So I finally got a chance to use my birthday voucher, which was a
ghost bus tour, through Joburg.
6 October
2012:
The afternoon / evening started off at the Pound and Penny pub, at
the Sunnyside Park Hotel. Dakota and I were met by a very warm, intimate pub
setting, with old style furniture. We decided to make the most of the 2 hours
we had to wait, and had 2 snack baskets and 2 slightly spirited drinks.
At 7 pm, a bell outside the pub started ringing, indicating the tour was
about to begin. Our tour guide was the man who created the Johannesburg
version of the Ghost Bus Tour, Mark Rose-Christie, who dressed the part, and
began telling some spine chilling stories of how ghost came about to be known
in the real world. After a few scares, and some interesting stories, we boarded
the bus which played eerie music to add to the atmosphere. We were given a
brief overview of the evening, but were warned to not ask the driver where we
were going, as he was not human!
The first place of interest was Constitutional Hill, where we heard about the ghost of Daisy de Melker, who not only once lived in the women's prison there, but also worked in the Transvaal Children's Hospital. Daisy was the second woman to be hung in South Africa, and was convicted of killing her 2 husbands and her son - She pleaded innocent despite the evidence against her. Outside the Constitutional Court we got to glimpse Angry Godzilla, a three-metre high wooden statue carved from a single tree.
From here we progressed through Braamfontein, and made a stop at Devonshire Hotel, which dates back to the 1930's. We entered a 'dark room' where we were told the stories of the men that haunt the building. Mark managed to make hearts pound as he jumped out from the dark at various people along the aisle, one even nervously asking "where is he?".
After visiting 'The Dev', we headed back through town, past the train station where we were told a spooky story of a man who had fallen to his death into wet cement while building a tunnel between and the post office, and since then people have described seeing this man in the tunnel. Following this, we went further into town, past the Old Post Office in Rissik Street, which burnt down and become deserted in 1996.
From here we traveled past the Johannesburg High Court
Library.
On our way through Kensington, we listened to EVP's, and a woman who experienced the trauma of an 'evil' spirit in a hospital ward. We were also told of a story of a house that would set on fire, but when the firefighters arrived, there was no sign of any fires.
We stopped at Jeppe Boys High School, where we were told a sad
story about 2 men who served in World War 2, and they are believed to haunt the
grounds. Alan Stanley Dashwood and Fritz William Berry von Linsingen were both born in Queenstown and matriculated in the same year at Queens College. They had gone to different universities, but both decided to enter the teaching profession. Both had become teachers at Jeppe Boys, between 1926 and 1927. The strange thing about this story is that they lived paralled lives to each other, and even died on the same day (31 December 1941). It is said that at the end of the day, when the Dickie Fritz gates of the school close, the 2 friends 'shake' hands.
From here, we progressed to the Kensington Castle, which was built in 1911 by Englishman Samuel Scott Wilson for his wife Kate MacKirdie, who agreed to marry him on condition that he build her a castle. It is said that Kate's presence is felt by those who have a desire to change her castle.
Next stop was the Troyeville Hotel, which played host to a stunning view of Joburg CBD. After a quick drink we went outside to hear about the history of the hotel. I'm not sure which was more scary, being in the middle of Joburg on a dark night, or hearing the story of the gangs who once visited the hotel and the ghost who still frequently visits it.
Last stop of the night was at the Bezuidenhout Par, however the journey there was not without its own spine tingling EVP. The Park was deserted, with very little light. As we parked the bus, all that could really be seen was the darkness not too far away, and a house. As er gathered outside the house, we were told that the house had once belonged to Frederick Bezuidenhout and
his family who were some of the first white settlers in the area, then known as Doornfontein Farm. Bezuidenhout
died in 1900 and his son, Barend died in the 1920s but the farmhouse and the
graveyard still remain intact. The Johannesburg city council bought what
was left of the farm and the deed of sale contained the condition that 40
hectares of the farm and the acacia trees be preserved as a park and
Bezuidenhout Park is therefore a historical monument and recreational
area.
There are reportedly ghosts of black men in the area, near where the concentration camp use to be, as well as a woman that is know as the 'Witch' that walks along the bottom of the park.
At the park we did an exercise using dowsing rods, which are usually used to detect underground water and buried metal. The technique was interesting but it was not concrete way of finding evidence - this was proven when we went in pairs and asked each other questions, in my case after turning around in a circle, the rods didn't change.
Lastly we paid a visit to the Bezuidenhout cemetery, where the family were laid to rest. We were told more about the family and how a woman reported seeing the ghost of Judith, who was bringing flowers for her deceased husband. The arch tombstone was an indication, that as in life the lovers were connected in the afterlife. From here some people are able to see the ghosts of the park and as we gazed into the darkness, we were given the last scare of the night as Mark turned around with a half hideous mask.
At the graves, Mark performed one last treat of the night, as he bent a key right before our very eyes - and yes I remember saying to myself "I wanna try that when I get home".
As we boarded onto the bus and set off back to the Sunnyside Hotel, I realized that 5 hours can go really quickly when going through a once in a lifetime experience. The tour was fun and full of laughter some scary moments were had, and a lot was learnt about our city and the people who occupied it.... I could not agree with Dakota more when he saod that should go back next year, to experience the tour in a different way, and to create new memories.
In the words of Mark, "May the Spirits be with you"
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