Above: Jeppe, east Johannesburg, inhabited houses
Above: Jeppe, east Johannesburg, inhabited houses
Jeppe, east Johannesburg, inhabited houses
Need a haircut? Jeppe, east Johannesburg, inhabited houses
Bree Street, Central Johannesburg
The Chelsea Hotel, Hillbrow: a formerly popular hotel, now boarded up
"Air conditioned apartments" Berea, north east Johannesburg
These people just cannot maintain or build on anything. Where were they when London was buildt, in mud huts. Which is what they are trying to do with what used to ba a great infrastructure. Go back to their GRASS ROOTS of doing nothing
ReplyDeleteDisgusting. But don't feel too bad. It looks just like North Philadelphia. And West Phildelphia. And Southwest Philadelphia, and Chester, PA and Camden, NJ, and all the other "necrotic" (as one blogger recently put it) regions of American cities.
ReplyDeleteawww, some poor whitey is pissed b/c apartheid ended and your silver spoon is now up your ass. Sure is hard to maintain those buildings without slavery. I'd suggest you move to a more racist country but alas your currency is worth shit and now you're stuck in the mess you and your family made. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThe powers that be are trying to do the same thing the United States and Europe. We all know who's behind it. They run the media to hide their responsibility, and to try and make whites feel guilty, an emotion which they and their lackeys are incapable of feeling.
ReplyDeleteHi Real Realist,
ReplyDeleteyou started a very brave and really eye opening blog with your
http://deathofjohannesburg.blogspot.com/
Exactly what all stupid European (especially German) tourists should see!
I hope you will continue still for a long time and will be able to resist successfully to all following attacks by the furious "Rainbow fans".
I am going to do some PR for you here in Germany and elsewhere because I like your special view of things and appreciate your work. Please post MORE pics! They are heartbreaking hilarious!
Dear AR,
ReplyDeleteYes, more pictures are coming. It is however, very dangerous to go and take pictures in the jungle of Johannesburg, as I need two armed people to come with me: one to look after the car, and another to protect me while I am distracted with the camera. A friend of mine who went there alone was attacked while he was looking into the camera's viewfinder, and was robbed and assaulted by the local savages.
But, don't despair, more pictures will soon be posted.
TRR
Hi Guys, what do you expect? Keep in mind these people where living in the early iron age just 200 years ago. No alphabet, no numbering system, not even the wheel was invented. Now they want to run a country, forget it! They will ruin it and will blame the colonists who tried to bring civilization. Get out if you can, your kids will thank you for it!
ReplyDeleteNo difference whatsoever: south side Chicago, Port au Prince, Detroit, South Central L.A., Bronx, Detroit, Paris (Clichy), London, Lagos, Gary, Indiana, Atlanta (the home of the CNN media mafia), Rio de Janeiro, Bamako, Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe....
ReplyDeleteTerrible, absolutely terrible. South Africa is lost forever, now it can only serve as a warning example to the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI'll body guard for you if you let me shoot some savages!
ReplyDeleteSchwarze "Demokratie & Kultur & Tradition" in Aktion. Dies ist die nahe Zukunft Europas auch!
ReplyDeleteIt must be caused by a pigment deformity!!
ReplyDeleteNice cheap accommodation for the 2010 tourists! They must just be careful – the razor-wire can create havoc with one’s clothes!
I can assure you that London is going the same way. Whole areas of this once proud and beautiful city are now occupied by Africans.
ReplyDeleteWhole streets are being destroyed and the remaining white people are forced out. I must start a photo blog of London.
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/Balaclava54/2006_07140003.jpg[/IMG]
Yes, I have seen parts of London: I remember in particular being shocked at the area around the old Wembly Stadium, that was really bad. A blog on that would be most welcome.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college in the late 1980's there was a "Free South Africa" event every other week. I remember thinking, "Gee, that sounds nice..They certainly should free those poor black people suffering under apartheid" I never realized the truth. They should have called those events "Help Destroy a First-World Civilization" I would apologize but we in the USA are staring down the barrel of the same gun. I can only hope that we will stand up before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteThis use to be the elite part of Johannesburg! Now its turned into scum like the rest of the crime ridden crap place Johannesburg really is. People say that there are still some good areas. If there are any, please post pictures of them.
ReplyDeletePlease keep the pictures coming so that I can keep remembering why I left that hellhole
This answers our question about why the Africa in general is in a mess. The African people as a rule don't believe in spending money on maintenance!
ReplyDeleteNice to see someone telling the truth over there, I remember the Chelsea Hotel well in the 1970's, lots of poms used to drink there in the "good old days" keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletewhat can you expect with such a currupt useless goverment,at least the uk and usa goverments show a little more care about thier citizens, Why go in SA and buy a car rather just hijack someone it costs you less and you will get away with it, Try hijacking someone at gunpoint in the US and the penalty is atleast 15-20 years...
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is where those visuals of shelled buildings in Bahgdad are actually filmed. Nah, probably safer to do it in the real Bahgdad !
ReplyDeleteI used to stay in this area during the eighties. I can't believe it's the same place. I wish a time-lapse film existed, except that the camera would probably get stolen.
Look at the rest of Africa -
ReplyDeletewe are part of it, this is what inevitably happens.
It's not just that: All the structures are going downhill - police, education, defence force, health services, you name it.
Only difference between SA and the rest of the continent is that SA has more to be broken down, so it will still take a while to become a true African state.
I can still remember how we went and stayed in Hillbrow and Joubert Park as students during the Rand Easter show. How we used to have a few pints in the Chelsea, how we were First world. Just more than a decade later under our "democratic elected freedom" and it is Third World with barbarric occupants who still live a stone age life. If you still wonder, GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN. I am glad I did...
ReplyDeleteI had a flat in Joubert park. It was newly renovated,with brand new doors,lift working etc. After my new "owners" moved in I went to see why I was not getting any rent.In one year there was no Lift working,the steps were smelling of urine(no lights) and there was no hot water. The place was a cesspool of stench and rotting decay. I was forced to give my flat back to the owners with subsequent R35000,000 loss to myself. need I say more.I am not surprised in the least.I only want to ask one question. Why does this type of thing only happen when blacks move in and not when other races are involved?
ReplyDeleteI work here every day. I drive in in the morning and drive out in the afternoon. I son't step outside. Pretoria has gone the same way. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteTo Racist anonymous.First lesson:there is a difference between maintenance and systematic destruction
ReplyDeleteI'm from a part of the World where this problem is rather far (Central- and East-Europe), but our nations also have experiences of radical socialists (Lenin, Hitler) coming to power. In our region many cities were totally or partially destroyed by radical socialists (e.g. Warsaw, Minsk, Bucharest). Now another mutation of socialism is trying to destroy Johannesburg.
ReplyDeleteTo the one proud to be white, but calling other whites a "scum" - there are some people who always claim that everything is all right, even at a time of dying. In Stalin times many people shouted "Long live Stalin!" even when they were being executed by the NKVD - their convinience in socialism was that strong. So if they come to backstab you, please shout: "Long live Joe Slovo!"
If the blacks say they are as good as they are, why is'nt Africa the bread basket of the world
ReplyDeleteWow, guys, what is this.
ReplyDeleteRacism is a very ugly thing, and this site could be of use to us in seeing the pitiful situation that prevails in CBD Johannesburg, but I just read ugly blatant racism.
Africa is being kept poor by the G8 the IMF and all these organisations, and they are not really seeing the plight of the common man.
People will naturally go and squat in any empty building that seems to be available, and, empty building means exactly that - that there is no working ablution facilities, and you wonder why it looks like that.
Petrol prices soar, and warmongers Bush and Blair bit off more than they could chew, and the economy goes south because of the unsure market because of unrest and destabilisation in the middle east, and once again, Africa which has the weaker economy in the world, is going to suffer for it, with people needing to squat as they cannot afford more, and we sit in our little white countries, and homes (I am white too and sitting in Johannesburg) and we bitch and moan but we do nothing, we are happy in our little racist suits and our little racist homes and we slur on a blogger, and work up a common feeling toward someone that the living God made a different colour than yourselves and you don't realise that it was grace (undeservedly) that gave you a little white skin, and placed you in the strongest country - Conquering nations and you think you have some kind of an entitlement to clean water, sewerage and clean parks.
Has anyone taken these people by the hand, explained to them how to go forward and what to do?
NO, they were pushed into "townships" where they had no water, electricity, public transport, satelite TV, computers and such, and their training was lacking, and you DARE look down on them that didn't have your privileged upbringing, and think they are supposed to have learned all that your satellite TV and fancy schools instructed you!
You are a selfrighteous pompous no-good racist that needs to get back to basics such as LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR because, AFRICA is here, it is one of the peaces of Land that God gave us to live on, it has been exploited and abused by your forefathers and mine, and the riches in your queen's crown and in your Fort's and Banks in Beverly Hills etc. were taken from AFRICA and you survive on it's wealth on the bones of those less fortunate than yourselves.
Put your hand in your pocket and share a bit of what you stole from Africa, come and visit and see the misery, and see the honest to goodness efforts black people also put into keeping this country going, despite all adversity.
Now do me a favour and place this comment, and all of you see yourself for the ugly racists you are.
Shame on you.
AdR
Zim here we come!
ReplyDeleteWhere do I go? What do I do? I have a successful business in Pretoria where I enjoy my work. Do I pack up and leave. Start over in London or Australia, work as restaurant manager???? I despise South Africa for what it has become.
ReplyDeleteYou call us racists for laying the blame on blacks, that we should take them by the hand and show them how to.....
Please tell me exactly how to do this when SA is taking a page out of Zim’s book and driving all white influence and culture from the land. I couldn’t even find a job in my field which in fact is highly specialized. They gave the job to a black woman who had studied some rubbish tourism degree.
