![]() DRD Gold South Africa, the owners of the dump, are adamant that they will remove it, reclaiming as much gold as is possible, particularly as the gold price is buoyant at the moment. ”It is our opinion that the dump is a unique feature in the Johannesburg landscape and current pollution from the dump must be quantified to back the pollution claims, for its removal,” say the archaeologists.Īerial photo of the Top Star Drive-In (via Heritage Scoping Report compiled by Matakoma Heritage Consultants in 2006)īut a fight is brewing. The argument in favour of removing the dump involves the removal of a source of surface water contamination and air pollution from dust, as well as freeing up valuable land for development. The authors lament the fact that “very few of the historical mining structures have been preserved or documented in the past and a rich history has been destroyed”. Together with its neighbouring slimes dam, a finer-grade dump now covered by light-industrial warehouses, it is part of the Park Central suburb.įor the past 20 years Joburg’s dumps have gradually been reclaimed so that there has been “a major change to the cultural landscape and skyline of Johannesburg and surrounding areas”. It is occasionally used for media launches, film shoots and concerts but movies have not been shown at the venue since June this year. The drive-in, offering wonderful panoramic views of the city and southern Joburg, is looking shabby and neglected. The conversion of the dump to a drive-in occurred in the early 1960s, and although the drive-in is therefore relatively young, it represents a “unique social phenomenon”, before television came to South Africa in 1976, according to archaeologists Wouter Fourie and Jaco van der Walt, who compiled an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the dump. The back of the massive screen (Lucille Davie) The 50m tall Top Star dump, typical of dozens of dumps immediately south of the city centre, has a special significance for Joburgers because they recall going to the drive-in and watching movies with the city’s skyscrapers as a stunning backdrop. Many mine dumps have already been reclaimed, and the remaining soil has been deposited in two huge dumps being created alongside Nasrec. Sophisticated technology now enables the mining industry to extract fine traces of gold from the dumps, not possible 100 years ago when the dumps were created. Published in the August provincial gazette, the protection is a measure to slow down the progressively changing landscape of the southern suburbs of the city, as well as save some mine dumps as heritage items. The Top Star Drive-in, a landmark of the city, has been saved from reclamation by a two-year protection proclamation but this will soon be challenged in court. Despite talk of redevelopment the site remains vacant in 2018. The articles were written by journalist Lucille Davie between 20. ![]() The series of articles below tells the story of the controversy surrounding the destruction of the Top Star Dump and Drive-In.
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