Sandton is the financial and commercial heart of Johannesburg, often described as “Africa’s richest square mile”. It is home to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), major South African banks and the headquarters of numerous multinational companies.
At the centre of the district is Sandton City, one of Africa’s largest shopping malls, packed with high-end retailers and international brands. Right next to it is Nelson Mandela Square, a lively public space surrounded by restaurants and cafés and dominated by a six-metre bronze statue of Nelson Mandela.
We took our walk from Sandton Gautrain Station, around Maude St and Alice Ln, to see Sandton City and The Leonardo, standing at 234 metres, the tallest building in South Africa. We ended the walk at Nelson Mandela Square, where we had our lunch at Hard Rock Café.
The name Sandton comes from a combination of several original local areas and farms, including Sandown, Bryanston, and Zandfontein. During the 19th century, Voortrekker families settled on farms such as Zandfontein and Driefontein. By the 1930s and 1940s, the area had become a peaceful northern extension of Johannesburg, characterised by large country estates, open land and horse-riding trails.
As Johannesburg expanded, wealthy residents of the northern suburbs increasingly wanted greater local control rather than being governed directly from the city. Their efforts eventually led to the creation of the independent Sandton municipality in 1969.
A major turning point came in 1973, when developers opened the enormous Sandton City shopping centre. The project transformed the area’s retail landscape and helped attract major businesses away from the increasingly congested Johannesburg CBD.
Over the following decades, financial institutions, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and multinational corporations increasingly relocated their headquarters to Sandton. The district grew into the modern business powerhouse we see today.
Sandton eventually lost its independent municipal status and became part of the greater City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Nevertheless, it remains the city’s financial heartbeat — a striking contrast to the historic mining town from which Johannesburg grew.
Parking location – Johannesburg – Edenvale: 26.1427729S 28.1848257E (🚻,🚿,🏊,💦,🔌,🫧,🅿️200 ZAR)