Town and city names are being changed, farmers murdered, land grabs galore and then you have the nerve to say that it’s our fault while these uneducated people systematically destroy this country. Our President actually believes that Aids and HIV are not connected. Our vice president is accused of raping an HIV positive woman. Grown men rape virgin babies to cure them of AIDS??????
We are not just burgled in SA. We are tortured, humiliated, slaughtered in front of our families. What type of people enjoy this sadism. Who are the thieves, murderers, rapists, thugs, corrupt officials....whites?? I thought not.
Help build this country they say... With a boot in the arse more likely..
There has been a lot of talk over the last 40 comments. Some are racist and some are anti-racist. Maybe some balance is required. I live north of JHB. I am white male 30 yrs old. In the Northern parts of Sandton, there are a lot of residential areas that are very upmarket and stylish and First World that have been built in the last few years. I live in one such area called Sunninghill. On weekends I often go biking through my neighbourhood and I have noticed that many of these sectional title residential areas look like 6-Star Hotels. Neatly manicured lawns. Stylish architeture, lovely gardens. only electric fencing looks bad. However, I live in one such luxury complex with about 100 other residents. These complexes are almost like a commune. Two residents are black. Two are korean. The rest are white. You can see at a glance which 2 homes are occupied by blacks. They are the ones with trash lying about, they are the ones with dirty laundry and washing hanging on the balconies (like a 3rd world country). The presence of these 2 blacks has turned our 6 Star "Hotel-Style" luxury homes into a "Hillbrow-to-be" resembling a third world. Unfortunately for the "black lovers" out there these blacks are very wealthy and drive Range Rovers and Mercedez Benz SLK's. So poverty cannot be used to justify their behaviour. They do not seem to understand about living like civilized people. Fortunately for us, we all signed a code of conduct whereby we are allowed to fine residents who do not comply with an agreed set of rules. The agreed rules state that no garbage is to be left outside of the demarcated areas. No hanging of laundry on common ground in the complex. There are a lot of other rules. All the rules are agreed upon in a democratic manner. The Sectional Title ACT (a law) states that we may do this. So when the blacks accuse us of being racists for fining them, we simply laugh at them. We fine them until they either leave or shape up and start acting like civilized people. We have already driven out one black family after they refused to stop playing loud music at 3 in the morning. To save South Africa we need more civilized people who will muscle out the garbage in this manner. We also need guns to shoot those who insist on victimizing us in acts of crime.
ReplyDeleteCheers...
Now that's telling the ARSEHOLE!..must be a government TAILGUNNER!
ReplyDeleteMobilize Now!
ReplyDeleteGreetings
I am a 26 year old Transvaaler currently overseas, I have been wandering throughout foreign lands trying to find a purpose and way of fending for my survival before I can be strong enough to support and strengthen our cause for independence. I want to return, but would not be able to find employment. I have considered going to Orania but am uncertain if I would be accepted since my command of the Afrikaans language is not very strong. Does the H.N.P., VF+ or the A.W.B. have any units defending the Boer farms and if so how does one go about applying? We have so many resources at hand. If organizations such as the H.N.P. & VF+ are increasing in popularity then it demonstrates how the White mentality is shifting to the Right. Let us mobilize the unemployed youth of our nation. 10% of White Africans are living below the poverty line, that is approximately 500 000 supporters drifting in misery which we could harness and empower. Potchefstroom and Pretoria University are full of educated and loyal supporters of Afrikanerdom. Lets put our petty differences (with one another) aside, lets attract even more White allies of the Boer Nation, such as English, German, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Polish and so many other descendants who think likewise and are fed up with genocide, crime and liberal complacency. Let us Mobilize Now before they weaken us any further. Our leaders are capable of great feats to believe in them and follow their ever increasing wisdom will certainly lead us to victory in the near future. I like many others want to return, but need to have a destination with a clearly defined objective that has any possibility of a future.
Sincerely yours
Konrad Kruger
‘Eendrag Maak Maag’
How very very sad. I remember when the Chelsea Hotel was THE place to be - when Via Afrika and Ella Mental were performing...when Jacquel Brel was being performed for the millionth time and adored by all....I remember the Highpoint was the place to hang - best roast chickens at Fontanas....when everyone went to Hillbrow on a Sunday night to go to Exclusive Books....and yes, even a hardened journo like me is typing this through tears...
ReplyDeleteI worked at SAAN - South African Associated Newspapers - used to go to the Carlton - the Top of the Carlton was so elegant...attracted artists from all over the world.
So cui bono? Who has benefited from the take-over of black communists? Not the ordinary black pessons...not the whites...
no-one....the created a wasteland and called it DEMOCRACY. Jani Allan
Jani Allen's posting brought back so many fond memories as well, those (oily!!) Fontana chickens & Cafe Zurich where everybody got together on Sunday late evenings for coffee, cakes & pastries and the pianist doing his thing in the background, .......those were the days.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad state of affairs, this wasteland what we call SA. One would like to think that, given some time, things will improve, but judging from our 'friendly neighbour' comrade Bob, I have serious doubts.
And to the first 'anonymous racist' - apartheid/racism has always been part of many countries, be it USA, Australia, UK, you name it...only difference is, at the time SA gave it a name and passed laws about it.
And why is it that even the great Sir Bob Geldoff, who needs no introduction, has expressed his concern about the fact that traditional African nations has a tendency of just sitting "bakhand" for hand-outs, and blame all problems on the fact that Western nations have 'forgotten' them. How many more World Aid concerts, aid from UNESCO and UNICEF and what not do they want? At which point do you call it a day, cut your losses and run like hell?
We have not forgotten, like many of my fellow white SA citizens, I am just "gatvol" of continuously adding more time, money and other resources into this bottomless pit we are supposed to call home.
What is needed is a serious change in attitude. Anonymous in Sunninghill has hit the nail on the spot - no wonder the saying goes "Al dra 'n aap 'n goue ring......."
To the Real Realist, good luck and be strong!! Keep up the good work.
"Has anyone taken these people by the hand, explained to them how to go forward and what to do? " LOL...hell this individual has lost it totally..you can explain till you are blue in the face!
ReplyDeleteThis is the saddest site I've ever seen. The fact that people get a kick out of this base drivel astounds me. I would imagine that the commentary against SA (my home) is coming from people not in Iraq, Lebanon or Afghanistan who have felt western justice. Bob Dylan wrote a song called Masters of War in which there is a line that I think is appropriate for all of you "..even Jesus would not forgive what you do..."
ReplyDeleteJohannesburg is the ugliest bloodiest (no pun intended) place on the planet. I feel sorry for all those that are stuck in that disgusting sick place. GET OUT, GET OUT QUICK before the hillbrow virus crawls into the few nice suburbs that are left and easts you alive.
ReplyDeleteTo AdR, with my compliments:
ReplyDeleteHave we "taken these people by the hand, explained to them how to go forward and what to do?". Absolutely. Go back in history and see how much time and effort had gone into the "hand-over" period (by FW De Klerk & his gang).
They've been given hundreds of farms with mega-million bucks to get them going - and white farmers begging them to ask for help. A few years later their borehole pumps are stuffed (or sold), their cattle are dying from diseases, the farmhouses are in ruins (the wooden beams and window panes used for fire wood and the corrigated iron plates used to build shacks - yes, they create their own township conditions. They plant just enough to feed themselves and no-one else. Oh, by the way - they've all got TV's and cell phones, poor or not - which they keep going with power stolen by tapping into the nearest electricity cable. And by the way, how many times have billions upon billions of dollars of debt by the modern world been written off in Africa? It was made known about a week ago that over 40 of the 70 farms handed over to black farmers in the Limpopo are are in ruins! Now it's going to be given to a new set of farmers. Please tell me, if they drove a perfectly well working, modern farm into the ground, what's the next owner going to do with a farm that's already in ruins?
We gave the ANC a well-developed, ultra-modern country. They could not have asked for anything better. Now we have to feel guilty because they're systematically breaking it down to the ground and murdering its "advantaged" (i.e. 'white') inhabitants? Come on, be serious!
Oh - "Love thy neighbour" does not always pay too well - the majority of home murders come from current or previous gardeners and/or maids. What kind of payback is that for "neighbourly love"?
CTS
I`ve just returned home to Canada from SA (Jo`burg) after having left 9 years ago,and the pics that Realist has put up is exactly what is happening to this once vibrant powerhouse of SA and Africa.
ReplyDeleteMy heart cried when a friend took me for a drive through Hillbrow (where I partied),Berea (where I lived part of my life)and Yeoville when I saw how these area`s are turning into the same as you would find in the Congo or Liberia.The filth and garbage not having being picked up for weeks,live chickens in coops that could be bought right outside the old Childrens Hospital in Hillbrow,(this used to be one of the top children`s hospitals in the world).
Yes, you will find bad area`s in other cities,but you will not for example be allowed to set up a chicken coop in downtown Philadelphia on the sidewalk and sell live chickens for dinner that night...what Realist is not showing you in these pics,is the small vendors on the sidewalks and outside the buildings, barbequing meat in 44 gallon oil drums, giving haircuts,rotting garbage,collapsing sidewalks, burnt out and abandoned cars etc.
This is also spreading down Louis Botha Avenue like a cancer and into the suburbs,even Norwood, and the suburbs around it, have started to decline and are looking shabby.
I remember Cafe Zurich,Cafe Le Paris, Cafe Wien, TheMilky Lane,the Chelsea hotel, this entire area looks like a scene out of a Mad Max movie when the world is at an end.
Its all over...what a pity.
Joburg is going down to a 1, instead of starting at 3 and moving up to 10.
Great job Realist, keep telling the world.
ReplyDeletewhat Realist is not showing you in these pics,is the small vendors on the sidewalks and outside the buildings, barbequing meat in 44 gallon oil drums, giving haircuts,rotting garbage,collapsing sidewalks, burnt out and abandoned cars etc
ReplyDeleteOh, I've got those as well, they are also going to feature, don't worry -- I don't want to spoil the boys and girls too much all at once. Just keep checking back every now and then.
