tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post115332822852624846..comments2024-02-10T09:55:04.396+02:00Comments on The Death of Johannesburg: A Tour Through Hillbrow Part 7The Real Realisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14512197893435107223noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-43525477275411973152015-12-11T22:42:37.047+02:002015-12-11T22:42:37.047+02:00I lived in Hillbrow from 1978 to 1970, Lake Succes...I lived in Hillbrow from 1978 to 1970, Lake Success, crn of Edith Cavell & Pietersen st. what GREAT PLACE IT WAS THEN, GREAT NIGHT LIFE. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BIG PROMISES OF THE Afrikaans PEOPLE, THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH, THEY GAVE UP WITHOUT A SHOT BEING FIRED . Their BOER ANCESTORS would be so ashamed. Remember Blood river and Majuba and the suffering of the Boer women and children in English concentration camps. So sorry but glad I left when I did. I will never forget and always love S. Africa.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16597305274255766437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-35101258184027016182015-02-24T19:49:08.439+02:002015-02-24T19:49:08.439+02:00Reminds me of Maputo.
Now I see Detroit has compet...Reminds me of Maputo.<br />Now I see Detroit has competition.<br />I used to live and in Hillbrow.<br />Yeah, go blame Jan...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-91492447590127217802014-04-10T16:04:06.176+02:002014-04-10T16:04:06.176+02:00
1979. A nighttrip from Nuanetsi/
Rhodesia to Alt ...<br />1979. A nighttrip from Nuanetsi/<br />Rhodesia to Alt Heidelberg/Hill<br />brow. Rhodesian Army Landrover<br />and in RSF Camoflage. A couple<br />of drinks and back to RSRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-10026188989806291582014-03-15T23:37:15.026+02:002014-03-15T23:37:15.026+02:00Lord of the flys,so sad!get out while you can!Lord of the flys,so sad!get out while you can!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-53803328082224470962014-02-15T23:30:42.070+02:002014-02-15T23:30:42.070+02:00Reading all the comments, it's sad that everyo...Reading all the comments, it's sad that everyone is blaming the next. As a property developer in the inner city we are making it our mission to fix up our neighborhood! At the end of the day it's easy to point fingers , but it comes down to the correct management of these buildings, making sure the vagrants are removed from hijacked buildings fixing them up making them livable again, I grew up in Mitchell street berea, no matter how the city has been ruined , I'm proud to say this was part of my roots.Da silvanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-6701501704948857852011-04-15T13:53:23.241+02:002011-04-15T13:53:23.241+02:00I am trying to find a friend they use to have the ...I am trying to find a friend they use to have the yugoslavian club in Hillbrow Mamma Mira. His name was Marko. If anyone can help. His sister's name was Mira. email nydiap@herefordgroup.co.zaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-758799316900926892010-02-05T07:27:58.364+02:002010-02-05T07:27:58.364+02:00eish!!!!!!!eish!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-22407535124335186512010-01-07T03:35:40.347+02:002010-01-07T03:35:40.347+02:00I was struck by a statement of yours and often ask...I was struck by a statement of yours and often asked what has happened to all the white liberals (rich white students,political activists, musicians artists, etc.) who kept on pleading the ANC and Communist cause during the apartheid era. Where are they now? Those who made so much noise at home and abroad are very quiet nowadays.Your comment said it all "they have now voted with their feet". <br />My grandparents were caretakers of a block of flats near Joubert Park in the 1970's and I recall visiting them as a 5 year -old. Being taken to Joubert park at night to see the fairytale characters and getting a bunny-eared balloon filled with helium and getting candyfloss (spook-asem) or toffee-apples.<br />They have all passed away a long time ago now, and I reckon they would be spinning in their graves if they saw what has become of it all. <br />I also recall visiting my uncle in Rhodesia in around 1978, being pulled off my bed in the early morning hours by my cousin as the terrorists(a.k.a Freedom Fighters) where shooting at civilian homes. My uncle and his family ended up losing everything once again (the time before was in Zambia). They settled in South Africa and always yearned for the "good old days" they had.<br />Meanwhile South Africans lived in a bubble.Having a false sense of security - never thinking that the black-tide would hit us. It did and you better believe that SA HAS,IS,and WILL end up like the rest of Africa - raped, pillaged and destroyed (call it pessimistic but I call it realistic - look around you).