Gauteng, South Africa · ZA

Sandton

Africa's richest square mile, and Johannesburg's business heart

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History & Heritage

From Stud Farm to Africa's Richest Square Mile

Sandton's name blends two of its founding suburbs, Sandown and Bryanston, on land originally settled by 19th-century Voortrekker families. It became a separate municipality on 1 July 1969, at the time a residential area of small holdings with a rural, equestrian lifestyle.

The turning point was commercial: Sandton City shopping mall opened on 12 September 1973 on what had been a stud farm, developed by Rapp & Maister. It opened with 120 stores and grew steadily, adding the Sandton Sun Hotel in 1984. Corporate Johannesburg followed the shops north through the 1990s as inner-city decay pushed businesses out of the CBD.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange, founded in 1887 near the original gold diggings, relocated to Sandton in September 2000 — the same year Sandton itself was folded into the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, ending 31 years of independent municipal status. Sandton City's adjoining square, opened in 1994, was renamed Nelson Mandela Square in 2004 after a six-metre bronze statue of Mandela — the first public statue of him in the country — was unveiled there.

Sandton today holds the bulk of Johannesburg's A-grade office space, directly linked by Gautrain to O.R. Tambo International and Pretoria. Its skyline is dominated by The Leonardo, completed in 2019 at 234m and 56 floors — the tallest building in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Key Historical Places

Places of Significance

Nelson Mandela Square

Opened in 1994 as Sandton Square, renamed in 2004 for the unveiling of a six-metre bronze Mandela statue — the first public Mandela statue in South Africa.

Landmark Shopping Photo Spot

↑ Visit at night when the statue and square are lit.

Johannesburg Stock Exchange building

Founded 1887 near the original goldfields, relocated to its current Sandton headquarters in September 2000; today handles the majority of Africa's total equity market value.

Finance Landmark

↑ It's a working exchange — admire the exterior rather than expecting a walk-in tour.

Liliesleaf Farm Museum

Secret headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe in Rivonia, within greater Sandton; raided by police in 1963, leading to the Rivonia Trial.

Rivonia Trial Mandela Museum

↑ Confirm current opening hours before visiting.

Alexandra Township

Established in 1912, bordering Sandton; one of the few areas where Black South Africans could hold freehold title before the 1913 Land Act, making it a hub of anti-apartheid resistance.

Township Tour History Contrast

↑ Visit only with a reputable, community-linked tour operator.

Timeline

1969
Sandton becomes an independent municipality, 1 July
1973
Sandton City shopping mall opens, 12 September
1984
Sandton Sun Hotel opens
1994
Sandton Square (now Nelson Mandela Square) opens
2000
JSE relocates to Sandton; absorbed into City of Johannesburg Metro
2004
Sandton Square renamed Nelson Mandela Square; Mandela statue unveiled
2010-2012
Gautrain opens; Sandton station becomes a central hub
2019
The Leonardo completed — tallest building in South Africa

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