Next on the list of images will be my tour through Yeoville, and the once famous Rocky Road. Amazing scenes....
Will you do a similar posting of photos on Cape Town?
ReplyDeleteWill you do a similar posting of photos on Cape Town?
ReplyDeleteUnlikely, for two reasons:
1. I don't get paid to do this, and it all costs money;
2. It is actually dangerous to walk round these areas with a camera and every time I do it, I invite trouble from the locals.
To the racist blogger ... heres an idea, I challenge you to bring your family to SA, to live in Hillbrow and if you manage to make it through a week, then mail again with your snotty comments. If you're already in SA, then you are just a f**wit - I was lucky to get out, with my family after I lost half of them to murder ... bet you've never even looked down the barrel of a gun, you're a doos (ask another South African to explain that term to you - pratt)
ReplyDeleteIt makes one real sad to see a once prosperous city go down the drain. There is no way that the former glory will ever be restored. Like the rest of Africa, it seems that Africa has arrived for Johannesburg as well - destruction and filth everywhere!
ReplyDeleteDisgusting is not the word. This is what we anticipated and thanks to those that voted "yes" in the last referendum, this is the outcome of your outcry. How can you take stone age people and hand them a 1st world country and expect them to maintain it. I suggest for all those a**holes that voted for the Nats to come back to the country and sort their sh*t out , you have created the monster and we where the racists. Now your wifes and children are getting raped and killed and you are running away. You are all cowards. I voted "no" and made a pledge that I will leave this God forsaken country for the sake of my ancestors who lost their lifes in battle for the sake of being a free nation. I will return when the white supremists are back in power and we will lift this hellhole out of the ashes.
ReplyDeleteGreat work TRR
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm a bit off topic, but I believe this blog has highlighted what I believe will become one of the defining issues of our genreration.
Namely, will the developed western world (of european descent) kill it self with multicultralism, political correctness and immigration?
The people who shoulder blame for this are, in my opinion, White Middle Class Liberals (W.M.C.L's).
I live in London and have seen parts of it decend into almost third world squallor due to the immigration policies of the W.M.C.L's.
In fact things have got so bad that Medicines Sans Frontiers have began operating in some areas (no joke).
You can debate with the white middle class liberals all you like, it will get you knowhere, It is like trying to reason with a psychopath or the Taliban, they have a fundementaly warped view of reality.
One of the funny things in London is that the ethnic minorities seem to enjoy attacking and robbing White Middle Class Liberals more then they do anyone else, this is why a lot of the W.M.C.L's now live in gated communities. How ironic.
The only thing that can be done with the W.M.C.L's is to kick them out of power where ever you find them. This is already slowly being done in the UK, thank god. In fact I've even noticed an air of panic in the Liberal media as it sees its world slowly falling down around it.
As for the white South Africans who it appears are being ethnicly cleansed, I say come to the UK, we need people like you, and you will be welcomed with open arms. Just stay away from the muticultural areas of London and stick with Wimbledon Village (The place where most SAfricans seem to settle).
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but it can, and shall get a lot worse! Still nothing in comparison to the streets of Kampala, or Delhi. The thing is, both India and Uganda are trying to change their situation, unfortunately that is not the case in South Africa.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me while I throw up. I am sick to my stomach. We, who voted "yes" in the last referendum, with the idea of creating a democracy with "freedom, equality and justice" for all, surely did NOT vote yes for murder, rape, robbery, etc. But it seems like this is what we got for wanting a better life for all.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that one is left with one of two choices: either we admit defeat, pack up our lives, hopes and dreams, and emigrate; or we continue hoping and praying for a miracle because it does not look like we'll be able to do anything about it physically without more bloodshed.
Either way, it's going to be extremely difficult. I love this country and the idea of leaving everyone and everything I know behind, just guts me. But the land - the little that is left that still makes it a beautiful place, the sunny weather, family, friends etc. certainly will not compensate for the loss of a loved one to violent crime.
My children want us to emigrate. They see and hear about the things that are happening here, and they are constantly living in fear. I am thus, by choosing to stay, choosing a life of fear for them. What a horrifying idea. "Your children will thank you ..." Yes, and I'm sure if something had to happen to one of us, they will blame me. So I guess the question is: which scenario can you NOT live with?
It takes a lot of faith to build a new life in a foreign country, but it takes even more to stay here and hope for the best.
God help us.
SOUTH AFRICA BECAME A HELL HOLE BECAUSE OF THE "DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED" TYRANNY OF THE ANC.
ReplyDeleteI never knew a cuckoo to destroy his "own" nest.
ReplyDeleteThese peolple defy belief - the rest of the world still belief SA is a miracle come true. The almighty Mandela will set us free, or not!
In reality it can't be more from the truth!
I watched that photos with sense of pity. The results of great work, plans and dreams are ruined. This was the result of "political politness"...
ReplyDeleteI left SA in 1994, not for the obvious reasons but because an oppertunity came up and I took it. I remember my carefree youth sitting on the pavement outside High Point, eating a whole chicken and watching the world go by before heading off to Bella Napoly?? Anyway I've been back a few times, witnesed a cash in transit heist last year, was at the casino the next day where there was a hold up.
ReplyDeleteAnyway what I really want to say is that at the age of 44, and even having seen first hand what my (our) beloved country has degenerated into under ANC rule, your photos brought real tears to my eyes when I remember how it used to be.
Pity that the Lefty Libs reading your blog and have never been to the old or new SA just don't have a clue!
It feels like just yesterday when I've travelled to Jo'burg by train as a primary school kid (imagine that!) with my baby brother at my side, carrying him back home the full distance (15km) on my shoulders. Playing cricket in the streets till late night, sliding down mine dumps on car bonnets turned upside down. Visiting a night club or two in Hillbrow, out of pure curiosity. Having mock-fights by 'clay-throwing' in one of Jo'burgs' creeks running through one of its un-inhabitted grassland fields (not even one shack in sight!). Man, those were the days. You try any of those activities today and your life will end in no time at all!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder our children have no choice but to sit plastered behind TV screens spitting out a bunch of filth. They will never know what they're missing, but at least they're relatively safe (as long as all the security gates are locked)...
CTS
Mr F_A_O_U, we're hanging around, since this is where we were born and this is the place we love. That's why what people like you are doing to it, hurts that much. We don't know anywhere else - only a few lucky ones are fortunate enough to get out of here. In mean time we hope and pray that sometime someone is going to wake up and realise you're raping this beautiful place to pieces and do something about it, before it's beyond recovery...
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful if cities did not have run down areas, if change was always for the better, if people did not hang onto nostalgic memories of the past and compare(change happens!)...if they would also look at at all he new developments...other side of Joburg city centre has had huge renewals, cultural centres, theatres, shopping malls, hotels, apartment blocks. Developers create new environments and poeple move there and that's why old areas become run down. Nigeria has over 60 million people, probably some of the wealthiest people in the world (and many poor) Lagos the capital has no sewerage at all and never has and probably wont ever!!! They burn garbage in the street (this includes waste from toilets which are holes in the ground. And this even in wealthy homes...its a culture. This is Africa...its not a first world culture and the rest of the world does not help, but are quick to criticize.
ReplyDelete2010 soccer in SA will provide jobs( and self respect), motivation and thanks to the world waking up to the money THEY can make, we have sponsorship to improve infrastructure. Don't you wish the world would want to help...even when it means THEY don't get to make money for THEM out of it?
People who criticise, need to know that some people have a hard life and its not a pretty sight.
Some people are happy to have a roof over their heads.
pass this on to the Fat Cats who sit in their luxury homes, watch cable TV while listening to music on their new surround sound, surf the Net and spit on those less fortunate.
H Meyer PE
What do expect with 2Million plus Immigrants, no border control and an ineffective Government, not even talking about the sorry excuse of an Aids invested Army!!! GOD what a sorry state of Affairs!!!
ReplyDeleteNo surprises here! What can we expect. I left South Africa after thirty years there. This is all part of the tragedy. A great and wonderful country where White people, through their hard work and industry built something sound and good, only to have it destroyed by people who just don't have a clue and destroy everything they touch. As for "Anonymous" and his pathetic anti-white remarks. Do some research, study some history and get your brain in order before you open your ignorant mouth!
ReplyDeleteThis is Africa run by Africans. Remembering what it was like when run by whites will just be memories. It will get a lot worse before it gets any better. When the government learns to make life better for its people, then it will get better. When they learn to spend the foreign aid on the people,instead of themselves, then it will get better. Campaign for that and you will be helping the people to rectify The Ruins of Johannesburg
ReplyDeleteI've never been to South Africa but am always interested in news stories over there (Canada is my home). Nothing in main stream newspapers here to inform, so I touch base with this website:
ReplyDeleteWWW.AFRICANCRISIS.COM
Seeing a once-great city being slowly turned into a 3rd world slum is a crying shame and like a disease run amuck, it will spread rapidly in quick order.
My city of Toronto is also not what it was during the '70's or '80's before mass third-world immigrant 'multi-culturalism' became a dominate force. We now have Black gangstas originating from the West Indies whose presence has turned our once-safe city into a shooting gallery. Paste this blog to learn more: www.hogtownfront.blogspot.com
How about showing a bit of balance... take a tour through Soweto sometime and take pictures of how certain squatter areas are being cleaned up by the local people.
ReplyDeletePoverty isn't the problem and neither is the black skin - the problem is a lack of pride! Work for it, and you will take care of it...
What is seen, is actually to be expected. Africa, run by the indigenous Africans, is a 'showpiece' which is highly visible to the rest of the world. Cultures which have been relatively unchanged for 1000's of years, can not be expected to conform with the standards of evolution which is the desired norm.
ReplyDeleteWith the implementation of Affirmative Action, (Or more correctly put:Reverse Racism.) South Africa has placed a plethora of inept,nepotistic,corrupt and totally ignorant workers, in positions to which they are not only unacustomed.....(must I go on?)
