The IPTGSA would like to invite you to join your fellow tourist guides in exploring this wonderful heritage site. The invitation is open to any registered guide who would like to attend
Programm for the Day
Meet at the Eagles Fare Restaurant
- Gates open at 08:00
- Registration 08:30 for 09:00
- Exploration of the gardens with a local expert
- Completion by lunchtime
Educational is free, only a donation for guide is asked
Lunch and coffee is for own account at the Eagles Fare Restaurant (10% discount on lunch)
ALL COVID-19 requirements to be adhered to. Hats and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
The founding of the Garden
The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden was started in July 1982 and is the second youngest of the nine National Botanical Gardens managed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The then Roodepoort and Krugersdorp City Councils made the establishment of the Garden possible by providing land on a 99-year lease and portions of it by donation to the Institute.
The Garden was initially known as the Transvaal National Botanic Garden and could only be visited by special arrangement. The Garden was opened to the public on a daily basis in 1987 as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden. In March 2004, the Garden has renamed the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, in honour of the late ANC stalwart Mr Walter Sisulu (1912-2003) who, together with former president Nelson Mandela, led the struggle for a democratic South Africa.
Witpoortjie Falls
The area around the Witpoortjie Falls, which form the centrepiece and backdrop to the Garden, has been used for recreational purposes since the late 1800s. The Witpoortjie Falls probably get their name from the fact that visitors, travelling from Johannesburg by train, used to disembark at Witpoortjie Station and walk down to the falls.
Guides for Guides