<br />I left SA and lived a while in the UK, Canada and finally settled here in New Zealand.<br />I recently came across a controversial documentary DVD called Africa Addio and the situation is the same now nearly 40 years after it was made. The natives don't have the initiative to better themselves. Look at the Escom power supply problems among others. Rather than think ahead and better themselves they would simply use an infastructure that is already established and run it into the ground . They are swiftly destroying South Africa and are now following the whites South Africans overseas.They wanted us out of Africa but now that virtually nothing is left they follow us like hyena after a lion's kill. You should see how they live even when they are abroad (witnessed 1st-hand in UK and New Zealand). <br /><br />Ask them what is happening in the new South Africa and question the typical corruption and all they need to do is say "Aah, we suffered under apartheid". This smokescreen works everytime as it taps into the guilt trip that has been placed on us and distracts from what is really taking place now - rape, looting, pillaging and the rapid change from a jewel in Africa to just another african slum. Bitter? - you bet!! I understand why apartheid was a necessary evil.Without it we would have been dragged down sooner. I daily mourn the once prosperous and safe country of my birth and forebears. It has died and now the vultures are feasting on its' carcass.<br />Something to think about - : <br />If the Zulus in Natal were so hard done by why did the then colonial government have the need to bring in indentured labour from India for the sugar-cane industry? Even so,this minority group of Indians were brought in as a form of slavery, they somehow managed to become very successful - building their own university,becoming successful businessmen and women and top professionals even during an apartheid or segregated government. <br /><br />I still watch in disbelief the way Mandela is portrayed as a saint in the world media. Having endured so-called hard labour on Robben Island (always shown as a top tourist spot - a "mecca" or birth-place for democracy). How is it that a terrorist like this managed to get obtain a law degree through correspondence if he was working so damn hard outside and mistreated by his slave-drivers ? <br /><br />Mahatma Ghandi should rather be given the true recognition he was due - a true hero !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-39849328513183383992009-12-17T01:27:35.929+02:002009-12-17T01:27:35.929+02:00Do you have "Before" photos, to do a com...Do you have "Before" photos, to do a comparison, maybe with some kind of date or year? I think most people will not realize what happened if haven't live or still live in South Africa.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07210126181904012899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-88247021963706637642009-12-04T20:36:01.972+02:002009-12-04T20:36:01.972+02:00OMG!!!!!! I sit here with tears in my eyes as i ty...OMG!!!!!! I sit here with tears in my eyes as i type this. I grew up in Joel Street Berea, the Heidelberg 20 story building to be precise. I was trying to look up Bellas on google to see if it still existed and came across your blog. I am speechless and frankly just plain saaaaad right now.<br /><br />I cant believe such an awesome city has turned out like this! I went to KES primary and senior highschool and enjoyed the best of my teenage years in JHB. Left in 1992.<br /><br />Memories of how it was is all we have now guys..The old JHB we all knew is truly DEAD. Places i remember are; Bella's, the Italian club, the White Horse Inn, Caesers Palace, Masquerades. Drags at the Doll House and Barons on Sundays. :) Wurstbuda and Mykonos Kebabs near Bellas. The three sisters and Zurich cafe to mention just a few.. ahh the memories....<br /><br />AndrewAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-10625437168601463452009-10-22T05:25:31.424+02:002009-10-22T05:25:31.424+02:00Now I know why I left South Africa(CT) at the age ...Now I know why I left South Africa(CT) at the age of 40 in January this year for New Zealand!<br /><br />My kids have a future in New Zealand!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-72211185525618548032009-10-17T10:07:41.623+02:002009-10-17T10:07:41.623+02:00I remember staying at the : "St Kilda" h...I remember staying at the : "St Kilda" hotel/Mansions (spelling??)in Hillbrow in the early sixties. Does anybody remember soething like that???Mie1https://www.blogger.com/profile/03838001058878152432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-28148586862546125762009-10-13T06:30:11.709+02:002009-10-13T06:30:11.709+02:00Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek !!!!!!!!!
