REVIVING – AND REDEFINING - THE CITY OF GOLD

This article was first published in Peolwane, Air Botswana’s in-flight magazine (August 2013)

If you are one of the many whose idea of inner city Johannesburg is a crime-infested, wayward, concrete jungle to be avoided, look again. Gauteng is getting a massive face – and branding – lift

My vantage point within the descending aircraft made me gawk with mounting anticipation. In the broad periphery of my vision was a cornucopia of modern structures interspersed by patches of green spaces, and dazzling networks of roads that flowed with dense traffic. The setting sun spilled a golden illumination over every single component of the metropolitan below, creating a jaw-dropping fairytale sight.

This did not look like the city where - once upon a time - I had lived. It was my first aerial view of the ‘City of Gold’. With my face pressed against the small windowpane, I yearned to feel the whooshing air above this pulsating concrete jungle. Like an eclectic current, excitement hummed through my nerves.

For a country boy from a hot, little town up in the Okavango, the cold in Johannesburg smacked me with a sudden, almost shocking surprise. Only then did it dawn on me that this was the winter season.

Stepping out of the aircraft and onto the paving, I realised that I was in an entirely different space, with every facet a direct contrast to my home town. I had just landed at Oliver Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest in Africa. The Joburg City Tourism Association (JCTA) had invited me to an occasion they dubbed a ‘Weekend in the City’; and, according to the invite, I was going to be shown the real deal of Johannesburg. It was a weekend aimed at casting away stereotypical notions that the city is a bubble of crime and waywardness.

My mode of transport from the airport was the remarkable, magical Gautrain – a superlative high-speed rail service that links the airport with Johannesburg and Pretoria. Riding the spotlessly clean rail car, I experienced total safety and guaranteed efficiency.

It was dusk when I disembarked the train at Park Station, the city already glowing up. Almost a decade ago, as a student here, I used to frequently walk the streets of Braamfontein.  And since my hotel was a short walking distance from the Gautrain station, I schlepped my luggage and walked to the hotel. I needed no map. This was what used to be my territory for five long years. I could feel the familiar rhythm of a city too far away from sleeping. Colour semaphored and activity swarmed in the streets. Suddenly, I felt an unsullied belonging to this place.

I joined the rest of the media invitees at The Reef Hotel, in the city’s Corporate Mining District. Speaking to members of the media and other stakeholders, JCTA’s Gerald Garner gave a warm welcome and explained the need for JCTA to embark on a move to brand the inner city of Johannesburg. Gerald is a registered tour guide and author. He manages the JCTA secretariat on behalf of the members of the association. JCTA is an organisation or club of businesses with a stake in inner-city tourism.

“In recent years, the inner city has undergone a drastic revival. In the past, Johannesburg was a city with an emphasis on its arterial links in the suburbs, with the centre regarded as risky, deadbeat and unattractive by some. We are here to promote the inner city of today, a new and dynamic place worthy of celebration,” explained Garner.

“We want you all to experience the thrill of it. And so, we’ll be walking you through the inner city. We want you to discover its energetic heart beat and its tranquil havens – ranging from nature areas and parks to cafes on sun-drenched sidewalks.

“Many people who have recently taken such walkabouts have left with their preconceived impressions shattered, and with a revived mental map and commensurate image of a city forever changed.”

Garner displayed an immense love for Johannesburg. He is author of the book Spaces and Places 2.0 – Joburg Places, published in 2012 by Double G Media (Pty) Ltd. Indeed all JCTA representatives had gone all the way to host the media, in a bid to showcase and promote the previously shunned inner city.

Together with Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), Joburg Tourism and Gauteng Tourism, JCTA will host a week long extravaganza this month; its aim is putting the inner city firmly on the map as the must-see experience and must-visit precinct of greater Johannesburg, the vibrant heart of Joburg and the melting pot of Africa.

The festival also intends to facilitate a perception change amongst residents of Johannesburg, and in turn, amongst visitors, giving them confidence to visit the dynamic inner city and to explore everything on offer there.

According JCTA, the festival will target the inner city corporate workforce, many of whom drive to their office buildings in the morning and home in the evening, without ever exploring the city. It will reach out to the inner city residents, especially the upwardly mobile living in the 50 000 apartments refurbished from previously disused office and industrial spaces in the last five years.

As for Joburg’s suburbanite population, from Sandton to Soweto, many of whom are wary and sceptical about visiting the inner city, the festival aims to show them that this is a throbbing heartbeat, with numerous places of high significance. All these delights were presented during the ‘Weekend in the City’ media activities.

During those years when I lived in this city, I resided in the vibrant Yeoville, the rainbow suburb of Johannesburg known for its cultural diversity and a colourful suburb that attracts intellectual artists and tourists. But, on this weekend, I was seeing the inner city with completely new eyes. There was solid evidence that this was a dynamic, reborn city, with new constructions, upgraded parks and roads. One thing that touched me was the cleanliness of the streets, a plain sign that Johannesburg is being re-developed into a world class city, a place that Africa can be proud of.  

With this intense regeneration in the recent years, the city has rapidly gained an unbelievable pulse, establishing itself firmly on the international tourism map as an exciting destination.

Founded in 1886, Johannesburg is the heart of the biggest economy in Africa, and continues to pull immigrants from the rest of the country, the African continent and beyond. Garner writes in his book: “Possibly Johannesburg’s biggest claim to fame is that it was the home town of both Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi for many years.”

