A cynic finds that Johannesburg is a South African city worth living in
Mary Smich once wrote: ‘Live in Jozi once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in the Western Province once, but leave before it makes you soft.’ Or words to that effect.
Like all big cities Johannesburg – Jozi to the locals – has a vibe for those already living there, but it is intimidating and impenetrable to those passing through.
I have been one of the biggest critics of Johannesburg. In fact, some time ago I wrote an article on Death of a City (a reference to the inner city slums). I’ve been very jaded by some awful experiences here. These included a 3 hour nocturnal search for an aunts flat in Yeoville (close to central crime ridden Hillbrow). It was a harrowing drive made worse because I was staying on a military base, had a car, but I didn’t have a license. Somehow I managed to not kill myself despite driving through several red traffic lights, glancing wildly around in search of street names. By the time I found my aunt’s flat it was well past midnight. So I slept in the car. Not fun.
And while I was in the Air Force just up the road from Johannesburg, I spent quite a few Friday and Sunday night’s hitchhiking on the highways that link Pretoria to Johannesburg. That is one of the grimmest places to be at any time of day. Just before I got my driver’s license (I only turned 18 years old while in the Air Force) I was in a car crash that gouged a hole in my knee. Somehow the guillotine of metal narrowly missed my kneecap. These blood spattered images formed the basis of my internal collage of Johannesburg. Not nice.
So when I was offered a job in Jozi recently, I didn’t do a victory dance. In fact I had to make a number of sober choices. If Johannesburg is not fun, and not nice, why go and live there, even if the pay is good? In the end, for me – like so many people who have come to Johannesburg from somewhere else – it boiled down to money.
I have only been in Johannesburg for one month, so by no means do I feel my opinion is gospel. I am still figuring my way around the complex and dense urban and suburban environments here. But a lot of friends, and my sister yesterday, continue to say the same thing to me over the phone: “Johannesburg? I could never live there.” While I was out cycling with a friend this afternoon, through the attractive wooded northern suburbs of Melrose and Houghton, I told him: “You just can’t tell people it’s really a nice play to live. They think you’re just being defensive because you have no choice but to be defensive.”
Except Jozi does have a lot going for it. Parts of it feel surprisingly like Cape Town, other parts feel surprisingly African. I think it’s the trees.
Just this morning I went to the Old Eds health club (Virgin Active). It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s the best franchise I have ever been to in South Africa (including the Point and Constantia Clubs in Cape Town). It’s true I haven’t visited those clubs in a while, but compared to Bloemfontein’s Northridge Club, Old Eds is in a different class. The facilities include a Kauai restaurant, free internet stations, a lounge setup in the changing room, classy dark wood lockers and so on. The monolithic complex is surrounded by fields for soccer and an open air swimming pool in summer. Wow!
Old Eds is situated in an up market area of Jozi, and thus it can afford to splurge on everything a discerning fitness fanatic might want. But the health club facility is just one analogy. Because of the sheer number of people, and the sheer wealth invested in suburbia malls, galleries, concerts etc pander to the various demands of the locals. By far the most people and the most wealth in South Africa is in Gauteng, the small province that is home to this urban powerhouse. Johannesburg is a world class African city. If there is any doubt, visit Melrose Arch, an expensive complex dripping with diamond clear windows and warm golden roadside lamps. Here you will find banana yellow Lamborghinis parked alongside row upon row of silver BMW’s and Mercedes Benz sedans.
What about the people? My perception has always been that people from Johannesburg are harder, tougher and meaner than elsewhere. Get onto a nearby highway to test that theory. On the other hand, is any big city in the world any different? So many people in the same place have to be determined and committed to get ahead, even to stay in the same place. Things move a lot faster in a big city. The city has a pace, an energy. Johannesburg is no different.
I have personally experienced ‘South Africa’ far more in Jozi than in Bloemfontein for example. There is a lot more culture steaming off the streets. Not only African culture, but Jewish culture, and the culture of the nouveau riche. Yesterday I saw a Rolls Royce sailing down an avenue near to my loft apartment. A week ago a saw a ‘Black Diamond’ (a soap actress) turning a topless red Ferrari and roaring off in my rearview mirror.
So is it all good? Having been a long time critic of the inefficiencies of big cities (traffic jams, crime etc), it’s possible to live a happy life and be contented in Jozi. A good example is a friend of mine who works at Accenture. I’ve always known her as a free spirit, a surfer and lifeguard at Llandudno. When she told me 7 years ago she was moving to Johannesburg, I thought: “Not for long.” She’s still here, and she gets around. This weekend she flew to Washington on business, and from there she’s going to Spain for a short holiday. She also flies to Cape Town often to reconnect to her ‘surfer-self’. But it’s the money that obviously makes this sort of lifestyle possible. That’s what’s exciting.
Unfortunately, the silver linings also have a few dark clouds that spoil the otherwise sunny effect of this spectacular South African city. I use the word purposefully because, for example, even as a cyclist it is possible to enjoy beautiful tree lined streets that wind along golf courses, swinging around small lakes and sweeping through lovely views. Johannesburg is after all the biggest man-made forest in the world. But there are power failures, and while crime may not impact on every individual, there is an awareness of it.
The important point to make is that despite the blemish of crime, by far the most people continue to live and work here. Many of those people love the ethos here, and within a month, I am not conflicted at all to say I am one of them. Jozi is a great city, but I don’t expect anyone who hasn’t lived here to take my word for it. You have to experience Jozi to get what it means to live here.
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