Walk along this pedestrianised street from the Carlton Centre to Chancellor House in downtown Joburg to see the covered wagons, stamp presses, and old headgear that have been preserved from Joburg’s early gold rush years.
There’s extensive signage outlining how Joburg’s earliest mines first worked, while the beautiful facades of the grand mining headquarters and various monuments lining the way, including the famous bronze leaping impalas outside the Anglo American building, are another highlight.
The mining houses have moved on, along with Joburg's mining wealth, but Main Street in 2025 is in a state of positive change. Anglo American has moved its head office out of the city and instated the private-sector coalition Jozi My Jozi, a movement for social change rooted in the values of the South African Constitution, is at the grand 44 Main Street, while 45 Main across the way is now home to the Maharishi Invincibility Institute. On any day in the city, you'll meet the cadets from the security academy set up by Maharishi, who patrol this part of Joburg.
Don’t miss the small open-air Chancellor House exhibition (one block from the Anglo American building at the corner of Fox and Gerard Sekoto Streets) which details the work of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys who were based here in the 1950s. In front is Marco Cianfanelli’s extraordinary statue of a young Mandela Shadowboxing, a popular stop for photos. On weekdays, office workers enjoy the street cafés, and the area is kept spotlessly clean.
While taking a stroll on Main Street, make a detour to visit the nearby Standard Bank headquarters (5 Simmonds St) where a small but fascinating museum showcases an old mine tunnel, Ferreira's Stope, uncovered in the 1980s (open during banking hours).
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