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@Swm94452 жыл бұрын
You/your writer are indeed correct! Songdo would be a lovely topic to cover.
@norickreineke83492 жыл бұрын
Su-47 please make a video about it
@norickreineke83492 жыл бұрын
Make a video about Su-47 berkut
@fredred83712 жыл бұрын
Video starts at 0:20
@Zach-ku6eu2 жыл бұрын
You're refusing to touch the Ukrainian siege! Get some balls for your 5 channels of content ya' cowards!
@qzwxas1002 жыл бұрын
I live in South Africa and have never heard about this🤦♂️
@TheBooban2 жыл бұрын
I don’t think its worthy of a mega project episode.
@RR-ri4vn2 жыл бұрын
@@TheBooban why not
@ismailkoya662 жыл бұрын
same here and I consider myself to be somewhat up-to-date with current local and international affairs
@cashmagesh51352 жыл бұрын
@@TheBooban 1st heard of this in 2013, been wondering what happened coz it since was no news for years after
@foxbat4732 жыл бұрын
Me tooo🤣🤣🤣
@AnotherPointOfView9442 жыл бұрын
According to various online information, including Wikipedia, Johannesburg is the largest city in S. Africa, but NOT a capital city. The country's administrative capital is Pretoria (Tshwane), legislative capital is Cape Town and judicial capital is Bloemfontein (Mangaung).
@RichardChemaly2 жыл бұрын
It is, however, the capital of Gauteng Province and holds the provincial legislature :P
@pholosombethe10982 жыл бұрын
And its the commercial capital! But hey, facts boy told me way more things I didnt know about my country so I'll forgive that initial error :)
@Albatrossamongus2 жыл бұрын
On paper perhaps, but Johannesburg is the de facto capital city of South Africa.
@Sam-fy6gu2 жыл бұрын
@Kgothatso Nthite Not of africa. Nigeria has taken over South Africa so it would be Lagos that's the capital. SA is still slipping n the ppl of sa still think they doing well coz they not like the rest of africa since the white man built everything n its just taking time to wither away. Lol.
@oarabiletshwagong17362 жыл бұрын
Well I think Johannesburg may also be considered the 4th capital because it's the lagest, busiest and most financially important city in our country and it hosts the constitutional court.
@waltherziemerink2 жыл бұрын
As a South-African, I can Guarantee you that nobody thought this to be 1) NY of Sa and 2) that this project will actually be completed. The ANC smokes it's own dung and gets high on the fumes incompetence.
@emmanuelrufai64712 жыл бұрын
Hahaha well said 😂
@scottwarwick75142 жыл бұрын
Literally 😂😂😂 It would never have truly been intended to take over Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, etc.
@GreaseJB2 жыл бұрын
Yeah just a money scheme. lol
@talyah232 жыл бұрын
This rubbish project had nothing to do with the ANC...another corrupt Chinese company comes into Africa and wants to steal and abuse land like Europe use to and was stopped. Your comments aren't even factual and simping for the CCP isn't going to earn you brownie points.
@Unknown-yn4pk Жыл бұрын
it must be because of colonization. ANC is not to blame.
@figure_04912 жыл бұрын
Yes! Give us Songdo South Korea!! Inform me Fact Boi.
@gmoney49802 жыл бұрын
He's gonna Blaze our brains..
@phomo5612 жыл бұрын
We already have Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban - we should be improving these cities instead of trying to grow poor old modderfontein into a mega city 😂🤣
@anjavandermerwe26572 жыл бұрын
Right! When Simon spoke about the city just outside of Johannesburg, I just immediately thought Pretoria.
@phomo5612 жыл бұрын
@@anjavandermerwe2657 😂😂 I don’t blame you - after all, we are close to actually merging the cities - there are many undeveloped areas slow converging between the jhb northern suburbs and centurion, heading towards Pretoria
@murrayscott95462 жыл бұрын
agreed.those are natural places for sustainable cities. they exist /endure fora reason .
@jairuskteo2 жыл бұрын
Maybe name a city, New Cape Town or New Durban next to the old city. To build new housing for residents.
@salvatoreshiggerino68102 жыл бұрын
@Lol Lol It's essentially just another form of apartheid, but with gangsters as the privileged class.
@malcolmgower10052 жыл бұрын
Im from South Africa and I grew up in Modderfontien. I went to school there, played in the streams and in the pine forests around our house. We lived in number 11 Antwerp street. These people demolished my childhood home to resurect an unfinished horrid building in its place. Just as a side note. That house I grew up in, in from 1993 to 2009 was just on 100 years old.
@simsnyandeni38282 жыл бұрын
Joh askies
@MrEvansjethro2 жыл бұрын
Good for you. Our parents were denied a decent living because of their skin colur. Who cares? I don't.