Billions upon billions of Rands (SA's currency) have been misappropriated, (Polite word for theft!) and generally misused.
If you think that Hillbrow is a cesspool....take an depth inspection of the schools, hospitals, municipalities....(must I go on?)
Politically, the Left hates the Right and the Liberals. The Right hates the Left and the Liberals. The Liberals hate the Left, Right and the not liberal enough Liberals. So, what's left? Realists!!!
Realists are labeled as being racists. In my opinion, that's a lot of smoke and mirrors.
No amount of smoke,mirrors and political hogwash can hide the fact that SA is run by a bunch of incompetent idiots. Fat cats who only worry about themselves!
The mere fact that they just happen to be of a darker hue, is coincidental...or is it just a pigment of my imagination!?!?!
If things were not so apparently tragic...it would be the biggest joke on the planet!
So depressing! I used to go there in the evenings to some lovely places - Club 58, Chelsea Hotel etc. and it was totally safe AND clean. Now even the police have to go in there with armoured vehicles at New Year, because it's the most dangerous place in SA on New Year's Eve! Is that what is waiting for us all in the rest of SA?
ReplyDeleteHow sad this is. You were wrong before 1994 and you are still wrong now. Apartheid is a crime and most of the racism demonstrated in some of the comments would not go unpunished in most civilized countries. What puzzles me is that you still do not understand that racism got you into trouble to begin with. Hillbrow, Berea, Yeoville are slums, I admit it, but please show the courage to publish pictures from Dainfern and Park Town to show the people of the world SA is schizophrenic as it has ever been.
ReplyDeleteIs was never a first world country but it not doing too bad compared to other middle income countries. Crime sucks, yes, but SA has always been violent, just not in your cosy suburbs for one of two generations. The democratizations of Troubles is here: up to recently 10% of the South Africans were free of troubles, now 100% has to face reality. I have never looked into the barrel of a gun and I want to keep it that way and I do apologize for my words to the people who did and lost friends and relatives. But killing people has been a feature of the country for a long long time (please read Rian Malan if you have not done so yet)
Please do not come to Europe, we do not need you here but stay where you are because SA may need you.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteHow sad this is.
How right you are.
You were wrong before 1994 and you are still wrong now.
Uuuh let's see now: Hilbrow in "the old days" was a major centre of activity and an economic hub, and today, it's a slum which is being, quite literally, torn apart.
You draw the conclusion about who is wrong and who is not.
most of the racism demonstrated in some of the comments would not go unpunished in most civilized countries.
Ah, glad to see you, as a true liberal, believe in freedom of speech. Your idea of "democracy" is only limited to those people who agree with you, and you would quite happily see everyone who doesn't agree with you, prosecuted!
You filthy hypocrite -- you are actaully WORSE than the 'dictators' you claim to oppose, because at least they were honest about their desire to suppress freedom of speech, whereas you liberals are not.
What puzzles me is that you still do not understand that racism got you into trouble to begin with.
Oh, I see, thanks -- so it's ALL Whitey's fault, everything, of course, how could I be so silly not to have seen that from the very beginning...
Thunderheads like you want to blame Whites for every Black failure all the time... it isn't true, no matter how many times you say it.
Hillbrow, Berea, Yeoville are slums, I admit it, but please show the courage to publish pictures from Dainfern and Park Town to show the people of the world SA is schizophrenic as it has ever been.
Oh, I am going to do all of that, don't worry. There are lots of other formerly decent places which have been turned into trash heaps, and when I have finished showing everybody those, I will then move on to show where the Whites live, surrounded by electricfired razor wire, spike steel fences, their own private armed guards, the guard dogs, walled off suburbs etc. etc. That will be interesting for overseas readers, I am sure.
Is was never a first world country
Now you are talking out of your arse. South Africa was one of the foremost technological First World countries in the world - once upon a time - producing the world's first heart transplant operation, the revolutionary oil-from-coal Sasol project, and many others. You are simply lying.
Please do not come to Europe, we do not need you here but stay where you are because SA may need you.
Tell you what: if you think SA is so great, why don't we do a swop, and you can come and live here, instead of lecturing me with your fantasies from the safety of Europe.
I could comment on almost everything you say but I will limit myself to this:
ReplyDelete- I believe in freedom of speech. But freedom of speech is always limited to responsibility before the law. This is in most constitutions I know of. It means that you can say whatever you like as long as you not go against laws like the one that is article one in the Dutch constitution which more or less says "do not discriminate" And punishment will not mean a dead penalty just for your information.
- I am not blaming “Whities” at all, I am blaming racism and apartheid (and maybe the world economy and the winds of change). You are the one talking about Whites (“I will then move on to show where the Whites live”) If you feel like I mean you...you may be right but as far as I know you can be any colour since I have never met you. Furthermore apartheid is not even typically South African, it is not limited to colour, religion, sexes, nor is it limited to a specific time. I must rephrase my first line, however, because what I meant with “wrong” is that Apartheid was wrong and with “you” people present are excluded. But Apartheid was wrong wasn’t it?
- I am not saying that SA was not capable of cutting edge tech or that is incapable of great things now. But your transplant is 40 years ago and Sasol exists because of a boycott. Please have a look what your country is doing at the moment, you will be surprised! Interesting point is that as soon as I “attack” SA you are suddenly turning into a chauvinist. But a first world country? Never. O right, the Transkei, Ciskei, Bop..that was not SA! Sorry I forgot.
- As for swapping: I am moving back to SA soon. Yes back to that terrible place, as I have lived near Yeoville before. And you are right, it is a mess and a lot worse than I can recall and SA has a big problem (we have papers, television and internet here too:
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/07/02/safrica.crime/index.html) so I do not even disagree to some of your statements at all!
The only thing I am trying to say that the reasons for the present state of SA are a bit more complex than most of the comments do suggest and these pictures do only confirm what a lot of people already know: Jo’burg has a problem, as do Rio, Mumbay and Mexico City. Still the population of Gauteng will grow to 15,000,000 by 2015 from 9,5000,000 now. So it will get a lot worse but understanding the reasons may actually help to find solutions. And me coming to SA may help a bit because I will have to pay a lot of taxes to pay for your roads and buildings and pensions.
We can have a discussion about all this but I seem to disqualify myself because I am from Europe, I am a filthy hypocrite and worse than a dictator…All very funny (I do not feel offended, I like a good discussion and that involves a bit of passion too) but no more postings from me.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete- I believe in freedom of speech. But freedom of speech is always limited to responsibility before the law. This is in most constitutions I know of. It means that you can say whatever you like as long as you not go against laws like the one that is article one in the Dutch constitution which more or less says "do not discriminate" And punishment will not mean a dead penalty just for your information.
It sounds to me like you would like to see some of the posters on this comments page locked up or fined.
Now, let's see: WHO does that remind me of?
I am not blaming “Whities” at all, I am blaming racism and apartheid
Oh don't lie: everyone can see what you wrote.
I am not saying that SA was not capable of cutting edge tech or that is incapable of great things now. But your transplant is 40 years ago and Sasol exists because of a boycott.
But that's exactly what I said: South Africa WAS a First World country, but no longer.
Please have a look what your country is doing at the moment, you will be surprised!
No, I am not surprised: this is exactly what this blog - and
www.southafricaiscrap.blogpsot.com is all about, looking at what the country is doing.
As for swapping: I am moving back to SA soon.
Good. One less liberal in Europe. In fact, it should be compulsory for European liberals to live in the Turd World.
Yes back to that terrible place, as I have lived near Yeoville before.
Oh, how good: please do check back in a short while: I am busy putting up my NEW Yeoville pictures, maybe you will even recognise a few of the ruins.
And you are right, it is a mess and a lot worse than I can recall and SA has a big problem
Of course I am right.
these pictures do only confirm what a lot of people already know: Jo’burg has a problem, as do Rio, Mumbay and Mexico City.
Yes, and all for the same reason, my colour blind friend.
Still the population of Gauteng will grow to 15,000,000 by 2015 from 9,5000,000 now.
Right, imagine the awful shit hole it will be by then.
I think your pictures tell a story for all those that knew these areas which were in much better conditions. There is something to be said for order and government. Your pictures are very well done!! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI am an indiginous South African and to all you idiots out there living in "hell in paradise," yes, show pictures of Sandton, Parkhurst and Glenhazel etc, show everybody the walls, the razor wire on top of them, the electric wire running through them and oh yes,the electric gates, bars on the windows- just like it was 30 years ago, hey?
ReplyDeleteI have been hijacked. Not by koreans or chinese or indians but by Africans - attacked a few times in my different homes. Yes ,I lived in Yeoville and yes, I saw dead people killed by blacks. I saw gunfghts with blacks. I saw knifings by blacks. But we should not be racist.Just truthful.
Some of my friends are living there still,that is whoever has not been killed.
My old family home is now inhabited by 3 families where they are selling chickens from the front porch and goats from the back. Incidentally, they have not paid the bank for the house but the bank has given up trying to get the payment.
Some of the places that were shown on the blog were clients of mine once. But they are no more because they dared to think of having a business in Hillbrow .Or Berea for that matter. They were unfortuneate liberals not alive to tell the tale of their idealism. They were killed by AK47 bullet shots and knives piercing hteir lungs.
Oh- Iforgot- the BP garage in Bellvue was a good business until the old man was killed by 3 Africans shooting him with ak47s. Why? He did not giving them enough money when they asked for it.
2 of my friends were just shot on a
Friday evening and killed- shot in the back of their heads. The cops[ha ha] ,"dont know why" . WE do. They dont have enough cop cars to do the rounds. If you are lucky to be alive to get to a police station ,the cops themselves ask you to write out the complaint as they are illeterate.
My friends who are left there are locked in their own fantasmical prison. One friend of mine's wife had her finger bitten off because she didnt remove her ring fast enough when asked to do so by these savages. But they stay.
