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Weltevredenpark is a suburb of Roodepoort, South Africa adjacent to Johannesburg. It is situated roughly between Beyers Naudé Drive and Hendrik Potgieter Street.
Being one of the older suburbs in the North of Johannesburg, it is well established, although keeping up with the area’s current high growth rate has been a problem for developers and residents.
From any point in Weltevredenpark one can get to Clearwater Mall in a drive of less than 5 minutes – assuming no traffic.
Many years ago this had really been farmland and vegetable gardens. Then industry came in, as did the houses and a host of other odds and ends, and suddenly it was another suburb of Johannesburg.
History
Yet, there is a secret hidden amongst the matchbox houses, and it relates to one of the original farms in the area. If you search carefully through the suburb, you will eventually find, hidden away in a back street, the original graveyard for the farm Weltevreden. Read more on this here
Weltevreden (well satisfied) Park lies in the heart of Roodepoort. In fact as you come over a slight incline, just as you head into the Weltevreden valley off Beyers Naudé Drive, you pass a sign signifying your entry into Roodepoort and what used to be the far reaches of Johannesburg. It is now a valley filled with townhouse complex upon townhouse complex – if it were not for the trees and beautifully maintained gardens, this part of the city could look fairly congested. The traffic is another matter.
Weltevreden Park is fairly large and has a number of extensions to prove it. Its immediate neighbours are Randpark Ridge, Constantia Kloof & Radiokop. Community living suits the residents of this part of Johannesburg, for whom gated communities have become something of a necessity, and life here is sedate, relatively safe & interspersed with communal parks in which children play during the day.
Unlike more recent development along Hendrik Potgieter, complexes here have, for the most part, been built with a degree of attention to trees, gardens and a feeling of space, giving further credence to the claim that Johannesburg is the biggest man-made forest in the world. Weltevreden Park is a popular suburb. It’s also extremely well placed for getting around the northern suburbs, close to at least three major shopping malls and ideal for weekend escapes – the Magaliesberg and the Cradle of Humankind are close to Weltevreden Park, in relation to the centre of the city.