Yes, its the...Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek !!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Yes, its the screamer again, as I've posted other comments on other of your blogs. I also lived in Pretoria Street, Hillbrow on the border with Braamfontein. (Pity I can't see what Burton Court looks like ... I suppose in the same state as the others ...) Not the Checkers (was it Pick 'n Pay) end. I know Nedbank Plaza as I used to pick up some magazines from the CNA store on the mezzanine level. I also remember the Ambassador Hotel ... All these memories from before 1990 when I left ...<br /><br />I'm still crying at the sight of all these pictures ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-43008183137837794902009-09-22T22:24:39.479+02:002009-09-22T22:24:39.479+02:00I was a foreigner (from Holland) when I lived in H...I was a foreigner (from Holland) when I lived in Hillbrow and Berea in the early 80 's. It was an exciting place to be. The Castle Inn, the Mad bar and ofcourse the Chelsea Hotel with the live music in the weekends. I never forget the celebration of new years eve. <br />It makes me sad looking to the pictures of Hillbrow today.Hans van der Aanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-32382338216463334882009-09-02T02:59:33.909+02:002009-09-02T02:59:33.909+02:00So the question in my mind is "Is black cult...So the question in my mind is "Is black culture capable of creating and sustaining a civlized, prosperous society?" These photos, along with current photos of other SA cities I've seen, speak volumes for a negative answer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-58255119517210144422009-08-24T12:53:35.488+02:002009-08-24T12:53:35.488+02:00What a disgrace!What a disgrace!Baobabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06378595012791083854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-26296575268151478652009-08-05T17:50:47.410+02:002009-08-05T17:50:47.410+02:00I was a plain clothes cop (Intelligence) in the ea...I was a plain clothes cop (Intelligence) in the early’80’s working in Hillbrow.<br />I remember the Zurich Cafe in Hillbrow, and the Austrian/German schnitzel take away directly opposite… you guys remember the Zurich – open 24/7, the good coffee and cake?<br /><br />I left SA in the early 90’s, and on my many trips since from Europe to Zambia and Gabon I would often shake my head at the amount of traffic lights that were not working in these countries. The comparison was: we can keep them running pretty well in SA, nothing complicated about a traffic light, is there – why the hell can’t these guys keep them running? <br /><br />Back in SA last year (for a brief sad few days – oh yes, sad they were) I shook my head at the amount of traffic lights not working – and remembered how I used to think about this in the past when travelling to other parts of Africa.<br /><br />Oh yes – now it all started to make sense!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-44312977527027472282009-06-30T22:18:38.204+02:002009-06-30T22:18:38.204+02:00I lived in Dudley Hights, Hosptital Hill back in t...I lived in Dudley Hights, Hosptital Hill back in the 70's when I first arrived in Jo'burg from the UK.<br /><br />It then had a large number of UK imigrant nurses living there, on six month contracts with a local clinic.<br /><br />It was a great place to live for a batchelor in his twenties, with parties almost every night<br /><br />I'm sure that with some effort and investment it could again become a cool place to live once againDeeceJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-38789249152248492042009-06-24T23:30:14.558+02:002009-06-24T23:30:14.558+02:00We were privileged to live there for seven years a...We were privileged to live there for seven years and left in 1990 to return home to UK. We loved every minute there and we were able to walk around in the Hillbrow area at weekends with our children and really enjoy the ambiance and good will of the people. It looks as if it would not be a good idea to do that any more. What a terrible, terrible shame! We went back to CT in January 2008 and whilst on the surface things looked okay the cracks were starting to show and tensions running high between the races there. I think we probably left at the right time having seen the beauty of the place before the politics changed the country for the worse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-29818530240083273652009-06-24T07:54:31.402+02:002009-06-24T07:54:31.402+02:00I grew up in Jo'burg.