The other had his arm dislocated because he didnt help them fast enough with giving them his money.He's still there, making more money so its okay. And they are "still alive" - arent they? They cannot walk the streets by day or night,they cannot enjoy their well manicured gardens for there might be a savage hiding in the bushes waiting to attack.
Oh, and dont stop at traffic lights -that's if they havent been stolen- someone might just throw a spark plug trough the window and attack you.
Those who choose to stay are disillusioned.Their kids do not have quality of life because of their parents greed arrogance and cowardice . You see, its too difficult to even think of leaving for after all where else could we live like this?!
Take your liberal trash and stick it up your ....! They've had the time and the money to get it right but true to history, they've messed it up once again.
Dear Real Realist,
ReplyDeleteThere are many very good comments written by your visitors at different places on your Blogs, but due to the fact that they are all over your different Blogs it becomes very difficult for visitors to get an overview of them and therefore I have a suggestion. How about making another Blog where selected comments, which are worth reading again, are grouped together. On this Blog you place only the comments that you decide are making a good contribution. Maybe you should not allow further comments directly on the comments Blog to prevent the same problem starting over again.
Thanks for creating awareness of the many problems in your country and if ever the authorities start reacting, lives will be saved.
I NOTICE YOU DID NOT PHOTOGRAPH THE GOOD SIDES OF JHB IE SANDTON,THAT MAY BE TO GOOD TO SHOW YOU IMMIGRANTS HAVING TO JUSTIFY YOUR IMMIGRATION LIKE THIS PISSES US OFF.
ReplyDeleteTHE REALITY IS WE LIVE IN AFRICA HILLBROW AND YEOVILLE IS ANOTHER WORLD,IN OUR AREAS WE HAVE HAVE A GREAT LIFE.ALL OF YOU COME HERE LOVE OUR HOMES AND WAY OF LIFE .WHOEVER YOU ARE RATHER DINT COME HERE AGAIN AND VISIT.AND CARRY ON JUSTIFYING WHY YOU LEFT HERE.WISH YOU WELL .
Its such a shame .........We knew it would go to the dogs ...but never like this.
ReplyDeleteIf only the people would realise the shame in what they are doing........
One can only shake one's head and remember the wonderful characters that lived there - and now only enjoy the place from 6ft under!
Wellcome to the reality of Africa!
Racist.ha ha
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see a racist visit Johannesburg as a white and see what minority racism is all about!
Go as a black ex south african visiting my homeland..and I was scared shitless to walk in the street. Not a white in sight and I felt scared!
What was Black on white violence listed as "political" has turned straight to crime- they could simply not break the habit. They higjacked me regardless of my skin colour- and told me in my own language that I was lucky that I was black....If I was white they would have shot me.
Freedom fighters kicked out of the SADF become criminals (to survive they say)
Houses get burned if someone has a grudge, hijackings and armed robberies make the place like the wild west. The new government has lost control
There is no middle class black citizen- they are all upper class or lower class ( based on income).....so how can a balanced society ever exist there again.
Take a look at Botswana - a wonderful country, managed by women.
Maybe those in power in South Africa should look at the example set by Botswana, restructure society and get the whole place back on track.........now that would be the chance to give the finger to the old Apartheid rulers!
There is a challenge!
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteYOU ARE A JELOUS PRICK SHOW THE REAL SIDE OF WHERE WE LIVE IN JHB YOU DICK HEAD
Don't worry, it is my intention to show how Whites in this country live -- behind bars, electrified wire and guarded by private armed response companies. I am sure overseas readers will be just as interested in seeing those jail-like conditions as well.
I left SA in 1987. These pictures are shocking. I lived in Hillbrow and Berea and can't believe the destruction. I have been told that things are "different" in SA now, but had no idea how bad it is. Was planning a trip there in 2008 to show my son his "roots". Having seen the pics I am not so sure I want to do that now. After reading your blog and seeing the pics, I really appreciate the safety and cleanliness of Canada and will advise my fellow Canadians to stay away from SA.
ReplyDeleteAnyone see eVoid and Bright Blue at "The Chelsea".
ReplyDeletethanks for the pictures and the blog ... gives me chills ... I left in 1982 ... I left for work and stayed. What a great youth I had in JHB:Hillbrow/MiVami/Boogie Barn... all gone! Sorry that experience is over! ...
ReplyDeleteIt has been said that the tragedy of Africa was colonialism, and the second tragedy was when the colonialists left. With South Africa, the Dutch and English, French and German, Indian and Chinese, Malayan and .... one can go on indefinitely with all nations of the world, few of us started off as colonialists, most as imported labourers. But after 3 generations, when I talk to my South African Chinese friend here, in Canada,( she cannot talk let alone understand Chinese) and we both talk to each other in Afrikaans, we feel proud, to have been South African. Problem is, I don't believe we would like to live there now, more so after seeing these pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe location has become Johannesburg. What a shame.
If ever there was a cry for the beloved country. I left 35 years ago but my heart bleeds for what the country has become
ReplyDeleteWe can say "America, we've told you so!", "England, we've told you so!", "Europe, we've told you so!" but what the heck, they've all sold us out - it's not their problem anymore!
ReplyDeleteBring them all here in 2010, so they can experience first hand what they brought about. Man, I can't wait...!
I find it interesting to see the pictures of the decay, but if we are really honest with ourselves (especially those who grew up in and around Berea, Yeoville and Hillbrow) , the decay has been happening for years. This always happens in inner cities where overload becomes a problem. In the early eighties Hillbrow was always seen as an area to be uplifted ie with the green hillbrow movement that tried to take off. With the cleaning of alley ways etc....... I agree that all those suburbs have become slums, but I also notice that you have taken no pictures of the buildings that have been taken over by Housing projects - and how those buildings have been revamped and the tenants are maintaining those buildings as they have a vested interest in them. I agree they are few and far between, but they are there. I moved out of Berea about five years ago, and I agree that the decay is a problem of overcrowding and lack of maintenance. A general apathy towards property, and a total diffent culture.
ReplyDeleteIt must also be noted that the areas you have mentioned have become a haven for criminals both locals and non locals, the top end of Hillbrow closer to JHB Gen has become a top hot spot for drug dealers and the police regularly raid the area - I believe and I am under correction - that particular area is inundated with non local drug dealers.
I often adopt the same attitude of "when we were there, it was cleaner, safer etc"..... if it was always that way - why did we move, how did it become so bad? THe areas you mentioned were a starting point for most immigrants, and young people starting families, (remember places like Metroplitan, Ponte?) and because Johannesburg was the major business centre..... that has now changed, due to migration, and unfortunately lawlessness becomes a way of life, but its because we as ordinary citizens make a choice not to get involved.
And as other people who have commented have noted, most inner cities in all major countries look the same, it comes from an influx of people that the system cannot maintain.
I understand the need to show what is happening, but it may need to be a tad balanced with some shots of the beautiful side of SA. And no Im not a complete rainbower..... we have serious problems - what with all the murders, rapes and general " I dont give a crap" attitude - from all sides, but if all we do is point out the negative, we dont give a chance for the positive to grow!
Surely the more positive messages we send ( without ignorning the negative), the more improvements can be made.
I grew up in and around Berea, Yeoville, Bellvue and Hillbrow, and before I had even finished High School - nearly everyone I had known had started to migrate out of the suburbs....... and that was late eighties. The decay had started to set in then already!
TOLERANCE - now there is a word that could surely be practiced by more people in the world!
ReplyDeleteLess people would die if tolerance was practiced, and our learned friend making reference to white pommies is making a complete ass out of him/herself.
You have given them exactly the reaction they were looking for :) - well done!
Real eye opener. I used to live down in Claim Street. What a wonderful and fond memories i have. Now i never venture anywhere near there. It is sure disgusting to even drive thru there nowadays. What a shame. Give them a building and its becomes a ruin. I feel embarrassed to even go thru there with people from overseas. Anyway, keep up your good work.
ReplyDeleteDid you really think it would work???
ReplyDeleteI thank G-D everyday that my family and I left that place. I thank you for re-affirming or decision to leave and hope you get out unharmed ... and soon.
ReplyDeleteWow a whole collection of racist retards. Nothing makes me laugh more than people who leave a country and then try justify their decision. At first my blood boiled that there was even a blog devoted to this. You've left the country, be happy with your decision and leave us who still belive in the place alone. But after having read some of the posts I was even more amazed that this isn't a blog about a decaying SA but rather a place for racists to congregate and moan about black people. Some of your comments were out of the stone age, I'm amazed society hasn't weeded you out. If only I had the time time to debate some of the moronic postings of this pice of garbage blog. All I can say is try some perspective, there are places that look like a war zone I'll be the first to admit it but the same is true for any city. There are places in New york I wouldn't even try venture into. Maybe I'll post some pics of Sandton (the new economic hub of africa) Perhaps a few shots of the northern suburbs and the cars my friends drive but oh wait I live in africa and we don't have digital cameras. You people should soak up the new lives you have for yourselves and leave the rest to us. Have a few more drinks and drive home
ReplyDeleteAnpnymous wrote: All I can say is try some perspective, there are places that look like a war zone I'll be the first to admit it but the same is true for any city. There are places in New york I wouldn't even try venture into.
ReplyDeleteYes -- but what you fail to see is that you won't go into those places in NYC (Harlem etc.) for the very same reason why Hillbrow looks the way it does.
Or don't you want to see that?
Anonymous wrote Maybe I'll post some pics of Sandton (the new economic hub of africa) Perhaps a few shots of the northern suburbs and the cars my friends drive
Don't worry, that wil appear in due course here, I have lots of pictures of the bars, the spiked fences, the electric wire, the alarms, the private security companies, the blocked off roads, etc. etc. with which to adequately illustrate how Whites in SA live.