@styre2 жыл бұрын
Greetings from Lombardy East
@TipOfAfrica00102 жыл бұрын
@@styre you mean modderfontein extension...🤣🤣
@palesamogorosi89392 жыл бұрын
So?
@ignitionfrn22232 жыл бұрын
2:55 - Chapter 1 - The vision 5:10 - Mid roll ads 6:20 - Chapter 2 - The complications 10:30 - Chapter 3 - The end
@nqobilemsomi36562 жыл бұрын
So happy to see you cover South African projects. I feel like we dodged a huge bullet and as many problems as my country has. This was one we did not need
@styre2 жыл бұрын
You know for a fact ukuthi a few years later there was going to be a 'Moderfontein New City corruption scandal' if it happened
@nqobilemsomi36562 жыл бұрын
@@styre dude hahaha 🤣what do you call them, commissions. Moderfontein Commission 😅
@Jinxanpeanut2 жыл бұрын
@@nqobilemsomi3656 commissions hahahahahahaha i cant stop laughing, thankyou nkosi
@Chimpira7772 жыл бұрын
We dodged the chinese neo-capitilism bullet more like it.. to some extent.
@lucian53892 жыл бұрын
@@Chimpira777 too bad they have more than one round in the chamber...
@WetenskapSuiderland2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video on South Africa. I know Modderfontein well, have spent some time there.The area that the city was to be be built on was originally owned by AECI, a chemicals company that grew big by becoming South Africa's largest producer of explosives used in mining, amongst other things, and the Modderfontain lands was where their factory was stationed, far enough away from anything else so that if it blew up the damage would be limited, yet close enough to make delivery of explosives to the mines across the greater Witwatersrand area fairly easy. The 'reserve' was not really much, and as far as I remember there was a really big issue with the water on the Modderfontein lands due to poisonous run off from the chemical factory. Beautiful patch of land though. Again, thanks for the video.
@RAFAEL-haufo2 жыл бұрын
The reserve was awesome beautiful, did you ever mountain bike there? They have removed the antelope that roamed free there, to build more tiny units all around the area which continually encroach on the reserve
@mvelimolata29682 жыл бұрын
Currently half of moodderfontein is owned by a Chinese lady and she has build beautiful expensive town houses there
@GreaseJB2 жыл бұрын
jy praat net kak
@nelmieskinner28502 жыл бұрын
Thanks Fact Boi, I love it when you do a video on South Africa. I grew up about 10 kilometers from Modderfontein and I can tell you that area will never be able to be developed into anything even close to resembling those designs. It’s an industrial area where explosions can still be heard on the odd occasion.
@RAFAEL-haufo2 жыл бұрын
Used to be. Get with the times
@302racing32 жыл бұрын
Can you cover the National Mall in Washington DC where all the museums are located? It’s an immense operation maintaining all the artifacts Edit: Or maybe that’s a better geographics but either way
@pretzelhunt2 жыл бұрын
..In The Shadows
@brianwilson34582 жыл бұрын
It would g well for either.
@hueykratos2 жыл бұрын
As a South African i didnt even know this happened😂😂😂
@stevecrozet3062 жыл бұрын
it didnt
@kabelomokoala3592 жыл бұрын
Same here. Eish our government is a joke man
@kmakumane2582 жыл бұрын
@@stevecrozet306 from what i remember it was going to happen, until the government realised that it would exist only to serve rich people and foreigners. it was basically going to be a luxury place where most local people wouldnt be able to afford to live.
@stevecrozet3062 жыл бұрын
@@kmakumane258 exactly. It was a non starter
@dannyarcher63702 жыл бұрын
@@kabelomokoala359 Stop voting for it then.
@mosesnaiker14182 жыл бұрын
Hey Simon , Massive fan here . I purchased a home in Modderfontein and its vastly different to the pictures used . The visuals dont do it any justice you should visit or google more recent pics . Conveniently located next to one of the busiest commerce strips in South Africa (Sandton) but quiet enough so that you aren't in constant traffic .
@amandawatson59312 жыл бұрын
You mean Greenstone, surely?
@AvinashSewpersadh2 жыл бұрын
Lol @ Moses Comment
@mikespencer49222 жыл бұрын
Bollocks.... Sandton is about 20km away as the crow flies. In between is one of the most densly packed crime slums in the world known as Alex.
@AvinashSewpersadh2 жыл бұрын
@@mikespencer4922 its
@bravebeauty58862 жыл бұрын
Modderfontein is also a heritage site due to its contribution to the history of the mining industry. This is an additional reason for the project rejection. I grew up there during the 80's. Most of the surrounding area outside of the neighbourhood (not village) was farmland for hundreds of kms.
@MJ-ps5pd2 жыл бұрын
I'm glad this failed. I go hiking in the Modderfontein Reserve all the time. Much better than an urban jungle!
