by Ashley Green-Thompson, South Africa, January 1998
THEME = SOCIAL CONDIT.
A pen-portrait of South Africa's largest city and commercial capital
Dark blue clouds gather menacingly in the distance, angrily working themselves to a frenzy of electrical might and fury. The dry heat of the day is suddenly overwhelmed by the threat of rain, signalled by fierce flashes of lightning piercing the foreboding bank of cloud. An hour later, its rage spent in a wild downpour that drenches the thirsty earth, the electric storm moves off to blight another place, leaving the evening cool and fresh with the aroma of summer.
Situated 640 kilometres from the nearest coast, Johannesburg is characterised by violent but brief electrical storms during summer and dry, cold sunshine in winter. The largest city in South Africa, and indeed the economic powerhouse of the sub-continent, "Joburg", as it is colloquially known, is a cauldron of passion in its weather, its greed for wealth and its multitudes of people from all over the world.
Founded in 1885 by the discovery of gold, Joburg defied sceptics and prospered long after the initial gold rush had worn off. It is situated on a gold rich reef 80 kilometres long, called the "Witwatersrand", roughly translated from Afrikaans meaning "white water reef". It's Zulu name is "Egoli" - the place of gold. It is this gold that forms the essence of the sprawling metropolis.
The mine-dumps that litter the outskirts of the city, bear testimony to the 50,000 tons of that shiny yellow metal the earth has yielded. The goldmining industry still remains a key component in South Africa's economy, placing the country first among the gold producers of the world. It is estimated that the earth still holds another 50,000 tons of gold in her depths - too deep even for today's technology. Yet, miners still go down up to five kilometres to dig out the ore that is so desired as a symbol of wealth. It is these same mines, that lured millions of workers from rural areas in South Africa, from Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and beyond. Apartheid, of course, kept these workers confined to hostels - single-sex dormitory style accommodation with rudimentary facilities - out of sight of the affluent white suburbs to the north-west of the city.
This influx of diverse people into the city created a vibrant cultural mix, and nowhere was this more evident than in a poor area called Sophiatown, to the west of the city. The stomping ground of jazz legends such as Hugh Masakela and Jonas Gwangwa, and the parish of anti-apartheid veteran Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, Sophiatown was a mix of diverse cultures and race groups, and it went against the very core of apartheid philosophy. Eventually, in the 1950's, the government forcibly removed residents and destroyed homes, relocating people to the sandwept and barren Meadowlands and other parts of Soweto, and to crowded and poverty stricken Alexandra township north of the city. An entire cultural heritage was brutally crushed, marking Joburg with the vicious legacy of forced removals endured by so many other cities in South Africa.
But the spirit of the people could not be broken. Soweto, an acronym for South Western Townships, has become a bustling hub of over 2 million inhabitants, who travel each day into Joburg city centre and its industrial environs for work. It is only since 1995 that Soweto is part of the municipal structures of Joburg, and can benefit from the almost US$2 billion, budgeted each year by the Metropolitan Council. Before that, people worked in Joburg and bought in Joburg, leaving the township a strange mix of informal settlements, dormitory housing and large mansions for the wealthy elite who were kept there by the Group Areas Act.
But Soweto also holds claim to being the most famous of sites for resistance to apartheid. The 1976 student uprising, focused international attention on Johannesburg, and heightened pressure on the apartheid government. It also signalled the beginning of an exodus of angry youth into exile and the armed struggle. In the uprisings of the 1980s, Soweto again was a focal point of resistance. Mass organisations and street committees used the maze of dusty avenues, to wreak havoc in running battles with the security forces.
In downtown Johannesburg, it was "business as usual". The city centre with its high-rise buildings, is the commercial capital of South Africa, and is responsible for over 35% of the country's gross domestic product. The high-tech glass and concrete buildings, are home to multi-national corporations and banks. Their side-walk entrances, are guarded by thousands of informal traders - hawkers - who sell everything from fresh fruit, electronic appliances and imitation designer clothing. Many of these traders are refugees, fleeing the poverty in their own countries, and clashes with South African traders are commonplace.
There are still remnants of a time when the wealthy frequented the city centre. The famous Carlton Hotel is still one of South Africa's most luxurious hotels, but the crime rate and influx of people into cheap and badly-maintained high-rise apartments, has lessened its appeal to local moguls. Tourists still visit, but more often than not they are victims of criminals.
Urban renewal programmes were boosted by the Gauteng provincial legislature, locating its office in the heart of the city, but this has not stopped a number of big companies moving their offices to safer outlying suburbs. However, residents from neighbouring townships still flock to Johannesburg for entertainment and shopping.
Five kilometres from the centre is Hillbrow, the most densely populated area in South Africa. Again, inner city decay, has seen the rise of overcrowded slum apartment buildings, with a high rate of crime and drug trafficking. Home to fortune- seeking immigrants from rural South Africa and other African states, Hillbrow never sleeps, as the night-clubs and strip joints take over the darkness. By day, traders ply their wares, and a determined shopper can pick up anything from cocaine to an AK47 rifle. Like the city centre, Hillbrow was once reserved for whites, but the dynamics of social migration and urbanisation, proved too much even for apartheid's draconian laws.
The infrastructure of Johannesburg is comparable to any European city. Even the poverty-ridden Soweto, boasts a well developed water and electricity network. There are large state hospitals dotted throughout the city, with the formerly whites-only, "Johannesburg General", a world leader in health care technology, and the "Chris Hani Baragwanath" in Soweto, the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere.
There are also state-of-the-art sports stadia that welcome thousands of fanatical soccer and rugby supporters each week. Outside Soweto is the FNB Stadium, venue of the nation's historic football African Cup victory. Inside Johannesburg city, is Ellis Park, venue of the nation's historic rugby World Cup victory.
Railway tracks run close to these stadia, as they shuttle workers from the central Park Station to the outlying townships of Soweto, Katlehong, Tembisa and others. A well developed road network carries those with cars into work each day, clogging the huge multi-laned motorways with traffic jams. Minibus taxis overflowing with commuters to the townships, jostle with double- decker buses heading for the suburbs, as everyone rushes to leave the city at the end of the day.
Six million people are caught up in the drama of surviving and getting rich in the city of gold. Many living outside Johannesburg, sardonically complain that the city has nothing going for it and should have died a long time ago. Those living on the inside, struggle with crime, making money and surviving the daily business of just living. It's not a pleasant place. Cape Town is far more beautiful. Durban has the ocean.
But Johannesburg has a vibrancy that keeps you on the edge. It is a dangerous city, but one that beats with the rhythm of life that is unique to the great cities of the world.
END
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement