London’s crazy about Johannesburg – We’re hot hot
YEBO! We’ve said it since we started, AFRICA’S TIME IS NOW!!!!
In the past, many a South African, particularly those that have ‘immigrated’ to the UK, had a lot of bad things to say about their motherland… disgraceful really. For what is a person without a place of birth, a place to go home to, a sense of belonging…? We can only guess that choosing to cut ties from your l…
and of birth must be a soul-destroying action leaving you fairly lost and blue. Especially when you have consciously made the choice and not been forced to leave. Being forced into Exile is an entirely different situation. Of course it is good to be critical and to have an opinion on your country… but some of the damaging ‘urban legends’ spread by South Africans in the UK in the past are unforgivable.
THE GOOD NEWS IS – in our opinion, those days are numbered – THE TRUTH WILL OUT – People are tired of reading about negative stuff on South Africa – it’s time to spread the good news!
And for once, people in London can believe the HYPE. The rejuvenation of Johannesburg city is a popular topic in many a London newspaper. Represent has even been commissioned to supply content for the South African TIMES based in London.
Click here for a story by Editorista on inner city living.
Click here for a story by Editorista on what to do in Jozi for a foreigner.
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The latest story on Johannesburg comes from the much-respected GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER in the UK. Focusing on the rejuvenation and soaring property prices, it gives a really positive but fair spin on the recent developments… thanks to author Rory Carroll for his words.
The gold mines are long exhausted but there is a new way to get rich in Johannesburg: property. An economic boom is transforming what was once South Africa’s byword for crime and decay into a vibrant metropolis.
Muggers and squatters in the notorious centre are making way for yuppies, loft apartments and renovated skyscrapers in what is one of the world’s fastest-growing property markets. By some estimates the value of real estate has risen 35-fold in six years, an extraordinary surge that outstrips growth rates in Manhattan, London or Sydney.
Some developments include platinum-plated taps, rooftop swimming pools and helipads. Popping up like toast around these luxury complexes are smart but relatively low-cost apartment blocks for a largely black middle class.
Scenes unimaginable a few years ago – BMWs parked in the street, people using mobile phones in public – have become commonplace with the 80% reduction in recorded rates of violent crime, partly the result of the installation of closed-circuit television cameras and a new Metro police force.
“In the 1990s landlords were literally giving away properties. They wanted rid of them. Now it is the most important commercial sector in Africa,” said Gustav Holtzhausen, managing director of developer Circlevest Properties. “I’ve never experienced or seen a mugging. If you walk through town you find the animosity is gone, the lawlessness is gone.”
Neil Fraser, an urban consultant credited with helping to spearhead the revival, said the key was making the city safer. “Tackle the crime first and create a platform for investment.” A similar approach worked in Atlanta, Washington DC and Philadelphia, he said.
New apartments range from ý50,000 to ý200,000. Last November the maker of Dom Perignon champagne, Moýt & Chandon, chose Johannesburg for the glitzy launch of its 1998 vintage.