@RandB_Aquatics2 жыл бұрын
The area in question is actually developing, just that its going at a slow pace. I go through the area a lot of times a month and there has been a lot of new housing complexes, warehouses and other facilities. Roads being constructed there gives you all the hints u may ask for. Each street end is pointing to something coming up in the near future. ThumPS UP SA
@wouterstassen44482 жыл бұрын
One word, corruption, makes all projects fail in SA.
@spritemon982 жыл бұрын
And Chinese are bad at building
@roblucci23662 жыл бұрын
What corruption?
@yanginkosintantiso71532 жыл бұрын
It was a good thing this failed.
@talyah232 жыл бұрын
This comment is just racist. This project failed as it didn't go through the correct channels to get clearance and wanted to steal land that was not only a nature reserve but being used to build housing for the poor. If anyone is corrupt it's the Chinese companies that come here and bring with all the staff so they only land up with tiny creation and they pay slave wages. You have no idea what you're talking about.
@ferdi54072 жыл бұрын
Thank goodness we who live near Modderfontein can continue to enjoy the natural beauty of the reserve. That new city could never have happened. The 'locals' knew that from the start...
@roblucci23662 жыл бұрын
The Chinese people were just super arrogant, they wanted to do things their own way and didn't want to cater to the government's proposal
@jason65702 жыл бұрын
Couldn't agree more, I've been Mountain biking in Modders reserve for many years now, would be very sad to see it go so I'm really glad this project flopped!
@williamashurst59122 жыл бұрын
You should do an episode on Kusile and Medupi Power Stations, more on how billions are mismanaged, stolen, and just dissapeard.
@Mmeme20232 жыл бұрын
I'm a SAn living and working in sandton Central and I have the occasional business meetings in modderfontein. In my opinion, building a 'city' where the entry level rent is R8k a month is not feasible for rapid growth. If the average income range is R8k - R22k, 1. lower earners cannot afford to live there 2. higher earners want to buy/own property. I've seen these mega developments go up with "rentals only" signs posted. 3. most SAns prefer free standing homes over the loft living concept that is sold here.
@sphedladla1652 жыл бұрын
Very true
@RV-hg2fn2 жыл бұрын
South Africa has three capitals (Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Pretoria), Johannesburg isn't one of them.
@world98062 жыл бұрын
Joburg its a capital of Gauteng
@mfihlondwandwe90822 жыл бұрын
@@world9806 Gautebg yes, South Africa No.
@candyshoe25182 жыл бұрын
@@world9806 🙄..u dnt knw wat u talking about
@emmanuelrufai64712 жыл бұрын
It has 9 provincial capitals. Pretoria is the Capital. Johannesburg is the commercial capital
@dannyarcher63702 жыл бұрын
@@emmanuelrufai6471 There is no "commercial capital"
@irnhmmr2 жыл бұрын
First I ever heard of this project. However, on the other side of the City of Johannesburg, a more successfull new city is being constructed by mostly local investors. Waterfall city has expanded exponentially in the past decade. Partly modeled on the successful Sandton City only about a dozen kilometers south of Waterfall. Simon could do 2 part episodes of both Sandton and Waterfall
@EU_Red_Fox2 жыл бұрын
Idk while that’s interesting and promising, anything with SA I’d wait on lol. They always seem to be ready to mess up thing in the name of ‘fixing’ the last or just straight up corruption due to one-party rule without thinking through how to best do things. However waterfall city seems to be a decent private investment that keeps out the bullshit.
@Rampiesat2 жыл бұрын
Excellent suggestion.
@dorrienvenables30572 жыл бұрын
Waterfall would have been a better (actual) megaproject to cover
@ravenblack70522 жыл бұрын
Want to know something interesting about Waterfall City? The land was held in trust by two Afrikaner brothers for a Muslim family who purchased it from them during Paul Kruger's presidency. The brothers then essentially operated as proxies for the land. The land was finally legally transferred to the rightful owners at the end of apartheid. Both families held the trust over 3 generations. Who says we can't all get along? Waterfall city has been built on the land on a 99 year lease.
@BustaHymen2 жыл бұрын
You should do a video on Naypidaw. Strangest city I ever visited. Went there for work in 2014, maybe things have changed since then, but there were no people there.. Lots of buildings, nice roads (12 lane highway leading in and out of the city, but me and my colleague were the only ones travelling on it). Same thing with the hotel, 5 star luxury hotel and me and my colleague were the only guests. Surreal. I guess the only inhabitants were the animals from Yangoon's zoo, which were moved to the new capital once it was finished.
@silk14352 жыл бұрын
Interesting, I only know of the place thanks to the Top Gear special that went through there
@BustaHymen2 жыл бұрын
@@silk1435 Aah, cool! Thanks for the tip, will have to watch that episode. Guess you can't go there anymore, but it's a very interesting country. Wonderful people (in the inhabitated citiies :D )
@BustaHymen2 жыл бұрын
I misspelled Yangon. Sorry.
