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Words: Georgina Guedes | Images: Cody van Wyk & Ter Hollmann

Tanita Ramburuth-Hurt was the Gauteng Sportswoman of the Year in 2017, and a three-time gold medallist at the World Martial Arts Games in October 2016. She practices Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art, and campaigns for gender equality in sports at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she is currently completing her masters in astrophysics. She will be representing South Africa at the World Tang Soo Do Championships in London in August.

Tanita grew up in Kensington, and although she recently moved into an apartment in Parktown with her brother and two of their friends, she still comes back to her family home every weekend, and to walk the dogs in the week.

Home sweet home

Her family moved to Kensington from Malvern when she was eight years old because she and her brother had outgrown their shared room in the old home. “It’s probably my favourite house ever,” she says. “It’s on a double stand with a pool at the back and it’s one of those old Kensington houses with pressed metal ceilings and wooden floors. It’s really warm.”

She says it was a wonderful suburb to live in because she went to Jeppe Girls High, so she had lots of friends living close by. “We could walk to each other’s houses and when we left school and started going out more, there were lots of places for us to go.”

The hilly suburb of Kensington lies to the east of Braamfontein and Joburg’s CBD and is known as a trendy locale for the more creative residents of Joburg. It’s a sedate and timeless part of the city, with many houses from the early 1900s like the one Tanita describes.

As nearby Newtown, Maboneng and Braamfontein have been revitalised and become increasingly trendy, Kensington has enjoyed something of a revival, with its larger properties offering easy access to the vibrant suburbs to the west.

Gems in the neighbourhood

When growing up, Tanita and her friends often met at Cafe 141 on Queen Street, which has a range of cafes and restaurants.

“There’s a nice pizza place called Gema – it has authentic Italian food. I go there a lot with my family,” she says. Gema Trattoria and Pizzeria is an owner-run Kensington institution with lovingly prepared specials written up on a chalkboard every day.

“And there’s also the German pub, which is fun when there are sports matches on,” Tanita says. Die Kneipe is the German pub, which serves German specialities, pub fare and imported beers.

She adds that she has always had her hair cut at a salon that is now called Chantal’s Hair.

“There’s also a really nice park, Rhodes Park, where there’s a Spring Fair every year with a market and music and food. I go every year, and I will go this year, even though I am not living on that side anymore,” she says.

She works out at the local gym at the Bedford Centre, a Planet Fitness Megaclub. And she walks her dogs down by the river in Eastgate.

“I come home often to be with my dogs. I really miss them living away from home.”

She says that the Bedford Centre has lovely stores to meet every need, and even two movie theatres – one Ster-Kinekor and one Nu Metro.

Perfect Sunday

“On my perfect Sunday, I would obviously wake up late,” she says. Then she would walk down to where her road meets Queen Street, and pop into the Pastelaria Princesa, a Portuguese bakery and cafe, to buy bread and pastries. “Then I’d head home for breakfast and co­ffee with my family,” she says.

She likes going to markets on the weekend, so she says a visit to Sylvia’s Market in Observatory would be her next stop. “Then I’d take the dogs for a walk in the afternoon, and – if it’s winter – build a fire and make dinner with my family. We’d probably end the day watching a movie. I really enjoy chilling out, so I like spending time at home with my family.”

Although Tanita now lives in Parktown, she keeps coming back to the suburb she grew up in for the familiarity, family and everything else it has to o­ffer.

“I love Kensington because it has everything you need, and it’s in a beautiful part of town with tree-lined streets and gorgeous houses”

Tanita Ramburuth-Hurt

Do:

  • Take your dogs for a walk in Bezuidenhout Park or join the Bezuidenhout Parkrun every Saturday.
  • Enjoy the Market on Main every Sunday at Arts on Main in Maboneng.
  • Visit Sylvia’s Market for a selection of food wagons, fresh produce and fun crafts.
  • If you are interested in L Ron Hubbard, visit his house on the top of the hill at Linksfield Ridge.
  • Visit China Town on Derrick Street to enjoy authentic Chinese food and groceries.
  • Visit the Johannesburg Observatory in the suburb Observatory to learn all about the night sky.

Eat:

  • Bennigan’s: for burgers and other classic American pub fare
  • O ’Braseiro: for quality Portuguese food
  • The Rusty Lady Bistro: for a tranquil, laid-back feeling and good food
  • Cut and Craft: for artisan-style bistro dining
  • Pastelaria Princesa: for a piece of Portugal in Jozi
  • Gema Trattoria and Pizzeria: for traditional wood-fired pizzas
  • Browsers Coffee Shop: for coffee and delicious food surrounded by antiques

Shop:

  • Eastgate Shopping Centre: a super-regional shopping centre based in Bedfordview
  • Bedford Centre: one of Joburg’s premier fashion and shopping destinations in Bedfordview
  • Queen Street: for a quiet stroll or shopping for unique items
  • Maboneng Precinct: a collaborative hub of culture, business and lifestyle
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