Benoni, South Africa

Benoni is a town on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa, some 26 km east of Johannesburg, within the City of Ekurhuleni municipality.

Benoni was also the setting for the MTV-inspired movie Crazy Monkey: Straight Outta Benoni, released internationally in 2005.

Geography
Benoni is situated towards the centre of the East Rand and lies on the urban fringe where the urban area dissolves into the smallholdings and farmland to the north. It borders on Kempton Park to the north-west, Boksburg to the west, Brakpan to the south and Daveyton to the east.

Benoni mainly encompasses a mixture of suburban areas and semi-rural acreage towards the north while the commercial centre (Central Business District) lies in the centre and a few industrial areas lie towards the south.

Rail
Benoni lies on the main railway line between Johannesburg and Springs and the main railway line between Johannesburg and Daveyton, both operated by Metrorail which has temporarily suspended services on these commuter lines since 2020 and have remained closed due to vandalism on these lines.

Prior to 2020, Metrorail operated services on the Johannesburg-Springs line from Benoni to Johannesburg, Germiston, Boksburg, Brakpan and Springs. Benoni is served by three Metrorail railway stations on the Johannesburg-Springs line including: Benoni station, New Kleinfontein station and Apex station.

Prior to 2020, Metrorail operated services on the Johannesburg-Daveyton line from Benoni to Johannesburg, Germiston and Boksburg. Benoni is served by three Metrorail railway stations on the Johannesburg-Daveyton line including: Avenue station, Northmead station and Van Ryn station.

Road
The N12 is the major freeway that runs through Benoni. It enters the town from Boksburg and Johannesburg in the west, bisecting the town and bypassing the CBD to its immediate north before heading east towards eMalahleni.

The R23 runs north-south from Kempton Park towards Brakpan and Heidelberg and runs through the CBD as Tom Jones Street (southbound) and Bunyan Street (northbound). The R29 runs east-west from Springs towards Boksburg and runs through the CBD as Ampthill Avenue (westbound) and Princess Avenue (eastbound). The R51 runs north-south from Bapsfontein, just outside Benoni towards Springs and barely by-passes Benoni to the east.

Benoni is also served by three metropolitan routes linking it to surrounding towns and cities in the East Rand. The M43 links Benoni with Kempton Park to the north-west and Vosloorus to the south-west. The M44 links Benoni with Boksburg to the west. The M45 links Benoni with Kempton Park to the north-west. The M53 links Benoni with Boksburg to the west and Brakpan to the south.

People from Benoni

 * Nomuzi Mabena, South African rapper
 * Urzila Carlson, New Zealand based comedian, from Benoni
 * R. Graham Cooks, chemist
 * Charlene, Princess of Monaco (née Wittstock), swimmer, and consort of Prince Albert II of Monaco
 * Bryan Habana, former Springboks rugby player
 * Philip Holiday, IBF World Champion Boxer
 * Morris Kahn (born 1930), Israeli billionaire, founder and chairman of Aurec Group
 * Denis Lindsay, cricketer
 * Mildred Mangxola, singer and member of the Mahotella Queens
 * Frith van der Merwe, schoolteacher at Benoni High and the most prolific female runner in the history of the Comrades Marathon
 * Pops Mohamed, jazz musician
 * Genevieve Morton, top model
 * Grace Mugabe, former First Lady of Zimbabwe
 * Bradley Player, cricketer
 * Oliver Reginald Tambo, anti-apartheid politician
 * Charlize Theron, Oscar-winning actress (Academy Awards: Best Actress Monster)
 * Vic Toweel, former undisputed World bantamweight champion and South African boxing champion.
 * Jill Trappler, visual artist
 * Nibs van der Spuy, guitarist, singer, songwriter