Captain Carl Von Brandis was the first mining commissioner of Johannesburg and he was also Johannesburg’s first Landdrost. Von Brandis proclaimed Randjieslaagte as the town of Johannesburg in 1886, apparently whilst standing ‘on a whiskey box’. The statue was sculpted by David MacGregor and donated to the Chamber of Mines in 1956, then donated to the City of Johannesburg in 1965. Originally designed as an element within a group piece that included the Miners featured in the Miners Monument in Braamfontein, it was felt that the figure of Von Brandis was not properly integrated within the ensemble, and it was subsequently developed as a separate artwork. In 2008, the statue was moved and had shaded seating installed around the pedestal in the context of a JDA financed upgrade of the precinct.
A +/- 4.6 metres in height bronze statue of Captain Carl von Brandis on a black marble plinth. The plinth has 3 plaques with inscriptions on them. One of his hands is open and on the other hand he is holding a microphone.
Captain Carl Von Brandis was the first mining commissioner of Johannesburg and he was also Johannesburg’s first Landdrost. Von Brandis proclaimed Randjieslaagte as the town of Johannesburg in 1886, apparently whilst standing ‘on a whiskey box’. The statue was sculpted by David MacGregor and donated to the Chamber of Mines in 1956, then donated to the City of Johannesburg in 1965. Originally designed as an element within a group piece that included the Miners featured in the Miners Monument in Braamfontein, it was felt that the figure of Von Brandis was not properly integrated within the ensemble, and it was subsequently developed as a separate artwork. In 2008, the statue was moved and had shaded seating installed around the pedestal in the context of a JDA financed upgrade of the precinct.
A culmination of research gathered over many years, the Online Johannesburg Heritage Register is being launched on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July 2025.
Among the many heritage sites featured is Chancellor House, the downtown offices of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys in the 1950s. After having been vacant and shuttered for more than a decade, this iconic building is being revived and brought to life once again as offices for the Community Development Department, which oversees the City’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Services.