The history of Johannesburg is written in long scrolls, ranging from the early years when the territory was inhabited by the San people (Bushmen), to the periods when the Bantu-speaking people started moving in, finally to the discovery of gold in the 1880s, and the movements of mining investors and personnel, traders and white settlers.

South Africans of all races came through the brutal times of wars, racial discrimination and apartheid. Indeed all of this is history, as the Johannesburg of today is described as a giant three-legged pot of multi-nationalities and cultures.

Meetings, introductions and speeches over, media representatives then set out on an eye-opening tour of the revived JoBurg.

Sandwiched between Braamfontein and Hillbow is the historical Constitution Hill precinct, where the South African Constitutional Court (highest court in the country on constitutional matters) is located. This is also the site of the notorious Old Fort Prison Complex, the infamous Number 4 Prison and the Women’s Jail. A tour offers a quick time travel into the past, revealing the inhumane conditions of the apartheid era.

The refurbished streets and new structures in the Braamfrontein that was once my domicile left me totally awestruck. The ‘Neighbourgoods Market’ was a delight to visit. Stretching over two floors, it operates only on Saturdays. A wide range of delicacies and lip-smacking fresh foods are cooked in front of the customer, with a good variety of wines available to accompany the meal. The atmosphere is warm, friendly and busy, with a diverse throng of visitors.

“This is the place where people come on Saturdays,” said Rob Young, a vendor at Granny Furcey’s Pantry standing behind the counter offering chutneys and pickles… “We interact well with our customers and business is good.” He believed the market has wholly transformed the lifestyle in Braamfontein.   

Johannesburg is known as the creative hub of South Africa, attracting many people active in the arts, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, film and TV production. Downtown Newtown is a throbbing hub of arts and culture. Strolling down the city streets, you will see young dancers and singers, visual artists, photographers, a huge variety of artists at work. Theatre performances can be seen at the Market Theatre, music events at Bass Line, and art exhibitions at Museum Africa and Joburg Art Gallery, to mention only a few.      

   

The Turbine Hall has a very interesting history. Also located in Newtown, it started its life as a power station built to supply electricity to the city. Due to economical hiccups, the station was shut down in 1961. When the inner city degraded in the 1970s, due to the migration of businesses to Sandton, the Turbine Hall became a home for squatters. At that time, it was the shame of the city, a structure that everyone wished could be imploded to create space for better developments.

Today, the Forum Company has preserved and redesigned the Turbine Hall, transforming it into a five-star, first-class conference and events facility. It remains a heritage building that represents a truly iconic South African architectural style.

Café@50 is situated on the top floor of the impressive Carlton Centre (now branded Transnet), the tallest building in Africa. Here on ‘the roof of Africa’, tourists can enjoy a 360-degree view of Johannesburg, the best an African city can offer. The incredible vista of the dense cityscape can be enjoyed with a relaxed mood and scrumptious food.

At Joburg’s Ethiopian corner, called ‘Little Addis’, I felt the pulse of the heart of Africa. 

Within the Fashion District, on the east-end of town, lies the Fashion Kapitol. Garner states in his book that the magnetism of this place is perhaps caused by the fact that it constantly defies the odds, proving that even the shabbiest, dirtiest parts of town can be transformed into wonderment.

At the Fashion Kapitol, we found a fashion show in progress. The models were displaying creative designs by first and second year fashion students at SEWAFRICA. As a devotee of good art, I marvelled at the creativity and sheer innovation of the garments on parade.

At the Anglo-American Campus, located on Main Street Mall, on the west-end of town, we walked – to my judgment – the cleanest streets in the inner city I had thus far seen. The cheerful, magnificent and obviously well maintained gardens sparkled with a fresh luxuriance. It was in these splendid landscapes where I found Joburg’s most famous sculpture – ‘Impala Stampede’, or ‘Leaping Impala’, as it is popularly known.  

Our walkabout took us through the Ghandi Square. On a cold Saturday morning, the plaza was somewhat lackadaisical, a very relaxed and laid-back mood. Here a robust statue of Mahatma Ghandi stands in the middle of the square, and the power within this place could be felt in the air.

One by one, the preconceived notions slipped away, as we continued our tour.

Asked to comment on the inner city’s high crime rate and how it has changed, Mr. Shaun O’Shea, from Office of the City Manager, said: “We are aware of the incidences of crime in certain pockets of the inner city and the Office of the City Manager has taken action to address these issues. These include the placement of over 300 CCTV cameras throughout the CBD, which are linked to a central command centre with immediate South African Police Service (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) response units.

“In addition, the city has recently rolled out the ‘Joburg 10 Plus’ programme, which includes the deployment of 10 Metro police officers in each city ward. The region also has a special investigations and legal task team, who act in partnership with SAPS, National Prosecution Authaority (NPA), the Hawks and other role players actively involved in addressing serious crime, such as building hijackings.”

This year’s International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings placed Johannesburg 142^nd in the world, and third in Africa, after Cape Town and Nairobi (first and second places respectively). In one year’s time, the city has jumped an astounding 92 places.

This momentous climb is harbinger of the changes in attitudes and perceptions JCTA is hoping to instil, in both the local community and the world. If that important shift takes place, the City of Gold could become one of the world’s most sought after – and enjoyed - tourist destinations.