Ferndale is a suburb of

Randburg Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It is located in Region B of the

City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality () is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite se ...

. The area is very central and has a good mix of residential homes, shops and commercial property.

History

The suburb originates from around 1909 and the suburb's name originates from

ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

in a valley.

Businesses

Ferndale is home to

Multichoice MultiChoice is a South Africa, South African company that operates DStv, a major satellite television service in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company also operates GOtv Africa, GOtv, a minor satellite TV service operating in 9 countries, and Showmax, ...

with offices on either side of Bram Fischer Drive between Republic Road and Grove Street. Ferndale on Republic is the new name of the old Randburg Waterfront and later known as the Brightwater Commons. Originally opened in 1996, the Randburg Waterfront was a wharf style entertainment venue with a large man-made lake at the centre. One of the biggest attractions at the centre was the musical fountain, with choreographed displays to many different musical favourites. After the decline of the Randburg Waterfront, the centre underwent a major refurbishment and re-opened at The Brightwater Commons in 2008. The man-made lake was replaced with a much smaller pond and a smaller version of the musical fountain. The rest of the inside area was converted to a garden with trees, with a flea market at the centre. This enjoyed mediocre success, and was sold again, now being re-branded as Ferndale on Republic. The "Commons" in the middle was removed completely and replaced by a large parking lot. Some buildings have been demolished and an additional extension has been built in the old parking lot towards Republic Road.

Residents' associations

Ferndale is divided over two SAPS precincts and has thus been covered by two different residents' associations. Ferndale south of Republic Road is covered by Linden SAPS and is under th
Ferndale Ridge Residents Group
Ferndale north of Republic Road is covered by Randburg SAPS and is under th
Ferndale Residents Association

References

Johannesburg Region B {{Johannesburg-stub