The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre in the heart of downtown Johannesburg. With its fifty floors – nearly half of which are below ground level – it is the tallest building in Africa. It houses offices and the largest shopping mall in South Africa. The observation deck on the fiftieth floor – known as Top of Africa – gives a panoramic view of the city and beyond.

From here, too, can be seen the traffic congestion that blights many cities. There is very little public transport from the outskirts of Johannesburg and the taxis wage a daily war to dominate the scene. Within minutes, a comparatively thin stream of vehicles is turned into traffic chaos by the torrent of taxis fighting to get their place heading into Jozi or back out to the townships.