I am sure foreign readers will be just as interested in those as in the pictures of Hillbrow, because they speak even louder than the slums from which they are meant to protect you.
gosh reading most of these comments really saddens me....everyone is so bitter. the only difference between us is the skin colour. thats it, who says a white person can run a coutnry better, well, a white person has had an advantage , thyve been given a chance to go to school, get better education and all..while black people were deprived of all....and now some of you go around saying that black people cant do anything.....any baby who has never been taught how to speak...will not just miraculously speak....and an anonymous reader said " black people should go back to the dump, since they cant do anything" and the realist is on some " i will need protection the next time i go and take pics there"...i dont understand what white people want from blacks, i mean they treated them like nothing and now they expect them to be civil...gosh if you treat me like a dog all my life , dont you expect me to behave differently, because all i know is being a dog. i say big up s to all the blakc south africans, they have been treated like dogs and are now going throuhg some transformation..and are slowly getting to feel human again...please do not take that away from them. I understand the situation is now reversed...but what better way to bridge the apartheid gaps than EE, AA, etc. if any one of ya'll can think of a better way...please pitch that to us.
ReplyDelete"...everyone is so bitter. the only difference between us is the skin colour. thats it."
ReplyDeleteRight there, that's it. The source of our problem in SA. The differences between us is NOT JUST SKIN COLOUR! The biggest lie ever. Amazing what the media can accomplish.
Every ethnic group has defining characteristics. Good and bad. Now understand what I'm saying, not every member of an ethnic group will have that spesific set of good and bad characteristics, but on average, they will match. It is however wrong to judge a person on his/her ethnic group's "supposed" characteristics, before you know them. To ignore race and say "the only difference between us is the skin colour" is just plain untrue.
What a horrible collection of photographs. Pity you haven't got any photographs of Newtown or other areas that have been revitalised. Why such negativity. Who in the world benefits from such utter pessimistic showings - certainly not a soul who lives in South Africa or anyone who lives outside South Africa (perhaps with the exception of those who left our home for sunnier shores)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
What a horrible collection of photographs.
Yes, the truth hurts a bit I see.
Pity you haven't got any photographs of Newtown or other areas that have been revitalised.
Revitalised? Newtown? Oh you mean the places where they have patched up a smashed building and built the Mandela Bridge? The same one where it isn't safe to walk and where the locals are quite literally stealing the fixings off the bridge? Hey, that's a good idea, I think I will get some pics there, if I don't get robbed while doing so.
Why such negativity.
It's reality, not negativism.
Who in the world benefits from such utter pessimistic showings - certainly not a soul who lives in South Africa or anyone who lives outside South Africa (perhaps with the exception of those who left our home for sunnier shores)
It's purpose is to get people like you thinking and understanding that unless you leave, that is your future.
I am absolutely flabbergasted! These pictures are beyond belief. I left S.A. nearly 30 years ago, stayed at the Mark Hotel and lived in Hillbrow and I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!
ReplyDeleteI have travelled extensively and contrary to other posts here, I have never seen anything like this ANYWHERE in the US.
This is freedom and progress?
Al.
Atlanta, USA.
Change had to happen but this is ridiculous. The government must take responsibility and step up to the plate, give harsh punishments and clean the place up. What will it look like in 2010 to the rest of the world? Choice is easy, choose to be savages or choose to be civilised.
ReplyDeleteI am a foriegner but know the area quite well and I believe there is still hope.
Good job with the pics.
Thank you for the time and trouble you took to take these pictures, they are amazing, a little horrifying and it made me very grateful that I no longer live there. I have not been to SA in 16 years and now know why; I would rather live with wonderful memories of my childhood and young adult life. Denial and oblivion about the state of the country is a lot easier to live with. These where the very streets we roamed as kids and teen life in Hillbrow was a blast, this wonderful place is where we built a foundation for our lives. Thank goodness you can’t destroy memories of days past.
ReplyDeleteThis is no longer about black, white, or any race for that matter it’s about desecration and disrespect for yourself and your country. Come on South Africa be proud of your country it really is a very special and beautiful place. There is no excuse for living in squalor. Where is you dignity? Look forward to your next lot of photo’s Real Realist and thank you for caring.
SGLA
Ag, all this blog shows is that apartheid (which was unsustainable) shoould hae been dismantled a lot more easily, and a lot more slowly. That's all.
ReplyDeleteBut it did not happen - so we are all working thought this shit now. I can't believe that someone has been so motivated as to do a blog on it, and all I get is problems, not solutions.
And they expect to have the 2010 soccer world cup in SA, ha big joke, maybe the powers that be should all be fired!!!
ReplyDeleteThere's no solution to this mess, because you are dealing with Communist Morons!And there's no Democracy as you can see by reading the Realist's excellent fact providing blogs!
ReplyDeleteRR said:
ReplyDelete"Don't worry, it is my intention to show how Whites in this country live -- behind bars, electrified wire and guarded by private armed response companies. I am sure overseas readers will be just as interested in seeing those jail-like conditions as well"
well....its not only white people that live behind bars and electrified wires...every race is a victim of crime, and im sure we would all like to live in a crime free country (black and white). there are good and bad people in all the races.so stop making it sound like its only the whites that are in danger.
I am a White African.....I was born in SA, and will die in SA. I thought about moving, but I love this place way too much.
ReplyDeleteThere are no go areas, and as logn as you stay away, it's pretty safe. I think Soweto is safer than Hillbrow. I will take a few pics and send them in of my area I stay in. I'm in Kempton park on the east Rand, and our area is clean, and virtually crime free.
I f you ahve never lived here, you cannot start calling people racist for their views. This is not the US or UK. What you see on TV is genrally much worse than what it is really like. Wake up and smell the Mamaqua Daisy's.
"Mamaqua Daisy's" ???..where do we find this interesting hybrid flower?? I also stay in Kempton Park...you SIR should read the Kempton Express...delivered every Thursday for free...and "pretty crime free" you say!
ReplyDeleteOn 2nd thought you must be one of the lunky one's that stay in an "Gated Community"..lots of them here in Kempton Park..
ReplyDeleteYou should do a "The Death of Randburg CBD" presentation for your next project.
ReplyDeleteGreat site.It's honest, it's stark and it's a refreshing change from all the politically correct crap that we have to be subjected to in the name of the New South Africa.
I came to SA in 1980 from the UK, grew up in the "Old SA" and at the age of 23 (in 1994) became part of the "New SA" I have defended this country for the past 10 years to my family (who want us to leave for greener pastures) and friends who are boarding planes to go to Australia, NZ, USA, Europe, etc. I carry a dual nationality and could leave in a heartbeat, but havent wanted to because I TRULY believed we will come right. Since the inception of this blog and the website created by Neil Watson this month, which highlights the crime/corruption etc in this country, I feel quite stupid and gullible to think that I had hope for SA. I feel like an ostrich who has had her head stuck firmly in the sand for the last 12 - 14 years. I am at a loss - what do I do? I love SA, do I cut and run? I was one of those people who ridiculed the people leaving our shores, called them cowards, etc, I am not so sure anymore. I try to not be racist, I try to look for the good in everyone, black, white, indian, coloured, and its getting harder everyday. I have read every single comment on this blog, and have had to come to the alarming conclusion and plse believe me this is not racially motivated, i promise, but why are all areas that were once glorious now slums of the county? Why is it that they became slums once black people moved to that area? This is a serious question, does somebody have an answer for me, without being hot headed or racist about the answer? I recently went to Mozambique and stayed at Ponto d Ouro. I asked my husband why, after 12 years has the country not progressed after the war? He says it has, I dont know what it must of looked like before the war. I innocently asked him why is SA so advanced and the richest country in Africa, his reply was: Because of Apartheid, the white people built it up. Now the black people are stuffing it up. I hate to say it, and dont get me wrong, there are good whites and bad whites, good blacks and bad blacks, as with all races, but for crying in a bucket, what are they doing to SA?
ReplyDeleteto real realist - i can't help returning to your site each day to see more pics. unfortunately some of the comments by some of the viewers have been reduced to racist remarks which I might add cut both ways. this is unhelpful. i actually thought that SA was a racially tolerant country. actually i still believe it is otherwise it would have desended into a bloodbath years ago.
ReplyDeleteis this not just a massive clash of cultures the first western world vs. the african way?
I knew things have changed but nothing could prepare me for the reality these pictures portray.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad ... more than words can express.
Should they now propose to change the name of South Africa, I would be the first to vote in its favour for the South Africa as I remember does not exist anymore and this derelict of a country does not deserve to be called by the same name ...
How much time do the Africans need to rebuild a country, let alone a continent? On second thought, why did they have to break it down first in order to rebuild it??
Blaming the white man for this sad state of affairs is a mere coverup for your own inadequacy and por self image and is getting real boring now.
Instead of blaming the white man, why not put your money where your mouth is. Prove the world wrong and show us how you can indeed rebuild Africa and specifically South Africa to what it was, OR even to something better .... without the white man ....
I for one, will eat my hat ....
SB 27.07.2006
So many anonymously "outspoken" people!
ReplyDeleteNevertheless:
The warning is:
Be careful what you wish for!
The prayer is:
God help the poor, the weak, the ignorant and above all the heroic women supporting the black orphans of rainbow freedom by working just as they did for the bad guys,washing floors and bringing up the white babies who could move on to better pastures when the going got tough.
By the way, your pain is understandable, even your rage, but honesty must go one step further...
this is very sad,very sad indeed,was there so much violent crime in the previous apartheid?,apartheid was wrong and will allways be,now we all know two wrongs makes a right then.who ever comes up with a solution must get a free pass to heaven.
