The Bill Gates of Johannesburg in the gold rush of the 1880’s was reputed to be a Frenchman by the name of Jacques Lebaudy whose level of excess astonished even the stinking rich of the time. Lebaudy was said to have driven a carriage with a harness made out of solid gold, once filled his swimming pool with champagne, entertained his guests with troops of exotic dancers imported from Baghdad and made sure that a new city fountain gushed with wine. English journalist Flora Shaw coined the term...read more
The Bill Gates of Johannesburg in the gold rush of the 1880’s was reputed to be a Frenchman by the name of Jacques Lebaudy whose level of excess astonished even the stinking rich of the time. Lebaudy was said to have driven a carriage with a harness made out of solid gold, once filled his swimming pool with champagne, entertained his guests with troops of exotic dancers imported from Baghdad and made sure that a new city fountain gushed with wine. English journalist Flora Shaw coined the term “classless excess” when writing about the materialism of the post gold rush era represented by Lebaudy and - more than 100 years later - Johannesburg still thrives on its reputation as a center of smash-and-grab greed.