BAPS Opens the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Hindu Temple as Indian Business and Culture Make Their Mark in Joburg
Johannesburg's Indian and South African Hindu community has had a stretch of months worth marking — with a temple that sets a new benchmark for the southern half of the globe, a business deal that stretches a major Indian manufacturer's reach deep into the continent, and festivals and flavours that remind the city where so many of its roots lie.
🪔 BAPS Hindu Mandir Becomes the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Hindu Temple
The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha — the global Hindu spiritual and humanitarian organisation known as BAPS — opened phase one of its Hindu Mandir and Cultural Complex in Northriding, Johannesburg, on 2 February 2025. The complex is the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere, spanning more than nine acres. At its centre stands a 27,000-square-foot temple crafted in traditional Indian architecture, set alongside a vast cultural centre dedicated to learning and social upliftment. Construction prioritised sustainability, incorporating water efficiency, solar readiness, and environmental conservation. At the opening, BAPS spokesperson Hemang Desai described the complex's broader purpose: "The BAPS Hindu Mandir and Cultural Complex in Johannesburg will be more than a spiritual space. It will be a hub for cultural enrichment, humanitarian service and inter-religious dialogue." Open to people of all backgrounds, the temple also pays tribute to the resilience of the Indian South African community. Desai said the complex reflects their enduring contributions to South Africa and their confidence in its future as a home for generations to come. [2]
🪔 Holi Returns to Johannesburg with Colour, Dance, and Community Spirit
On Sunday, 11 March 2025, Johannesburg residents gathered at the Shree Radhe Shyam Mandir in Marlboro to celebrate Holi, the traditional Indian festival of colours that marks the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil. The celebration was hosted by India Club South Africa and the Consulate General of India. Attendees were treated to traditional songs, dance performances, and the signature ritual of throwing coloured powder and water that makes Holi one of the most visually vivid occasions on the South Asian calendar. Photos from the event showed participants' faces and clothing covered in brilliant reds, yellows, and greens. The organisers described Holi as both a sacred ancient tradition for Hindus and an occasion that is increasingly open to non-Hindus as a joyful community moment. With India Club South Africa and the Consulate actively co-hosting, the celebration underscored the continuing ties between South Africa's Indian diaspora and India's diplomatic presence in Johannesburg. [4]
Indian Firm Solar Industries Acquires Joburg-Based Omnia Holdings in $1.41 Billion Deal
Indian explosives and defence manufacturer Solar Industries has agreed to acquire Johannesburg-based Omnia Holdings, a South African specialty chemicals and mining-services group, in a deal valued at approximately $1.41 billion, Businessfront reported in late September 2026. Solar Industries, headquartered in Nagpur, India, is one of the country's largest producers of commercial explosives, with a growing international presence across Africa. By bringing Omnia — whose operations include chemicals and mining explosives divisions serving sub-Saharan Africa — into its portfolio, Solar significantly deepens its African footprint. Omnia has long supplied the mining and agricultural sectors across the continent. The deal positions Solar Industries as a major force in Africa's industrial chemicals market and marks one of the larger Indian corporate investments into South Africa in recent years. The transaction expands the African reach of an Indian industrial company that has been actively building international capacity, and adds Johannesburg to a list of African cities where Indian-owned industrial capital is now a visible and structurally important presence. [1]
🍛 South African Chef Jessica Munisamy Revives Indian Cuisine in Johannesburg
South African chef Jessica Munisamy has built her career by defying expectations — fighting for recognition as a woman in a male-dominated profession while keeping the flavours of Indian cooking alive in Johannesburg. Munisamy serves as the executive chef at an Indian restaurant in the city, where she has earned recognition for reviving dishes that connect South African diners to the subcontinent's culinary traditions. Her story, profiled by Deutsche Welle in April 2024, speaks to the particular relationship Johannesburg has with Indian cooking — a cuisine that arrived with Indian labourers and merchants generations ago and has remained woven into the city's food identity. Munisamy navigated scepticism from her own family about pursuing a professional kitchen career, as well as resistance from the men who dominate the upper tiers of the South African restaurant industry. Today, heading an Indian kitchen in the country's commercial capital, she represents both a culinary revival and a personal determination that has found its place at the pass. [3]
Sources: [2] Hinduism Today · [4] Hinduism Today · [1] Businessfront · [3] DW.com