has been a part of this area’s key activities for many decades. This whole area has long been home to industrial businesses and manufacturers such as car panel beaters and furniture makers. In recent times, the name Makers Valley has been used to describe the area due to the emergence of a new generation of ‘makers’ in the area, broader in scope than the traditional industrial manufacturers to now include artisans, gardeners, creatives, and small scale crafts and producers building on the embedded culture of making.

As well as being the name of the neighbourhood, Makers Valley, also refers to the location steering committee which aims to create a clean, safe, productive and inclusive inner city for all residents and people who travel to the area for work or to visit. One of their key concerns is gentrification pricing local residents out of the area as its positive reputation grows.

Who lives in Makers Valley?

Almost 50% of the residents of Makers Valley are from other African countries including Senegal, Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo and some believe this diverse demographic contributes significantly to the entrepreneurial spirit of the area.

What's next?

For the 2019/20 Engineering for People Design Challenge, we ask you to discover more about Makers Valley and propose engineering innovations and interventions that could make a difference and add to existing projects and initiatives underway.