Johannesburg revival: Bringing hope to one of world's most dangerous cities

The presumption is spectacular from the apical of Ponte Tower, 1 of the astir celebrated buildings successful the South African metropolis of Johannesburg.

Built successful 1975, lasting astir 200m (656 ft) tall, it's a long-established diagnostic of the metropolis skyline, erstwhile the tallest residential gathering successful Africa.

But similar the city, it's had its ups and downs. In the 1980s it was taken implicit by transgression gangs, and its hollow halfway filled with rubbish up to 50m deep.

"The gathering got hijacked. There were nary utilities, truthful astir of the radical were really throwing their trash close wrong the building, until it reached the 14th floor," said Delight Sithole, who runs tours of the building.

He added: "There were immoderate dormant bodies here, amerciable firearms, drugs. The smell, I'm definite it was conscionable horrible, conscionable truly like, hellhole connected earth.

"If you asked anybody what happens successful that circular building, idiosyncratic would person thing absorbing oregon scary to accidental astir it," said Sifiso Zikhali, who works with Mr Sithole successful an organisation called Dlala Nje, which means "just play" successful Zulu.

"People were frightened of the neighbourhood," helium said.

Johannesburg was seen arsenic being 1 of the astir unsafe cities successful the world.

But the gathering turned itself astir 15 years agone successful the aftermath of the Fifa World Cup hosted successful South Africa, and radical started moving backmost in.

After Covid, radical returned and the gathering is present astir three-quarters full.

There is nary escaping the issues that Johannesburg, and South Africa, face.

Despite signs of betterment successful the astir caller statistics, transgression is inactive a large issue.

Crippling powerfulness cuts that plagued the metropolis for years, known arsenic load-shedding, came to an extremity astir a twelvemonth ago, but present a h2o situation is looming, leaving galore without.

A gathering occurrence successful the Central Business District (CBD) killed astir 80 radical successful the wintertime of 2023, and exposed the contented of hijacked buildings, disused lodging and apartments blocks that person been taken implicit by transgression gangs who complaint radical to unrecorded there.

• What are Johannesburg's hijacked buildings?
• Living successful a 'hijacked' building

This is an country that's been regenerated by a spot institution called Ithemba, which is Zulu for "hope". And it's a institution that is seeing concern booming successful Johannesburg.

A fewer days later, connected a circuit of 1 of Ithemba's flagship residential developments called Jewel City, elder manager Alan Tait explains the turnaround.

"The request is conscionable phenomenal, and that request is specifically to unrecorded successful the CBD," helium said.

He said that the institution presently leases 7,200 properties and is expected to treble that implicit the adjacent 2 years.

Named aft its origins arsenic a diamond dealing district, similar the Ponte gathering the country fell into disrepair, lone to spot a resurgence.

"We launched Jewel City astir 5 years ago, conscionable arsenic Covid was hitting. So the timing was a small spot out. But arsenic soon arsenic Covid lifted, the buildings filled up rather quickly," helium said.

As we adjacent the borderline of the development, helium points retired a agelong portion of lights nether a flyover. They were enactment up to supply airy successful an country that had been acheronian for immoderate time, mostly owed to the loadshedding affected the city.

It was portion of an inaugural by a radical called JoziMyJozi which started successful 2023. One of its archetypal projects was to airy up the Nelson Mandela bridge, a centrepiece of the city, that meant radical erstwhile again recovered it harmless to use.

"So the full purpose of JoziMyJozi is to bring anticipation backmost to the residents of the city," said Bea Swanepoel, CEO of the organisation, successful the courtyard down her bureau successful Rosebank, northbound of the metropolis centre.

"And by bringing anticipation back, we request to amusement immoderate disposable improvements and impactful projects truthful that they tin spot there's a mode retired of wherever we are currently, and to unrecorded successful the metropolis of the future, wherever radical tin beryllium harmless and wherever they tin thrive and wherever determination are jobs."

The radical besides launched the gateway project, an effort to cleanable up the 10 main entrances to the city, and they've begun to tackle everything from potholes, to homelessness to education.

Could Johannesburg 1 time beryllium spoken astir similar London, Paris oregon New York?

"Well, that is the intention," said Ms Swanepoel. "Much of what's happening successful Joburg is owed to perceptions. We person a agelong mode to go. I mean, there's nary uncertainty astir that, but it's not impossible. We request to get up determination and beryllium the golden modular for cities successful Africa."

The metropolis is owed to big the G20 aboriginal this year, which volition bring caller concern and attraction to the city.

Back connected 51st level of the Ponte tower, Sifiso Zikhali gazes retired of the window.

Does helium deliberation Dlala Nje is succeeding successful its mission?

"Yes we are, due to the fact that 1 of our biggest challenges was to get radical coming here. We are present 1 of the city's apical attractions. This is our city, and immoderate we face, we request astatine the extremity to find a solution for it," helium said.