High-speed video observation of lightning flashes over Johannesburg, South Africa 2017 - 2018

South Africa has a long history of lightning research. Tall towers provide a useful tool for investigating lightning as they generally have a high repeatability of events. The Johannesburg region in the Gauteng province has two tall towers, the Brixton tower and the Hillbrow tower, with a high frequency of lightning events. This paper presents a project beginning in January 2017 and aims to study the physics of lightning through high-speed video observation and fast electric field measurements. Thunderstorms over Johannesburg have a high cloud base which allows for visible channels from the tall towers. More than 200 videos of downward and upward flashes were observed since the project started. Also, 6 flashes to a 53 m tall building were observed. The project also aims to raise awareness around lightning dangers in Africa.