@murrayscott95462 жыл бұрын
Die Aantword ?
@silk14352 жыл бұрын
@@murrayscott9546?
@TheQuickSilver1012 жыл бұрын
Wow. Most megaprojects featured here are great for one reason or another. This one was a mega failure. At least it was interesting to learn about. Thank you!
@johnlshilling14462 жыл бұрын
You missed the Great Part... China and its investment partners lost everything! THAT'S a positive worthy of the Mega title...
@GhostWolf564262 жыл бұрын
Please cover the SKA and Meerkat radio telescope projects. Oh, and the capital city of South Africa is Pretoria.
@jeandrebosman2 жыл бұрын
3. Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town
@booksbicycles71832 жыл бұрын
The cruelest joke of it all: despite this failure, our government is planning on building four more "cities": The Mooikloof Mega City east of Pretoria The Lanseria "smart" City around Lanseria International Airport An African Coastal Smart City (their words, not mine) in the Eastern Cape on the Wild Coast Nkosi City on the boarder of the Kruger National Park (one of our biggest tourist attractions - genius idea, I know....) [Hello from South Africa, bye the way!]
@justcarcrazy2 жыл бұрын
They can't even fix the roads, how will they build anything new?
@louisjordaan70962 жыл бұрын
I love to see how many of my fellow south africans watch Simons vides
@warrengans13462 жыл бұрын
I don't think Lanseria is such a bad idea: look at what's going on in Ballito and UmDloti thanks to the new airport
@digithuman2 жыл бұрын
They are even planning a city in O.R. Tambo international airport
@karabochamp82042 жыл бұрын
Lanseria Megacity has been scrapped the direct contractor in charge ran Bust
@marchismo85142 жыл бұрын
Never thought the Zendai development would make your videos! Yes it was quite unbelievable. The thought of how unaffordable the city like that would be for working people was quite funny. It is very difficult to enter and even harder to maintain a middle class lifestyle in South Africa. It's a small group of 5-8 million people who pay all the taxes (I.e., can't afford to escape all the taxes) and buy all the consumables that drive the economy. There are no safety nets and the cost of maintaining a basic middle class life is so high relative to job opportunities that it's a quick slippery slope down into the poverty bracket if you make a mistake. This tiny group of people has the weight of the rest of the nation (~50 million other people) on their shoulders, with most of the population either unemployed (>50% youth unemployment and 27% general unemployment) or earning below the annual income tax threshold (~£3900/yr). The solution is much more complicated than what a 6 billion dollar "smart city" could provide.
@benkmarchant2 жыл бұрын
Why do so few of the population bear the burden?
@homuraakemi4932 жыл бұрын
@@benkmarchant because diversity became their strength 🤡
@daduzadude15472 жыл бұрын
@@benkmarchant massive unemployment. Only half of the country has work, and most of those don’t pay taxes as their earnings are under the tax threshold.
@marchismo85142 жыл бұрын
@@daduzadude1547 Exactly. Half the youth population (ages 15 - 34 according to Stats SA) can't find work. It has massive impacts on their lives, their families, and the economy. The solution pushed by our leaders is for everyone to become entrepreneurs in lieu of the "4th industrial revolution", as if millions of young, inexperienced, desperate people can suddenly spot millions of profitable, low capital gaps in the market, and not be outperformed and undercut by entrepreneurs from the West and East who are decades ahead of us in the race. It's basically a survival of the fittest situation.
@andrewallen99932 жыл бұрын
@@benkmarchant Because 95% of the population are a certain ethnic group.
@xileras2 жыл бұрын
Hi Simon! Haven't watched the whole video yet, but just wanted to point out that Johannesburg is not the capital of South Africa. South Africa actually has 3 capital cities, of which the "main" one is usually considered to be Pretoria.
@NjHourquebie2 жыл бұрын
As a resident of Greater Johannesburg (technically, Ekurhuleni, the metro next door), and a former resident of Linbro Park AH, which shares a border with Modderfontein, Simon is correct. Johannesburg is, indeed, the capital... of Gauteng, the smallest and richest province in the country.
@xileras2 жыл бұрын
@@NjHourquebie Right OK, thanks for clarifying the technicality. Every province has its own capital and Simon never mentioned Gauteng.
@brennedownie4192 жыл бұрын
I also live close to modderfontein and think it’s actually really confusing to be honest 🤨 Johannesburg is certainly the largest, most populated and wealthiest city in SA but my son (grade 9) is taught that the capital is Pretoria… if u have to choose one 😖 Go figure 🤷🏻♀️
@liamwinter45122 жыл бұрын
Are your crime rates as high as we across the globe are lead to believe?
