A Weekend in Joburg

CHIDIRIM NDECHE shares striking visuals taken during her 3-day trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, to cover the TikTok Awards Sub-Saharan Africa for Guardian Life magazine. Across three enchanting day...

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Published 14 Dec 2025

By Chidirim Ndeche

Walkway framed by curved architecture and columns at dusk

CHIDIRIM NDECHE shares striking visuals taken during her 3-day trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, to cover the TikTok Awards Sub-Saharan Africa for Guardian Life magazine.

Across three enchanting days in Johannesburg, I gathered moments that felt like postcards. From arriving at O.R. Tambo International Airport and a visit to the Museum of Illusions to the dinner at Fugazzi in Rosebank Mall with Marie Claire Nigeria editor Denise, the city unfolded slowly: warm, textured, and generous. We bought roses from street vendors, rested deeply at the Southern Sun Hotel Hyde Park, and woke each morning to hearty breakfasts and TikTok’s welcome gifts ahead of our Soweto Tour.

We visited Mandela House, after which I received a commemorative stamp from a street vendor, saw the Hector Pieterson Memorial, the olive trees, Gold Reef City’s theme-park skyline, and the hum of Soweto’s streets before lunch at Sakhumzi Restaurant.

Between mall visits, a dash of Nigerian food at Hombaze, and window-shopping at Afropolitan Casuals, I fell in love with the city. Later on Saturday evening, we ended our trip with the TikTok Sub-Saharan Africa Awards, a night of lights, conversations, and community, where I met creators like IkeGod Chielo and Belove Olocha on the red carpet and connected with other media representatives from across Africa.

Johannesburg holds its beauty in motion, and these photos tell the story.

Guardian Life