The City of Gold - Life and Death in Johannesburg South Africa
Whenever I travel abroad I always find myself being cautioned on where NOT to go. Safety may be an issue they say. I find this mostly amusing. “Your safety being in danger amuses you” they will ask. The truth is, not much scares me. I live in Johannesburg South Africa .
Bear with me please - I am not a seasoned fighter sporting cauliflower ears. I was not the school wrestling champion for five straight years. In fact we didn’t even have a wrestling team. No. I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. Affectionately known as The City of Gold. So what you may ask? City of Gold sounds amazing....
THE DEATH
This City swallows grown men whole. Fathers, brothers, mothers and daughters and OUR children leave their homes everyday and the fear of never seeing them again immediately sets in as they fade into the black tar that lines the roads out of our homes in the suburbs. You see post - apartheid ripped away the safety net from right underneath us. Our safety was no longer (what up until then we naively thought was guaranteed) and life was about to get real, I mean really real. That safety net was a lie all along. In fact it was never to be the same. The beginning of South Africa’s democracy was supposed to be the stuff dreams were made of - but it was anything but a dream. Amongst all the beauty and prosperity we witnessed one of the highest murder and rape statistics in the entire world.
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The first two times I was hijacked i managed to fire off a few shots from my 9mm semi auto pistol. I was young with no tactical experience. It saved my life - I was on both occasions outnumbered by far and unable to get out of the situation simply. It was fight or most certainly die. I won. The PTS I was warned about would only settle in a few years later. But not before one more hijacking where the guy managed to catch me unaware and entered my vehicle (a double cab bakkie / truck) and calmly told me to drive to a nearby soccer stadium. He had stabbed me twice on the way there and I believed I would certainly die that day.
When he told me to stop the vehicle he proceeded to begin masturbating and instructed me to remove my pants. I was no fighter before that moment but that very instant I decided to fight. He instructed me again and i shook my head in refusal while trying to put a 5 second plan together to give this guy my best Bruce Lee moves I had never learnt. Damn I should have watched Karate Kid more intently.
Next the sound of a gun cocking and cold steel pressed hard against my head signaled the end of my 5 second Plan. Bruce Lee didn’t inspire some Kung Fu moves. I am sure Bruce would have taken this guy out looooooong ago. In the time it took for his trigger to be pulled back and that click of the hammer hitting the firing pin I thought about my family and the children I never had. I always wanted children even at a young age. Click. No bang!
I lunged toward him while still in shock he turned away leaping out the car door. I launched at his body managing to wrap my arms around his waist but I had lost a lot of blood and was no match for his haste in getting away. And get away he did.
A few months later myself and a few friends were held up in a friend’s workshop by some young thugs with guns and they removed our gold chains and bracelets, shoes, car keys and anything of value they sought after. This turned out to be story of all of our braai’s / barbecues in the future. The guys laughed at me the most because the first thief who entered into the workshop faced me first and drew his gun and pressed it into my stomach - “sleep” he said. My first words were “oh ooooooooooh” while I proceeded to lie down on top of my friend (the owner) in a seriously confined space. We laughed many times about this moment. We laughed.
Little did we know that these front page stories would very soon barely make it into our local newspapers. It became quite normal for these things to happen a few times a day with very little comment or backlash. We had become numb. That numbess brought with it fear and soon suburban houses were draped in electric fences and high walls with security men stationed outside the more affluent properties.
Everyone knew and now knows someone close to them, friend or family who has been a victim of violent crime. And yet we choose to live here????
THE LIFE
But when you visit our City you see people smiling, friendly people ready to help you and curiously ask you where you come from. Local neighborhood eateries and drinking holes are in abundance and the quality of products you enjoy are second to none. South African hospitality is world famous - one of the many reasons tourists land here every day. Some of them on their second and third journeys. Why????
Over the next few months we at #DueSouth will be exploring The City of Gold and other provinces in South Africa. We seek to tell the world about everything South Africa has to offer - no sugar coating - no bullshit - just honest real stories about real people and real places.
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For those with a view that South Africa holds only majestic beauty you are in for the ride of your life. And similarly, for those who believe South Africa is only filled with crime, racism and poverty - I urge you to follow me...
Join me as i travel around our City, neighborhoods and Provinces - reviewing the places we visit and interviewing the people we meet. It promises to be eye opening and informative with many surprises guaranteed!
The Province of Polokwane is my first review outside of Johannesburg for this year. The whole family is coming along so it’s gonna make for some great family reviews! For Four days this weekend we will spend our time at the beautiful Standford Lake Lodge in Magoebaskloof. A little gem of a town with rich culture and history.
See you SouthBound, even when we heading North. This is our #journey 🙏