@psykology92992 жыл бұрын
@@liamwinter4512 yes but no, you can go your whole life never experiencing any crime outside of corruption etc and maybe a pickpocket or 2 but it's there, our neighbour's were hospitalized after a farm attack for instance (they were attacked with machetes and pick handles) and shots can be heard frequently in most areas 🤷♂️
@gerhardbotha73362 жыл бұрын
I also lived in Modderfontein for a few years. I was aware of a mega development - something vastly different from a mega city. MF is less than 20km from Johburg CBD and Sandton and there are dozens of suburbs like MF around Johburg. So I can not see how this could be labelled a mega city attempt when you have a city complex that houses 6 million plus all around it already. I guess this is another project based on China's artificial credit for infrastructure projects. We opposed this project on some of the things they wanted to do - MF has a nice village atmosphere etc and we did not want that changed. I am sure many politicians wanted to enrich themselves in the process also. Great to see it came to nothing. Its a nice place to live with beautiful nature - If you want to join the rat race, you just have to drive about 5 minutes out. And the four lane roads are nice to use. Thank you to all the centralist communists involved.
@talyah232 жыл бұрын
Just another corrupt CCP project in Africa. Glad it was stopped! 🥳🇿🇦
@lehammsamm2 жыл бұрын
A video on Songdo sounds fabulous.
@robsloan82 жыл бұрын
This was my old neighbourhood and they moved all the animals from the nature reserve to another area. Sad to hear about this.
@EmilyJelassi2 жыл бұрын
What about all of the (nearly) empty cities that China has built over the years?
@hashira30312 жыл бұрын
The city was not worth it Waterfall City is building a city how a city should be built
@lindelanibramley34462 жыл бұрын
That modderfontein project was going to be a problem . As much as we need a new city more functional , we never needed something that fancy . We are a developing country we need things that will benefit everyone , that city was targeted to the rich and would have created a huge inequality gap. It represented nothing of South Africa and African . I’m glad it got scrapped .
@palesamogorosi89392 жыл бұрын
They never invest in developing townships or rural areas.
@AgKeClva_2 жыл бұрын
They also wanna build 4 more cities, which 2 are to be based in the smallest yet most populated province of Gauteng. They also said they will build Vaal River City in 2014, we are still waiting. From the Vaal 🇮🇹 with love, asbonge.
@matthewmoser12842 жыл бұрын
As soon as I heard "Chinese Investment firm" I was like "Ooooohhhh, that's why it failed. It's Economic Neocolonialism."
@psygremlin12 жыл бұрын
Just a note - Johannesburg isn't the capital of South Africa, but of Gauteng Province. Pretoria is the capital, up the road from Johannesburg & Modderfontein (which is still a suburb of Jo'burg at the moment)
@Tian.S2 жыл бұрын
Cape Town is a megalopolis. I think Jo'burg, too. Hell, maybe even Durban. Haven't traveled in a while, but Cape Town never ends as far as I've gone the last few years.
@ARWest-bp4yb2 жыл бұрын
Hey Simon, the Chinese seem to excel at building cities that no one wants! I would like to see to see a video about Songdo & Sejong City. My wife is Korean so I've been there lots of times, and they're constantly building/redeveloping. How about a video on the relocation of all the U.S. military bases north of the Han River to USAG/ Humphries in Pyeongtaek. This began around 2007 and is still going on. Wy wife worked on that for about eight years, and what little I saw it seemed pretty mega! 👍👍
@spritemon982 жыл бұрын
Not to mention that they break apart like tofu
@FatGouf2 жыл бұрын
Chinese excel setting up debt traps by partnering with foreign government making White Elephant projects.
@SeanBZA2 жыл бұрын
Don't worry, having not learned from this, they still want to make another 3, more for the ability to siphon off most of the money, than to actually have a functional city at the end.
@RachaelSA2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, now they planning to build one next to Kruger park. I'm not complaining cause I have land out there.
@DavidEvans_dle Жыл бұрын
As a person who went to school in NYC and worked in NYC. As soon as the "Smartest Person" in the room suggested. "Let's build the city in the likeness of NYC" - Someone else in the room should have said - "That's a no go!" and proceeded to evict him from the meeting.
@misslawless60212 жыл бұрын
I love the megaprojects videos so much
@jimBobuu2 жыл бұрын
Modderfontein, "Mud Fountain"? Wait. Is the the town that made Jayne Cobb famous?
@jonmel2 жыл бұрын
No that was Canton
@cjperry27312 жыл бұрын
So much for "Wakanda forever!" I guess lol..
@bruceboome2 жыл бұрын
Fascinating. I spent most of my teenage years in Modderfontein from about 1957. In those days it was a dynamite factory with company housing for the employees, with different areas for the hierarchy. Our house was a single story 3 bedroom residence with front and back gardens and veldt next door. In spite of its closeness to Johannesburg, it was quite rural. There were (much) worse places to grow up in.
