What’s the time? Well, if you visit the Randburg CBD and you don’t have a watch, the time could be 2.25pm, 2.15pm, or an unknown number.
Time has stood still in the CBD since the four-faced clock tower stopped working sometime in the 1990s, and has yet to be repaired.
Back in the day, every major town centre needed a clock in a public space, especially around areas of transport and trade, allowing people to plan their day, as not everyone has a watch or a phone to check their time on as it is in modern times.
The clock tower overlooks both the colloquially called ‘oriental plaza’ building and the rear entrance of the Randburg Taxi Rank on Bram Fischer Drive.
Very little is known about the iconic clock tower, but local clock and watchmaker Adrian Blignault of
The Clock Doctor, who has inspected the movement of the clock, estimates that the clock was built during the construction of the pedestrian mall.
He said, “Judging from the style of the architecture of the housing of the clock, the style represents iconic ‘brutalist architecture’ of the age, as well as the styles of many fashionable watches of the time, including Omega, Certina and Bulova.
“The clock runs on an electric quartz movement on mains 220v. Each face has its own movement that is supported by a central master movement.
Repairing the clock is an expensive task due to the rarity of the movement inside, but not impossible with the proper funding.”
The clock tower could also have been built during the construction of the old Randburg Municipality council chambers that lay adjacent to it, which is now occupied by a KFC.
Ward 102 councillor David Potter added that he has urged the City of Johannesburg to consider the clock tower’s refurbishment.
Details: www.theclockdoctor.co.za
