Telkom Joburg Tower, Johannesburg

The Telkom Jo’burg Tower is a telecommunications tower, situated in the affluent northern suburb of Hillbrow, close to Constitution Hill. It is known locally as the Hillbrow Tower, but was for many years named after JG Strijdom, a former South African Prime Minister. The current name refers to Telkom, South Africa’s largest telecoms company, and Jo’burg, a popular informal name for the city. The tower is the tallest structure in the entire continent of Africa, at 883 feet. Completed in 1971, it was also the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere for seven years, before being overtaken by the Mount Isa chimney in the Australian outback.

Like similar towers in many other world cities, the Telkom Jo’burg Tower was required to be significantly taller than all other buildings at the time. At one time, it was one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, and housed a revolving restaurant at its summit. Sadly, the tower has been closed to the public since 1981 for security reasons. It is still one of Johannesburg’s most recognisable landmarks. In 2010, when the FIFA World Cup was staged in South Africa – with the final played in Johannesburg – a giant soccer ball was fitted to the middle of the tower.