@zzyzx00692 жыл бұрын
As soon as Simon said "...They wanna put it next to Johannesburg." I face palmed so hard. That's probably one of the dumbest ideas ever. Who in their right mind through that *that* was a good idea? "Let us build a mega-city right next to the biggest city in the entire country that also happens to be in smallest province in the entire country!" I'll go watch the rest of the video now. I finished watching the video now. I'm happy this failed. For once... The gubermint (well the city of Johannesburg municipality) actually did something good, and red taped the hell out of something that could have been bad. I wanted to call this another Chinese money trap but they kinda trapped themselves really. Zendai in it's confusion it wound up hurting itself. Thanks for the video Simon.
@christopherwalker50172 жыл бұрын
@Lol Lol South Africa is different , google waterfall city , or Menlyn Maine or Umhlanga
@nechyboi40642 жыл бұрын
@@christopherwalker5017 You're replying to a troll. Don't waste your energy
@gooiehoop202 жыл бұрын
Wow!!! You live and learn. From what I can remember Modderfontein was an ugly explosives factory. Anything Explosive in Modderfontein would be an industrial accident.
@VoidGaming422 жыл бұрын
Nice to see South Africa getting some attention.
@ElenarMT2 жыл бұрын
Utter failure though
@zoe.machethe2 жыл бұрын
Lol I've been wondering where the project evaporated to 🤣 I knew it was bound to fail when they referred to it as being like a city that would be found in China 🤣 At least Menlyn is slowly but surely becoming a modern New York city within a city.
@lornalong64682 жыл бұрын
The LAST thing South Africans want is to emulate a Chinese megacity 🙈🤣🤣
@ravenblack70522 жыл бұрын
Of course I knew of this project. Greenstone, Stoneridge, Longmeadow etc are also part of Modderfontein. I am from the north of Johannesburg and let's face it, most of us were chuffed that the Chinese failed to build their mega city. There was a huge concern at the time, that the Chinese company would erect the city using Chinese labour and materials thereby benefiting China only - pretty much as they had been doing in Angola. South Africans were just not going to have it. Well done Saffers on shutting them down. Maar ja, the China malls! Pretty certain none of them are paying taxes as well as getting away with encroaching on municipal land - practically hijacking public spaces.
@RAFAEL-haufo2 жыл бұрын
I live near modderfontein and hike and mountain bike there . We do NOT need more developments like this around Johannesburg, our city its too big crowded ugly polluted too many people! NO! And our green lung areas around here keep getting turned into developments with tiny units which enrich the developer's and corrupt anc officials! South Africa is a huge country, we need to build new cities towards the open areas and not on nature reserves!
@Zakster902 жыл бұрын
I know you guys are working on that 7 mile bridge episode by now right? 😉
@davidclinghamable2 жыл бұрын
I remember this story, they made such a huge hooha in the papers and we all thought it would be finished by 2020. I am glad it fell through.
@blacksupreme36042 жыл бұрын
IMO i really was rooting for this project as i have been a resident of this area for a basically my entire life and a mega city like this would've definitely benefited our neighbouring township Alexandra which we all know is basically the center of crime due to over population and riff poverty. But the job opportunity that has come from recent smaller projects such a Greenstone... Stoneridge and the like are great employers of many youth and elders from Alex. So i get disturbing nature etc... but we in need of investments in jobs. The more people we can get off the streets in our townships and into well paying honest living jobs, the better. Soooo i am a bit bummed that this project fell through and honestly hope something of it magnitude can become a reality in this area again. Im all about nature but at the rate of decline of our country... the job card definitely trumps the nature reserve card in terms of priority but i do commend the government for not folding at putting real needs of the city before wealth creation for the already wealthy. Side note: I think the current administration and our newly elected major Mpho Phalatse would've been supportive of a project like this but i know at the time of the erection of this project JHB was still under the ANC governments administration... and in simple words... "you know how that sh*t go"😅😅😅
@lornalong64682 жыл бұрын
I hear you and am with you if this could have been considerately & sustainable developed. Could have supplied well needed jobs for a considerable period of time. Too many crooks stirring the pot here.
@j.t.erasmus74862 жыл бұрын
Yes, do the video for Songdo. Thanks for awesome videos. J.T. - South Africa
@Lost4WordsAdventure2 жыл бұрын
liked this video fan from South Africa!
@e.gonnermann46462 жыл бұрын
The nature reserve area is a popular destination for Mtb enthusiasts. 9years ago our president painted Utopian pictures of sky trains and Chinese skyscrapers, to garnish voters... his little pie lasted less than two months...
