Alberton, Gauteng

The Soul of the South

The town of Alberton lies along the banks of the Natal Spruit in the East Rand of Gauteng. It is primarily a residential area with its residents commuting to the nearby city of Johannesburg, only 15 km’s away, or other surrounding suburbs to make a living.

From a town planning perspective, Alberton is truly unique in that is does not have a reason for its location apart from its proximity to the major population centres which also includes Pretoria. The area offers a variety of shopping malls and entertainment facilities. The community is “close knit” and Alberton hosts a fair amount of events providing plenty of family fun for its residents throughout the year.

Alberton, although situated in the East Rand of Gauteng, is considered a suburb of Johannesburg South placing it in close proximity with Soweto and its many attractions for tourists. Soweto tours can be arranged and there are popular Museums, sporting venues as well as the popular and well known Gold Reef City which offers live music, mine tours and a fun fair theme park with rides for all ages.

There are an abundance of wonderful restaurants and the town offers accommodation in all forms from luxury Hotels and Lodges to self-catering apartments and camping and caravan parks.

Places to Visit

Things to do and see

• Rondebult Bird Sanctuary
• Rietvlei Boeremark
• Rietvlei Zoo Farm
• Jackson Dam
• Alberton Dam
• Alberton City
• East Rand Mall
• South Rand Mall
• Reading Golf Course
• Sun Valley Golf Course
• Glen Vista Golf Course
• Gold Reef City
• FNB Stadium (Soccer City)
• Mandela House Museum , Soweto
• Hector Pieterson Museum , Soweto

Climate

Alberton receives most of its rainfall during mid-summer, from December to February.

Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 14˚C and 27˚C.

Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 0˚C and 17˚C.

Transport

There are daily domestic and international flights into O R Tambo International Airport and Alberton is approximately 30 km away via the N12. Car rental companies are located at the Airport.

Festivals

April / May – Lusito Land Festival: A Portuguese inspired festival with tasty Portuguese cuisine, live entertainment from some of SA’s hottest bands and plenty of good fun and entertainment for all ages. This is a week-long festival!

August – Alberton Annual Multicultural Festival: A festival of music, good food and entertainment to celebrate the many nationalities and cultures in the Alberton community.

September – Krank’d Up Festival: This music festival has become a staple diet, since 2012, for alternative rock and metal fans in South Africa.

October – JHB South Family Festival: Held at the Rietvlei Zoo Farm, the 2 day festival offers plenty of fun filled family fun including the annual Toddler Mr & Miss Johannesburg South.

December – Alberton Day & Music Festival: The festival runs over 3 days, inviting the whole community to a weekend of plenty activities. Fun fair, craft market, food stalls, beer garden, motor shows, live music, kiddies rides and a theme park plus much more!

History

Alberton’s history goes back to when Johannes Petrus Meyer, a thirteen year old boy, bought an eleven hectare portion of his step-fathers farm, Elandsfontein. He built his first home close to where the Civic Centre stands today. After the death of his first wife in 1870 he decided to open a general store on the Klipriviersberg Farm. In 1890 Jan built his mansion which is still standing today, miraculously untouched during the war.

After the death of Jan, General Albertus purchased a part of the Elandsfontein Farm and split it up to sell. When it came time to name the new town, because the original Meyer family came from Prince Albert in the Cape, he decided to name it Alberton. Many of Alberton’s streets are named after prominent Anglo-Boer War figures.