The Hillbrow Tower is a tall tower located in the suburb of Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. At 269 m (883 ft), it was the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 50 years, until it was surpassed in 2021 by the 393.8 m (1,292 ft) Iconic Tower in Egypt's New Administrative Capital. For seven years it was also the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until 1978, when surpassed by the 270 m Mount Isa Chimney in Queensland, Australia. It remains the tallest telecommunications tower in Africa, and the tallest structure in sub-Saharan Africa. Construction of the tower began in June 1968 and was completed three years later, in April 1971. Construction cost 2 million rand. The tower was initially known as the JG Strijdom Tower, after JG (Hans) Strijdom, South African Prime Minister from 1954 to 1958. On 31 May 2005 it was renamed the Telkom Joburg Tower.
Hillbrow Tower (right) with the Ponte Apartment building and the skyline of Hillbrow.
The Hillbrow Tower decorated for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
View of Hillbrow skyline with Hillbrow Tower (background), Johannesburg, South Africa.
View straight down from the Hillbrow Tower.
Hillbrow is an inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution and crime.
Hillbrow and the Hillbrow Tower
Hillbrow Tower (right) with Ponte Apartment building and the skyline of Hillbrow.
Cafe Wien, Hillbrow, Johannesburg (1980)