Benoni South Africa
Benoni is a town in the Ekurhuleni municipality within the Gauteng province in South Africa.
Benoni lies 5,419 feet (1,652 m) above sea level and covers two sides of a valley that borders four lakes.
Located in the East Rand region of Gauteng, a large suburban area east of Johannesburg, the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality serves as the local government for the region. As well as being one of the eight metropolitan municipalities of South Africa, Ekurhuleni is also one of the five districts of Gauteng province.
Following the discovery of gold in 1887, Benoni was established as a mining camp. Benoni was officially proclaimed a town in 1907, thanks to the landscaped valley developed by Sir George Farrar, local mining chairman. It is now part of the Witwatersrand industrial complex, where it is particularly known for its iron and steel works and brass foundries. Northwest of the city is the O.R. Tambo International Airport
Some facts about Ekurhuleni
Place of Peace : Ekurhuleni means “place of peace” in XiTsonga.
What Benoni is famous for ….
- Oliver Reginal Thambo – Famous Politician
- Charlize Theron – South African actress
- Charlene nee’ Wittstock – Princess of Monaco
- Morris Khan – Israeli billionaire
- Frith van der Merwe – most prolific female runner in the history of the Iconic Comrades Marathon
A politician – an award-winning actress …. a princess … a billionaire and a Comrades icon!
Benoni was also known for a movie! Crazy Monkey: Straight Outta Benoni, released internationally in 2005, was also filmed in Benoni
Famous Ladies of Benoni first!
Charlize Thereon, Charlene Princess of Monaco, and Frith van der Merwe are three very famous South African ladies! Who would have thought that all have strong links to Benoni?
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni as an only child of Gerda Thereon (nee’ Maritz) and Charles Theron. She was raised on a farm outside the town and attended the local school until she moved to a boarding school that specialised in the arts. She showed talent as a ballet dancer, an actress, and a model which resulted in her traveling to Europe and the United States to further her career. Sadly a knee injury put paid to her ballet dancing but Charlize was not deterred. With the help of her mother, she traveled to Los Angeles and worked her way up through B-films, non-speaking parts, and some with only seconds of screen time. This hard work and passion for wanting to ‘make it’ resulted in a succession of highly acclaimed roles. From The Devil’s Advocate in 1997, The Italian Job in 2003 and to Monster in 2003 she earned her Best Actress Oscar. Since then she has had many high-profile roles and received her third Oscar nomination. She is still a proud South African!
Charlene nee’ Wittstock
Charlene nee’ Wittstock – was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to Michael Wittstock and Lynnette nee’ Humberstone. Her family were of German origin and had fled to Africa to escape hardship. The family relocated to Benoni in South Africa in 1989 when Charlize was 12 years old. In Benoni Charlize attended the Tom Newby Primary School situated at 10 Master St, Airfield Benoni. Charlene began her swimming career in 1996. She was very successful resulting in her winning three gold medals and one silver medal in the 1999 All-African Games in Johannesburg. She also represented South Africa at the 1998 and 2002 Common Wealth Games and in 2002 Summer Olympics as a member of the 4 x 100m Women’s medley team. In addition to training and racing in the pool, she gave swimming lessons to underprivileged children. In 2007 she regained her title as South Africa’s50-metre backstroke final at the Telkom SA National Aquatic Championships.
She had planned to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in China but a shoulder injury hampered her training schedule and she did not qualify. However, behind the scenes, a romance with a real prince was evolving. Charlene met Albert II, Prince of Monaco at a swimming meet in Monaco and their relationship blossomed. In 2010 the palace announced their engagement and the wedding, which had to fit in with Charlene’s swimming calendar, took place on 1 July 2011. Despite being the wife of a Prince in Europe Charlene has maintained her ties to South Africa. She wasa global ambassador for the Special Olympics which promotes the respect and inclusion and uses the power of sport to change lives. She has become a co-patron of a group of South African charities working with AIDS, underprivileged children, and the environment. Recently Charlene has experience ill-health which required her to have an extended recovery period before she returns to her duties.
Frith van der Merwe
Frith van der Merwe the Queen of the Comrades.
Frith, a student at Willowmoore High School in Benoni, first realised she could run fast when she had to compete in the school cross-country race. She thought of herself as an aspiring tennis player but when she won the cross-country she started running. So an illustrious running career began. In 1989 Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) club members were preparing for the Comrades Marathon. They were tasked with predicting their finishing times. Frith, now a Benoni High School teacher, predicted 6 hours 14 minutes – a prediction based on her previous wins and finishing times. But this slender young lady confounded all the sporting critics by pounding down to Durban in under 6 hours. Her historic record of 5hours 54minutes and 43 seconds still stands. This shattering of the record books came only a few weeks after she had set another course record in the Two Oceans Marathon. That record was only broken in 2022. She competed several more times in the Comrades Marathon setting female records for both up and down runs. Frith has won 53 marathons training mostly with the men in the BNAC. In 2012 she was honoured as Benoni Northerns Sports Club Best ever Sportsperson. Frith teaches at St Francis College Benoni.
Crazy Monkey : Straight Outta Benoni
You can find the Full Cast & Crew List here The Cast and Crew for Straight Outta Benoni
Benoni coat of arms
A rising sun symbolizes destiny, and an arm represents industry. South Africa’s springboks wear collars that represent gold mining, a symbol of the country. Located on the East Rand, Benoni is a mining and industrial town. The above “arms” seem to refer to mining, agriculture, industry, and sport
Benoni : Frequently Asked Questions
Does Benoni fall under Johannesburg?
Benoni is located in the Gauteng province of South Africa on the East Rand. Since 2000, the area has been administered by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which is part of the Greater Johannesburg region.
Is Benoni a suburb of Johannesburg?
Benoni is a town not a suburb. Situated on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa, approximately 26 kilometres east of Johannesburg, within the City of Ekurhuleni municipality
Areas of Benoni
The suburbs of Benoni are listed below:
- Actonville
- Airfield
- Alphen Park
- Benoni North Agricultural Holdings
- Brentwood Park
- Crystal Park
- Cloverdene
- Daveyton
- Etwatwa
- Fairleads
- Farrarmere
- Goedeburg
- Jatniel
- Lakefield
- Lakeside
- Mackenzie Park
- Morehill
- Norton Estates
- Northmead
- Northvilla
- Rynfield
- The Stewards
- Wattville
- Westdene
- Western Extension