Back in those days you c...I grew up in Jo'burg.<br />Back in those days you could walk around the place at midnight without the fear of being mugged/raped etc.<br />I am absolutely shocked to see this photos.<br />Knew it was bad but didn't think this bad.<br />Shame on the present government not to keep everyday things in a running state.Etienne Marcelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00538116397057536119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-24430848899079891702009-05-25T21:33:08.385+02:002009-05-25T21:33:08.385+02:00I can identify with all photos on this blog.I am a...I can identify with all photos on this blog.I am a retired 30 yr veteran policeman from Chicago and experienced all this 1st hand, saw old established neighborhoods that had ethnic peoples living in them for years Polish,Irish, Swedes, Germans etc etc go from being show places of order and cleanliness to filthy crime ridden slums overnite, business that were there were forced to flee due to murder of owners, theft, arson. intimidation. yet the liberals staed ALAWAYS that it was the scourge of racism and predujdice ad naseum. these people who inhabitated these areas then went on to destry the homes and stores which once were establisehed businese etc and are now toire down or burned out, this is the legacy of the black man destroy and move on. also i have noticed the jealousy of these people towards their own if they are suvvessfull in some venue of business or education. i have had calls to black schools were a beaten student was accussed of acting white if he showed promise or was just A SMART KID.these people are unbeleivable. and they are African to the core, i have spoke to a few lay religious men who went to Africa with stars in eyes to preach to locals and came back with stories of murderous rampaGE ON A DAILY basis where they thought they had befriended a local only to be robbed by same individual, subject stated they are born thieves. the same thing is happening here in states but Europe with its libearal agenda and open policy emmigration laws will find out, Sweden is getting payback along with Ireland with a crime rate unheard of in these countries, keep telling the truth in your blog , the libearals hate it, best wishes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-89393794326617590202009-04-30T18:59:00.000+02:002009-04-30T18:59:00.000+02:00It must sound like a broken 7-single, but this jus...It must sound like a broken 7-single, but this just breaks my heart. There are no words to describe how this makes one feel.<br /><br />Before leaving SA, I visitied Moz and drove through Maputho en route to Vilanculos. I could not believe the decay. Now the same cancer is in SA with the same effect! <br /><br />Short sighted people just ruining everything with a consuming way of life. Everything is consumed and little is created.Gustavnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-8737829851088925902009-04-07T13:02:00.000+02:002009-04-07T13:02:00.000+02:00I see you mentioned Peter Rose, I knew Peter well ...I see you mentioned Peter Rose, I knew Peter well back in the day, realy nice bloke before the booze got too much of a hold on him, became known as "Peter the fag" because he was always bumming cigarettes of the lads in Michaels Tavern, last saw him in about 1984-85.<BR/>I used to live in Berea, at the Camelot, drove past there a couple of years back, sad, very sad.<BR/>Am now living in Cape Town, not far from Cape Point, cant retreat any further than this as the chaos line draws ever closer, fortunately the dark plague has not yet over run the Cape but the warning signs are there on the outskirts of Michels Plain, Zuma's shock troops are massing, god help us all if they win the CapeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-91101729417845319432009-04-07T00:03:00.000+02:002009-04-07T00:03:00.000+02:00Certainly a mess, but did anyone in their wildest ...Certainly a mess, but did anyone in their wildest dreams expect anything different. I mean the country was given away faster than ordering at Nandos.<BR/>Wait till the "folks" realize that the Wagon Lager at Blood River is made of Brass. They will scrap that place on a good weekend.<BR/>As long as the taxpayer foots the bill things will go down slower, once they cannot pay anymore, then it will be just another Zim.<BR/>Quite Frankly, "You aint seen Nothing yet."Gatvolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00469776024781325374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30988156.post-14056235537447150792009-04-02T18:41:00.000+02:002009-04-02T18:41:00.000+02:00A person told me a long time ago concerning racist...A person told me a long time ago concerning racist. He say about Afro-American in American,"We(white people) never say you can't go to the library, we just never taught you to read."<BR/>Whites in South Africa in the 1600s, started a live style and they were the ones to run it, than left it and never share it with other people. And how you can see what that type of attitude can cause. This is done all over the world, with racist,than people blame the other side for the problem. Remember you never taught them to read, but you builded a library and how say it not our problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com