ReplyDeletehow can people blame education for this? is there any truth in the rumour that standards and passmarks are dropped or lowered to get the masses thru school?
here is people that has warm blood pumping thru their veins,intelligent creatures that can communiccate with others ,and yet ,looking at the big picture ,nobody can live together,we are all pointing fingers at each other, maybe we all should go back to blood river and have good old fight and last man standing wins, will this work? i dont think so.get out and run like i did, will be a much better option i think,remember the good things and let the people that want to make it work sort it out, why hang arround and loose your life or live in fear? for what? africa will be africa and that is how it will stay, just look at all the shit in jerusalem and lebanon now,same story ,just different country ,is it not?
hopefully one day ,my now 10 year old son will go back to africa to see where he was born in crime free kempton park in the arwyp nogal ek se!
and he will come back and go to my grave or say to his family ,;he had a brave dad to do what he has done,to leave his country for the sake of safety and a future for his kid.
will i go back .?????
i am over africa now ,and i did not need this to confirm it for me either.i consider myself very lucky living in another country where there is problems of their own,but there is law and order and peace of mind,everybody should be able to live a normal safe live,you should not need to worry about who wants to steal your car,brake in to your house,rape your wife and daugthers,we should all die of old age and heart attacks,not with a okapi knife or ak47 bullets.
interesting qeustion? should all the people(black and white) with money and expensive belongings hand over all their stuff to the so called dis advantaged.will it stop the crime? if there is nothing to steal and kill for wont it stop? just remember some one else will now have all these goodies and the cycle wil just keep on going .......
best regards
and good luck
sol.
So sad, Hilbrow used to be the cultural crossroads of Africa in the mid 70's.
ReplyDeleteYou could walk down Pretoria Street anytime day or night and the place was thriveing.
The main reason that Hillbrow did so well in the past was because of the emigrants from Europe and the rest of the world, they came with drive and enthusiasm, the need to build and make a contribution.
The people who come now just want to exist, play with the toys of modern civilization and move on when they are broken, no civic pride or inclination to contribute to society.
Well, fcuk em, its now every man for himself.
What an eye opener! If I was young and starting life with my family, this comment would be written from USA or UK.
ReplyDeleteWe have a beautiful country and a fantastic climate.
What will it take to make the politicians wake up and stop the deterioration?
Thankyou for spreading the true state of our besieged nation. God Bless You.
ReplyDeleteAny one with a thread of rational thought can see that just as different breeds/race of dogs have varying degrees of ability and skill, so it goes with the (1 Human SPECIES: sub-division: Race/Genus) that out of the 6 Major Races of Mankind (Asian\yellow,
European\white,
Indian\brown,
Amerindian\red, Australasian\oceanic & African\black.
Blacks are naturally skilled with rhythm and an ability to sing well but unfortunately their evolution in organization and leadership is the worst in the entire species lagging way behind all others.
North Korea might have a backward communist system but due to their racial (Asian) makeup their discipline is incredible, with the ability to threaten the worlds greatest White power (U.S.A.) with their nuclear and missile technology.
This is a general rule not to say that there are many exceptions within every race or culture.
Nature's law is supreme and we cannot blame the poor African (black) for the way it was made, even the parasites have a function in the chain of life, to weed out weakness in the gene pool.
In human society there are those who destroy and there are others who build. In South Africa the veld has to burn before the new life can rise up again stronger than before.
Suid-Afrika Will Rise Again.
Very interesting since I left SA 7 years ago to live in Australia. As I Durbanite, I would like to see what has happened there too although no amount of curiousity would ever get me back there.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the UK, away from our lovely SA, one would like to see pictures of the more positive side of our country.
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad that all one ever sees is the poverty, violence and destruction. Stop being so negative - if you want to get things done, make a positive difference.
Don't spread the negativity. Do something more constructive with your time!! Ask yourself, "What have I done to make a difference?"
- Proudly South African -
sol wrote: "is there any truth in the rumour that standards and passmarks are dropped or lowered to get the masses thru school?"
ReplyDeleteYes sol, totally correct. Like other things in life, certain New South Africans are not prepared to work to achieve the same standard of knowledge as some of the "previously advantaged" groups. So if they fail, Apartheid is (still!) blamed and instead of pushing harder, they revert to toye-toying, strikes, the burning of schools & varsities and the killing of their teachers.
The government do not know how to solve this problem (considering most of them are unqualified themselves and occupy their seats on the basis of skin colour) and thus force the schools & varsities to lower their standards to levels waaaaayyyy beyond their previous levels.
In some cases they changed the whole learning system to benefit the "previously disadvantaged", with the result that (ironically) even higher failure figures are achieved. In the most recent exams, an average of 60% of the grade 10 pupils from the Western Cape schools have failed to pass, in the midst of another sylabis change to try and suit those not willing to study.
Why can't the government use the state of the country at the time they took over as a reference and realise that the schools systems from that time greatly contributed to the successes achieved? Why not rather use additional tools and support to bring the "previously disadvantaged" to the same knowledge levels as those working hard for their school marks? Don't they realise that even if they crook the system, these same people are not going to cope in reality (the working environment) afterwards? Is the government really that dum, or just thick headed and spiteful?
CTS
I knew that the area had deteriorated but did not expect it to look this bad. To think that while I was studying and doing my training I lived in Hillbrow. Late night drinking and eating at the Ambassador Hotel and Fontana's respectively. Then walking home chatting to other people you don't even know, what a jol.
ReplyDeleteWell instead of looking at the state of things and who is to blame, think of the opertunities that will arise for local business men as soon as the council decides to "clean-up" their act.
Just before we left South Africa in 1998 we asked our “maid” – (3 days a week) for whom we’d built a house on our land where she and her husband had hidden from UDF persecution, we asked “What do black people REALLY think of white people?” She answered off the cuff “They are STUPID!” “Oh why?” we asked surprised. “They just give us everything we ask for…” was her reply. “The Afrikaans are much less stupid.” she added. “Oh why?” we asked even more surprised. “They say what they think and make rules.” Mmmm
ReplyDeleteWe now live in the UK in a rural village. I miss the “colour” and “vitality” of Black African people so I was surprised to see two black ladies walking down our street that looked like Kwa Mashu to me. I yelled “Sabona!” They instantly turned and yelled back and we hugged happily to find each other. I’m afraid to say, they did not stay long. The Nursing Home where they had got “wek” was a mile from the town and their employers did not arrange transport for them. Furthermore they complained, they got no food provided and had to pay rent on their accommodation. I sympathised about the rent because we live in a very expensive area. They went home.
Our “maid” wouldn’t last a month here. People do have “maids” - they do not take them to the doctor, they get no lunch, houses, or assistance in ANY WAY whatsoever except their wages. We found that we were REALLY STUPID employers. We poured thousands of rands into the life of our maid and all her family members. We taxied her around Durban in our car wherever she wanted to go somewhere. We booked her children and others into local schools using our address; we demanded proper medical explanations from doctors or hospitals when ones were never given. We bailed people out of prison. We hid people in times of inter group warfare. We were a soft touch indeed!
When we left she was paid out the full sale value of her house we built on our property and a full pension for the rest of her life. I felt I was losing a member of my family because I loved her! I think this was the stupidest thing of all – I loved HER – but not the other way around. Our lives had been inextricably woven together for over twenty years. She was right! White people are stupid. But now I am free!
In England, the scales fell from my eyes. I believe that Africa has to pull itself up by its OWN bootlaces. White people have to stop thinking they are helping by doing. I know many black people (I was in education) who are perfectly capable of teaching people just as well as I ever did, all the things they need to know. There are good black farmers, doctors, lawyers and even politicians! They do NOT approve of how things are turning out in South Africa. I hope they will have the courage to “say what they think and make rules.” Terrifyingly we found no place for white people in South Africa – especially the message broadcast on the radio the day we flew out. Mbeki announced “Those people who are leaving must just GO! South Africa does not need you”. We have friends and family still in South Africa who are unable to leave….my heart BLEEDS!
My husband suffers from “Africa Repulsion Syndrome” which did not improve by the pictures on your site – thank goodness someone is not a “stupid” white man/woman and is saying what they think!
PS – I recognise some names who have posted to this site from an exiles site that helped us a lot in 1998 – thanks guys!
My partner and I have been to over 15 countries including Europe. We have lived abroad for over three years and have now returned to South Africa.
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa is one on the most beautiful countries on Earth, there are so many places to visit and so many outdoor activities, where else can you almost any sport in the world and almost from your door step.
I'm glad that my kids wont be stuck indoors for the half there lives playing play stations, most European children are stuck up, half of them can't even speak a single sentence without profanity, have absolutely no respect for there parents or fellow citzen.
There are bad places all over the world, in London the white people are the scum, living off the government, I met entire families that never worked, girls getting knocked up before they turn 13. iN America they have snipers shooting motorists in car's as they drive past.
Look at america that invades countries and kills innocent people, look at Israel, still fighting the same war over religion.Grow up people and open your eyes, the entire world is a bad place, how about the genocides that have occurred all over the world.
Great for you that have left and moved to other countries but never forget who you are and where you come from and thank you to those that have the balls to stay and contribute rather then complain.
We are proud to be South African, yes there are problems and yes it will take a while to sort out.
It is heartbreaking to see these pictures and to see the increase of attacks on farmers. I am saddened to see some of the comments such as the colour of skin defining the acadamic ability of somone. Murder is becoming a growth industry throughout the world. In the UK we weep over the death of our young men in Iraq but also over the death of so many civilians. Terrorists aim weapons at civillian targets in Israel and hide among the Lebanese people - Israel retaliates and more Lebanese people die. Christians are murdered for their faith in North Korea, in India, Indonesia, China and many other places. Our world is going to hell in a basket. Violence can't be the answer or we would have solved the problem years ago.
ReplyDeleteWe've fought two world wars and countless other wars since. I pray that God will move in His sovreign will across the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe and America because I believe that Violence will only stop when men's hearts are changed. Only God can do that. I lived in South Africa for 10 happy years, returning to the UK 30 years ago. I have returned for holidays since then. I've never met anyone who went to South Africa who didn't fall in love with the country. It's such a beautiful place. I will continue to pray for the people of South Africa, for strength and safety and for God's love to be shed abroad in the land.
