Morningside, JHB

The expensive upmarket suburb of Morningside is in the larger suburban area of Sandton, Johannesburg, the Gauteng Province of South Africa. If you imagine luxurious properties in gated communities, immaculate lawns, chic apartments, shopping convenience and excellent schools you have a picture of Morningside.

The elegant and stylish Morningside Shopping Mall is in the suburb for shopping made all the more convenient with the KaChing parking app.

Slightly removed from the commercial buzz of Sandton, Morningside is nonetheless close enough for travelers and visiting executives to make this suburb their base. The suburb is also a short distance from the main M1 highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Top 8 reasons to visit Morningside

1. Aside from being a business centre, Sandton is also South Africa’s premier shopping district. Spending a day at the Sandton City development – with 330 shops at the mall, conference centre, luxury hotels, theatres and some of the finest restaurants – is worthwhile. Free app available to negotiate your way around the complex.

2. A visit to Liliesleaf in Rivonia is a moving experience and tells the story of the farm where an anti-Apartheid organisation plotted to overthrow the then Apartheid government. It was here in 1963 that senior members of that organisation were arrested and the renowned Rivonia Treason Trial followed. Nelson Mandela was to receive life imprisonment.

3. For genuine handcrafted African products, the African Cultural Market at the Village Walk Shopping Centre is the recommended place to buy a unique keepsake.

4. The Noex Golf Academy in Morningside offers golf training that includes life skills such as discipline and visualisation. Some rather unusual methods are applied to help you improve your game. A driving range is on the premises, open until 21h30 most evenings.

5. Take an art tour of the Legacy group of hotels, and hosted by Art Afrique, to view some of the top South African art pieces acquired by this group. Over 50 artists are featured on the tour.

6. The 2ha Outspan Bird Sanctuary along a tributary of the Braamfontein Spruit (spring) is a tiny piece of bliss to wander amongst the greenery. Be on the lookout for the 100+ bird species recorded here.

7. Take a drive into Johannesburg to experience the vibrancy of this city. Stop at the Diagonal Street market to view the traditional muti (medicine) on display, then on to the Newtown Cultural Precinct before ending the day bungee jumping from an old cooling tower, 33 stories up, in Soweto.

8. Montecasino has won the Best Entertainment Complex award in the past for obvious reasons; the complex has fun for the entire family, late night shopping, movies, international acts and unique entertainment such as Madame Zingara’s dinner cirque show.

Transport

Morningside is 25 minutes from OR Tambo International Airport. National flights arrive and depart from Lanseria Airport, a 35 minute drive north west of Morningside. The Gautrain (express rail service) operates between the airport and Sandton, the nearest stop from Morningside. There are a number of metered taxi and shuttle service companies operating in Sandton or you could register with Uber and order a ride via your mobile phone. Use Shesha Tuks for location hopping in Sandton.

Did you know?

The Lycée Français Jules Verne is a French school in Morningside. It is the examination hub for all other French schools in South Africa. The school was established here in 1991 and has a strong rugby tradition.

The African Oral History Archive is a non-profit organisation based in Morningside. The organisation’s goal is to record narratives of stories handed down over generations to better understand the past.