Ownership

The Joburg Market is wholly owned by the City of Johannesburg and stands out as one of the best performing entities of the City, with the current turnover exceeding R3,2-billion per year.

The Joburg Market has an interesting and illustrious history that dates back to the 19th Century. The Market has its origins in what was then called Market Square in the centre of Johannesburg in 1893. As the City grew, the market also attracted huge volumes of both producers and buyers, prompting authorities to move it to Newtown, west of the city centre.

However, by 1972, the Market was literally bursting at the seams in the confined space in Newtown and, again, there was need to find a spacious site that would accommodate the expanding producer and buyer base of the Market. Consequently, the City of Johannesburg decided on the present site in City Deep.

Later still, the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council decided that it needed to confine its interests to core activities, a decision that led to the forming of the iGoli 2002 plan. The Joburg Market, then known as the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, was deemed a non-core function of the Metro Council and was corporatised in July 2000, becoming the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market (Pty) Ltd. The Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, however, remained the sole shareholder of the Joburg Market.

The Joburg Market is aiming to become more customer oriented, and as part of this drive it aims to politically and economically empower its customer base. As people are the primary providers and consumers of the produce, improving conditions for them will ultimately lead to an improvement in all aspects of the Joburg Market.