This is Hillbrow!

When my friend Jake stopped over in Joburg for a visit before starting his field guide training in the Eastern Cape, he stayed with us in Sandton. 

But I wanted him to see more of Johannesburg than just the high-rise commercial buildings, behemoth malls and secure luxury apartments and homes found in the northern suburbs. I wanted him to see firsthand the gritty renaissance that is happening right now in the downtown city center. So before we toured the art galleries and markets of the already transformed Braamfontein and Maboneng precincts, we went to where the renaissance is just beginning, Hillbrow. 

We went on a walking tour of Ponte City and the surrounding areas with Dlala Nje. A combination game and play center complete with pool tables and pinball machines and a community development center fostering local empowerment projects, Dlale Nje is Zulu for "just play." 

 

The tour began inside the infamous Ponte Tower, the high-rise apartment city and the tallest billboard in Africa. With its 360 degree wraparound red Vodacom brand completely surrounding the top of the tower, Ponte City as it is now called represents both the lowest point in Hillbrow's history as well its its highest achievement. It is almost like a barometer for the area giving you a reading of the economic health of what was once the place to be in downtown Joburg.

To be exact, the tour began in the penthouse apartment of one of the founders of Dlale Nje. He gave us a 45 minute talk about the history of Hillbrow and Ponte City while we sat in his spacious two bedroom crib and took in the panoramic views his apartment afforded ...

... of Hillbrow Tower, Berea, Yeoville and beyond. 














Ponte City was built at the peak of Joburg's economically richest time for its wealthiest residents. It had all the amenities including a swimming pool, tennis courts, underground parking, and a full range of shops on the ground floor. A city within a city for the most discriminating (pun intended) consumer.

For a little bit more on the history of Ponte City's decline and regeneration, check out the city of Joburg's link, Ponte Gets a Second Life.

We learned on the tour that for the first time since 1976, all of the apartments in Ponte City are completely let with artists, students, and working families. 

Our tour guide's roommate is a photographer artist who has recently completed a work whose subject is the drug culture in Hillbrow. His compelling photographs will be exhibited soon at Arts on Main. Check it out when they do!










Ponte City is built around an open core with windows on the inside of the apartments facing the center core and on the outside facing the sky.










 







Part of the inside of the Vodacom billboard as seen from across the center core on the 52nd floor. Ironically there is no Vodacom cell service in Ponte City!

 

After the "white flight" of the late 80's, the city shut off all essential services to Ponte City including water, electricity and garbage collection. At its lowest point, when the apartments were occupied by immigrant squatters who regularly threw their garbage out the windows into the center core, ...









 




.... the garbage reached the top of the zig-zag steps, about 15 stories. Now completely cleared of garbage - it took four months! - you can see the bedrock ridge of the Witwatersrand continental divide.

walking towards Hillbrow Tower

After Ponte City, we hit the streets of Hillbrow.



















We saw the iconic.



















Examples of the "before"  ...













... and "after" of the gentrification process.





















The Classified Wall for just about anything you would want including rooms for rent and goods for sale.












 Classifieds.












 Customers.

















The notorious brothels of Hillbrow.













One of the "nicer" brothels!

the place to get your mopane worms and betel nuts

  













The colorful markets of High Pretoria Street.

tomato towers

something tells me their days are numbered

absurdly large ears of corn

The corn was magnificent! We bought some.

After our tour, all twenty of us stopped in at a local Hillbrow tavern for some refreshments. The clientele were very accommodating. In the end, Jake told us he had a really good time. Hooray!

To book a tour check out their website or "like" Dlale Nje on Facebook and sign up for one of their tour Events. You will like it too.

photo by Kate Turner

Footnote: 
As the area infrastructure continues to improve, so does the sense of community and local pride. Another thing we learned on the tour is the following tip. If you do walk around Hillbrow on your own, or hopefully with a friend, and you encounter any problems (such as a mugging, God forbid) yell "Vimba!" loudly. It means "Stop him!" People will come to your aid.

PS This is a photo of my shoes taken at the tavern by fellow tour-ist and Mail & Guardian reporter Kate Turner. While they are very cute, they were unfortunately a bit impractical for a walking tour around Hillbrow. Especially for the "hill" part of Hillbrow. Do yourself a favor when you take your tour with Dlale Nje. Wear comfy walking shoes as they suggest!