@EAcapuccino2 жыл бұрын
Outstanding idea! Yes, Present this South Korean🇰🇷 city in the future if you please! Oh and maybe Chinese🇨🇳 infrastructure projects in the remote Tibetan plateau! Speaking of China, maybe so far unused built cities on Sideprojects? 😊👍👍
@ReinierFosch2 жыл бұрын
Have not watched this video yet. But did you know that "modderfontein" literally means Mudd fountain in Dutch? The more you know✌🏿😉
@kylesanders82762 жыл бұрын
My first thought was something like 'modern fountain', but mud fountain seems a more apt name
@ElenarMT2 жыл бұрын
LOL
@quadroblox48722 жыл бұрын
Means the samething in afrikaans
@simonh63712 жыл бұрын
@@quadroblox4872 Afrikaans derived from 17th century Dutch
@garyherbert2262 жыл бұрын
AECI were a client of mine in the mid 90's. Being a commercial property consultant, I was invited to get involved. Even as a "big thinker", I did not believe it would work. Time has proven my prediction to be accurate.
@sashennaidoo88922 жыл бұрын
I live in one of those “underwhelming” housing developments 🤦🏾♂️
@Bigbadredg14nt2 жыл бұрын
Tofu construction in South Africa! What could go wrong?
@gregculverwell2 жыл бұрын
Quite a few factual errors in this piece. A friend of mine was the Town Clerk (manager) of Modderfontein at the time development was in the planning stage. He showed me the their plans and he was very excited about it but when the Chinese came along he was pushed out It was not 'a backwater' it was an exclusion zone around a dynamite factory. When explosive technology began to take mining away from dynamite, they knew the plant's days were numbered and began to plan a new future for the area. The lack of enthusiasm for the project was not about political sensitivities, it was about the reluctance of the Chinese to pay large enough bribes to the mafia which runs the country to this day. Crooks don't like to be crooked. In fact most of the area (apart from the nature reserve) has been developed - light industrial, major shopping area and a mass of high rise apartments... built by the Chinese to the lowest possible standard & already crumbling (future slums). Interestingly this development is very similar to what was originally plann.
@Terminator-or6mo8 ай бұрын
South African here i learned about this from watching a recent episode about Nigeria's capital so ja i would never heard of it before until now thanks for not overlooking our nation even if it is to call out our leaders corruption
@Calysto9292 жыл бұрын
Nice, I live like 40km from Modderfontein and never knew about its history, FYI its "Modder-fon-Tyn" not tine XD
@RAFAEL-haufo2 жыл бұрын
You play too much candy crush
@Calysto9292 жыл бұрын
@Lol Lol Nederlands is nice maar eks n boertjie uit en uit.
@DFgamer10782 жыл бұрын
Johannesburg isn’t even one of the three capitols 😂
@RachaelSA2 жыл бұрын
But it is the financial hub and Joburg probably makes more money than all the others put together.
@brennedownie4192 жыл бұрын
Simon! This is fantastic! I live near 5 miles from Modderfontein. Never knew this story … thank you 🙏
@stroll-and-roll2 жыл бұрын
Interesting! I have never heard of this project before.
@stevecrozet3062 жыл бұрын
it has never existed thats why. It was spoken about many yearss ago but nothing came of the proposal
@safetyhealthenvironmentalq63332 жыл бұрын
I live in South Africa, Go to the Greenstone Mall. But never heard of this project. Just as well, for in the last 12 years, nothing has come off the ground as to mega projects. Balwin Properties and a few others are breaking ground on various projects, but to be honest, you need to earn government official salaries to live in those.
@capeorbobserver39032 жыл бұрын
Who knew that a plan based on Chinese coastal city wouldn't work in rural South Africa? Everyone except London-based consultants, apparently
@amandawatson59312 жыл бұрын
The Gautrain running through the Modderfontein nature reserve caused an incredible amount of damage.
@rickusjansenvanvuuren50322 жыл бұрын
Please keep an eye out for the Government's new "progressive initiative" - the *Mooikloof Mega City* on the outskirts of Pretoria East. This also should be a likewise entertaining project for you to keep an eye on. South Africa, Land where corruption, crime, poverty, empty promises and despair thrives...
@Yeezy7472 жыл бұрын
The problem was timing here. That was exactly the same time as waterfall’s development and that’s been on the books for years
@dylanriddell57782 жыл бұрын
Heeey, I grew up a few km from Modderfontein! I left the country around the time the discussions this were starting around this.
@AskChrisFirst2 жыл бұрын
I live 5 mins drive from here, and let me tell you, it is a dream to travel through there on my daily commute. There is zero traffic on the wide open roads. The greenery of the overgrown buildings does give it the post apocalyptic look, though.
@pamelamays41862 жыл бұрын
Suggestion: Pittsburgh Steel💛💙❤️
@michaelmitchell31622 жыл бұрын
I habe friends that live in Modderfontein and its a quiet, tranquil place in the middle of a bussy city. There are industrial waist dumps and home waist dumps located in that area aswell as very poor and violent areas. They didnt think this though at all.
