From the Center for Crime in South Africa to the return of the city

The view is spectacular from the top of the Ponte Tower, one of the most famous buildings in the South African city of Johannesburg.

Built in 1975, standing almost 200 m (656 feet), this is a long-established characteristic of the city silhouette, once the highest residential building in Africa.

But like the city, he had his own ups and falls. In the 1980s, she was taken over by criminal gangs, and her hollow core filled with garbage up to 50 m deep.

“The building was abducted. There were no utility services, so most of the people actually threw their garbage right inside the building until it reached the 14th floor,” said Delight Sithole, which conducts tours of the building.

He added: “There were some dead bodies here, illegal firearms, drugs. The smell, I’m sure it was just terrible, just really like the hell on earth.

“If you ask someone what is happening in this round building, someone would have something interesting or scary to say about it,” said Siphiso Zihali, who works with d -Sitole in an organization called Dlala Nje, which means “just a game” in Zulu.

“People were scared of the neighborhood,” he said.

Johannesburg is seen as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

But the building became about 15 years ago after the FIFA World Cup, hosting in South Africa, and people began to move back.

After Covid, people returned and the building is already about three quarters.

You will not escape from the problems that Johannesburg and South Africa face.

Despite the signs of improvement in the latest statistics, crime is still a major problem.

The crippling cuts of power supply that have hit the city for years, known as a load, have ended almost a year ago, but now the water crisis is outlined, leaving many without.

Construction fire in the central business area (CBD) killed almost 80 people in the winter of 2023 and raised the issue of abducted buildings, discarded blocks for housing and apartments that were taken over by criminal gangs that accuse people of living there.

This is an area that is regenerated by a real estate company called Ithemba, which is Zulu for Hope. And this is a company that sees a business that thrives in Johannesburg.

A few days later, during a tour of one of the leading Housing of Itimba, called Jewel City, senior manager Alan Tait explains a turn.

“The search is just phenomenal and this demand is special to live in CBD,” he said.

He said the company is currently hiring 7,200 properties and is expected to double this over the next two years.

Called on its origin as a neighborhood for diamond transactions, such as the Ponte building, which was disadvantaged, just to see the Revival.

“We started Jewel City about five years ago, just as Covid hit. So the weather was a little out. But as Covid rises, the buildings filled quite quickly,” he said.

While close to the edge of development, it indicates a long strip of lights under the overflow. They were placed to provide light in an area that had been dark for some time, to a large extent because the load affected the city.

He was part of an initiative by a group called Jozimyjozi, which began in 2023. One of his first projects was to light the Nelson Mandela Bridge, a central element of the city, which meant that people again thought it was safe to be used.

“So the whole goal of Josimigo is to restore the hope of the city’s residents,” says Bea Sunepel, CEO of the organization, in the yard behind his office in Rosebank, north of the city center.

“And when we regain hope, we must show some visible improvements and impactful projects so that they can see that there is a way out of the place where we are right now and live in the city of the future where people can be safe and Where they can thrive and where there are jobs. ”

The group also launched the Gateway project, an effort to clean the ten main entrances of the city, and they began to deal with everything from holes, to homelessness to education.

Can Johannesburg one day talk about London, Paris or New York?

“Well, this is the intention,” said G -Ja Swanepoel. “Much of what is happening in Jourg is due to the perceptions. We have a long way. I want to say that there is no doubt about it, but it is not impossible. We have to get there and be the gold standard for cities in Africa.

The city should host the G -20 later this year, which will bring new investments and attention to the city.

Back on the 51st floor of the Ponte Tower, Siphiso Zihali stares out the window.

Does he think Dlala Nje succeeds in her mission?

“Yes, we are because one of our biggest challenges was to make people come here. We are already one of the best attractions in the city. This is our city and whatever we face, we have to find a solution at the end For him, “he said.