The Johannesburg Lightning Research Laboratory is based in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand and has grown out of the department¡¯s significantly strong lightning research history. Specifically Professor Ian Jandrell and the Lightning/EMC Research Group, along with Prof. John Van Coller and Prof. Jan Reynders. The research group originally began in 1992 to address the problems caused by lightning on power and telecommunications systems, along with electromagnetic compatibility. The group soon expanded to study various aspects of lightning and has received international recognition - Prof. Jandrell is an esteemed member of the International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP) scientific committee, the world¡¯s most prestigious conference on lightning research. It is with great honour that the department will be hosting the 36th ICLP in South Africa 2022. A number of excellent post-graduate students have also passed through the group - for example, Dr Michael Grant and Dr Andrew Dickson - further expanding the areas of study into the physics of lightning and the risk posed by lightning. It is upon this excellent foundation that the Johannesburg Lightning Research Laboratory has been established.