@truebras2 жыл бұрын
Simon FYI, the capital of South Africa is Pretoria and not Johannesburg. It will be a shame if this mega project went ahead. So, many areas around Johannesburg lack decent infrastructure. Start from there not from fancy pet project. Chinese influence into countries of East Africa is nothing than astonishing. At least in Johannesburg, the local community has political power to voice against such project. But in countries where economy and administration are more tightly controlled by central government, signs of Chinese interests are very overt. South Africa's neighbor, Mozambique is riddled of Chinese led projects.If you ever being to the capital, Maputo, you know what I am talking about. Primarily, they are there to take country resources, such minerals and fishing back to China. What I personally saw in South Africa and Mozambique is that the population at large does benefit of these projects. On the contrary, they loose. Example: Chinese fishing trawlers are pushing local fishers to future extinction.
@petercowan63612 жыл бұрын
What the hell they cannot even fix ESCOM.
@russellfitzpatrick5032 жыл бұрын
Sadly China seems to have a fondness for creating such dreamscapes (the 'ghost' cities that dot the remote regions of the country), so this isn't really anything new ...., just that they've done it in someone else's. BTW Jo'burg isn't the captial ..., it's either Pretoria or Cape Town
@booksbicycles71832 жыл бұрын
We actually have three: CPT is the legislative capital, Bloemfontein is the judicial capital and Pretoria/Tshwane is the administrative capital. As with most things in this country... One would have been sufficient and saved a ton of money
@blacksupreme36042 жыл бұрын
Jhb is the capital city of the province...
@emmanuelrufai64712 жыл бұрын
It is Pretoria. Cape Town is the capital of the western cape
@Nomad_za2 жыл бұрын
I am South African. Ramaphosa has also stated that he wants to build a mega city, well he calls it a "Smart City" in South Africa again. He has exactly the same ideas as the failed Modderfontein project. Globally South Africa seems to be so united, but at this point in time I can tell you that we could not be more divided. I mean joblessness in South Africa is over 46% as reported by mass media, but I can promise you that that percentage is much higher.
@revngr78742 жыл бұрын
Hey Simon the Golden Gate Bridge is a good mega projects video.
@sandybarnes8872 жыл бұрын
It was done on this channel a year ago
@johanlubbe74732 жыл бұрын
I would not call it a mega project but just part of normal urban development. Steyn City, Cosmo City, Waterfall city are also exactly the same sort of urban development projects that did happen and were completed in Johannesburg. The Hazeldean development in Pretoria is also a large urban development in Tshwane. Mooikloof Mega-City is another one. "City" is the new marketing term for a large urban development in South Africa... Living in South Africa and seeing the comments I am not surprised that very few people are aware of it. Taking an isolated development that managed to get marketing hype behind it which was mostly aborted in the planning phase is hardly worth any mega development coverage...
@twocvbloke2 жыл бұрын
"Mud fountain" - Hmm, also known as "my arse", probably a bit TMI there, but oh well... :P
@martijnkosters90242 жыл бұрын
With a name like ‘Mud Fountain’, this place was doomed from day 1.
@dannyarcher63702 жыл бұрын
It's more like Mud Springs but yes, your point is well made.
@perrylevac99492 жыл бұрын
thank you you are doing a great job...
@rorkesparks25982 жыл бұрын
Grew up in Edenvale in the 80's..... remember it being a place explosives were Made for the mining industry...... my sister got married IN Modderfontain
@zata11972 жыл бұрын
One lesson we can take from this, if china comes knocking at your door with some elaborate construction project, just say no. Not much good comes out of it, at least not for the people on the receiving end of course
@louisjwiese55152 жыл бұрын
In South Africa, due to the government, there is ALOT of stuff that costs billions, but produces... Nothing.
@chantz_a_loo2 жыл бұрын
FYI - Johannesburg is not the capital of SA, Tswane (Pretoria) and Cape Town are. JHB is the financial hub.
@naimakk92112 жыл бұрын
Definitely wanna see the Songdo video
@dannyvanderwalt95352 жыл бұрын
I don't live too far from Modderfontein and I have never heard of this project.
@Timmycoo2 жыл бұрын
My wife hails from Cyberjaya, adjacent to Putrajaya. A government erected "Silicon Valley" of Malaysia. Has a larger population but most people just say they are from Kuala Lumpur. Funny how a lot of foreign places try and emulate popular cities from other locations.
@georgemichaelsmith2 жыл бұрын
We need a video on the Biosphere, please and thank you. Or the movie Bio-Dome. Your choice.
@tsheolarakgahla74502 жыл бұрын
Haibo..... the fact that there's a whole back story. Lol
@governormadea59372 жыл бұрын
The arrogance of planning a mega project without informing local authorities knowledge
@katherinebrubaker77885 ай бұрын
3:54 captions thought he said zendaya's new flagship project
@cliffwoodbury53192 жыл бұрын
you should do a video on all mega cities including the ghost cities of china
@lene11932 жыл бұрын
Living 5km from Modderfontein. Never seen or heard anything about this development.