Well, the reality of Death of Johannesburg is a very disturbing trip down memory lane. Most of the buildings & area's shown in these pictures were our play ground, a mere 10-15 years ago & now its turned to this... Please try everything in your power to keep your blog going, we (Ex Pats all over the world) want to let the whole world know what the REAL South Africa is all about,we do love our country but we can not live there anymore...
ReplyDeleteI left SA in 1983 with my young family, because I was sure that there was little hope for the long term. I have never regretted that decision. It has long been my opinion that SA is just 12 to 15 years behind Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) in the inevitable slide to ruin and disaster, like all other newly liberated African counties. Scenes like this are proof that I was right all along.
ReplyDeleteam i the only one who is having trouble choosing an identity on this site?
ReplyDeletethere is no need for me to be anonymous
You can take pictures of devastation in any country, true South Africa has taken a turn for the worse, and it is unfortunate that the government is full of shit, but one must remember that not all of South Africa looks like this, there are still many beautiful places. Every country has its eyesores, I now live in Atlanta, and even downtown Atlanta can scare the crap of out of, google pictures of Bankhead, and College Park
ReplyDeleteWHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT! Look who's running the show!
ReplyDeleteAmazing to read about the "realist who clearly has no better things to do with his time than try and destroy a country that is so desperately trying to rebuild itself post a disgraceful, shameful, inexcusable and utterly racist WHITE MAN'S regime."
ReplyDeleteCan one be that dumb? The country WAS built up in 1992, it's BEING broken down and destroyed by the minute! Some forces are trying to hide the destroy-part from the outside world, so they can keep on making mega-bucks out of innocent visitors!
Why ask that Realist give a "more balanced and accurate view of the country"? That's exactly what he's doing! The guys who are hiding the truth is providing the other half! I was really depressed by what's happening in this country and felt helpless about it all. Then this blog came along and man, it was like a light going up at the end of the tunnel! At last the truth can get out and no-one can stop it, not even the government!
Realist, please add a link to News24 to your site - that's the country speaking all for itself via our news papers! Do your critics not know that you're just summarising what's found in there, and giving everyone the opportunity to share their first hand experiences? Can one really be that blind?
Well done, keep your Site-Of-Truth going with all your might!
CTS
I would like to suggest that the current entropic appearance of most inner cities in South Africa, and much of the rising crime, stems from the vast and uncontrollable influx of illegal immigrants since apartheid (being an unattractive and immoral system) had previously kept the hoards now streaming down from other African countries at bay.
ReplyDeleteIn UK this is a serious problem – but in South Africa with miles of border that can never be controlled, it is a SURVIVAL THREATENING problem. I do not believe that the death of Johannesburg captured in the photographs is a result of South Africans self-destructing but the result of an invasion of foreigners. I cannot see how the government – or any government – can cope with this.
I do not want to live in South Africa because I fear the savage culture of Africa (all Africa) that is there as a natural progression of living in a hot, vital, dangerous place.
I also fear the savage culture we are instilling into our new generation via television and movies in “developed” countries. This is OUR method of self-destruct – poverty of sensitivity.
Johannesburg Dying shows inner city degeneration that happens in many cities worldwide – that is not the problem! The problem is the invasion of non South Africans who are not motivated to treasure or respect that which is not truly theirs.
But maybe I’m just making excuses? How many illegal immigrants is South Africa hosting currently? I bet no one has any idea!
It is quite correct to say Sandton will go the same way in 20/25 years. One need only look at the taxi rank next to Sandton City to see a preview of the future. It is so filthy, it reeks of urine. Why do the people of Sandton tolerate it.
ReplyDelete"Pay back is a bitch...the fruits of apartheid have all rotted."
ReplyDeleteHold that thought, while we look at the US example of this situation. The good folks at Capitol Hill saw it fit to abolish segregation back in the '60s. 3 Generations (25 year spacing) of blacks have tasted freedom and the American dream now. But why aren't they prospering? Why are they just as bad off as before? How long will the fruits be rotting? No my friend, the victim routine doesn't quite cut it anymore.
it would be nice if you could also show the area of Sandton and Rosebank today, not that bad hay...
ReplyDeleterami, yer on the wrong medicine..change it...
ReplyDeleteWe left SA almost 30 years ago because we thought there was no future for our young children. It was not an easy move but we built a future for our family.We have not been back for almost 20 years and are planning a trip back in 2007. After seeing the photo's and comments we will be thinking very carefully about returning for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteBy the way we were married at The Carlton Hotel 43 years ago today. What shocking photo's! We can not believe the terrible change in Johannesburg. What a tragedy for all and how very sad to see such destruction.
Hi Real Realist,
ReplyDeleteyou started a very brave and really eye opening blog with your
http://deathofjohannesburg.blogspot.com/
Exactly what the world should see!
I hope you will continue still for a long time and will be able to resist successfully to all following attacks by the furious "Rainbow fans".
Could it be possible to include Pretoria aswell. I was born & lived in Pta and is sure it has changed a lot.
Ich sage es ist wie Lagos- absoluter Chaos. Ich kenne auch RIO
ReplyDeleteaber da herrscht Ordnung in the City,da weden die Bastards erschossen. What a Shame to the Great City. Carlton Center was my
Baby, i down the last Tests to the
Telephone Ex.. Shame on does Rubish!
I wunder what my Ex- House in Berario look like after Invasion.
Sorry for the Rest of Good Poeble.
Fritz R. with still S.A. Ambitions
I have been out of SA for 6 years now.
ReplyDeleteThis is just so sad to look at.
Many of these places you show here where places I lived in and frequented, Had many a laugh and many a drink.
I suppose if it was the way it was back in the 80's/90's we would all still be in SA.
I certainely count myself lucky for having being able to take my family out of that hell hole.
Good luck to the rest of you. hope you to can get out.
well, i dont remember much of when i lived in joburg but i sure as hell didnt think it would be like that! how can we be proud South Africans when this is what we have to show for it
ReplyDeleteThere was a comment about poor b/c apartheid whitey with spoon up arse comment. Are you so thick that you dont know whats going on. I have or never will live in Joburg, so I have no sore heart memories of the childhood. But as an ousider, the "whitey" is not responsible for the mess, because there probably arent any there to start with. So common sense tells me the "locals" are responsible for their own sh"thole. And what has a former goverment got to do with the price of eggs, did they hand over the country in the state it is in? No, dumbass! Did you turn your brain on before you engaged your keyboard? Some former minister to friend 10 years ago, " You know boet, Im not having this. Lets trash the place, run it into the ground and give it back." Muppet!
ReplyDeleteThe big question is...why does the black government not spend the billions we pay in taxes on providing for the poor as they claim they do. They don't do anything for any-one. We stay on in this country becouse we believed their election promises. They are supposed to care for the aged, the underprivilaged etc. Bullshit. the government has failed in spite of enormous wealth, support , and power. It has failed becouse the individuals in government care about themselves and not their responsibilities. I am afraid that we are in a wasteland created by ignorance, arrogance, selfishness and lazyness. Careless and cruel people are in positions that should be filled by great and special people. We need real leaders. Africa has yet to produce one who can withstand the onslought of mindless, uneducated masses. Madiba is respected the world over but is it here in these pictures that his real legacy lies? He too has been failed by government. This is not simply a race thing. This is about what humans without good leadership will become.
ReplyDeleteIan Smith was right "Never in a thousand years"
ReplyDeleteTo anyone contemplating leaving SA: I left SA 6 years ago and at the time experienced the fears and concerns I suppose anyone leaving behind family, a successful career and business might feel. Looking back all I can say to those who told me at the time I left that "the grass is greener on the other side", ......is that it really is. Seeing the pics of Johannesburg not only confirms that but also gives confirmation that SA has to a large extent already gone down the path of the rest of Africa and will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteI've been away from South-Africa 5 years now and this was very, very intresting for me to see.
ReplyDeleteLove to see more.
Great work.
I unfortunately don't have a foreign passport, but for those of you who do
ReplyDeleteleave now.
If things have deterioated this much in 10 years , imagine what your children will experience
My ,My South Africa is completely made of ANGRY People Thank God my kids will never see this
ReplyDeleteLong Gone
Nuke them!
ReplyDeleteI can "CRY" when I see "MY BELOVED COUNTRY" and the irony when I think how this title was used in a book by Alan Paton.
ReplyDeleteI am stunned at some of the photographs I have seen. Broken windows, dirt on the streets, etc.
ReplyDeleteTo blame to general deterioration of Africa on the whites is inexcusable. Billions of dollars have been poured into this continent in the past, with no visible results. Only corrupt government officials with huge fat off-shore bank accounts, while their people starve, die of disease, and live by threat of the gun and in fear of their lives. Their poverty cannot be blamed on whites, I will stand by that. Zimbabwe is a prime example, 20 years ago no one starved, there were working clinics with medications, nursing staff etc. Schools worked, and everyone was clothed. No it is fear, starvation, torture, confiscation of land, shall I carry on....
well to all those people who know wot THE REAL SOUTH AFRICA is all about, and have seen the beauty of it, will understand that as a proud south african, these photos are of a very small part of a huge country, yes they look shocking, but helloooooo wot city does not have its "BAD AREAS" take the bronx in New York, eish!!!!!1!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo if you shit ice cream, you belong on mars not on EARTH so get a life and open your eyes and see wot your back yard looks like before dissing ours!~!!!!
Hiya there all you die hard rascists! Apartheid only happended because there was an under-class of poor whites and the white working class where terrified of the rising black working class. Hense apartheid, the group areas act, the job reservations act etc etc. Get a bit of real history! Most white south africans are still doing disproporntianately well, having benefitted from the benefits of free education and job reservation for their parents. Yeoville and Berea were not the centre of Joburg were not wealthy areas when I lived there in the 80's and 90's. In fact it was populated by poor whites and artists - so who are you trying to kid! Most of the wealthy lived in the Northern uburbs, as they still do! Only difference is the real disparity in wealth between black working class and the former white working class. If you want to make a difference, go out there and do something positive!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeletewell to all those people who know wot THE REAL SOUTH AFRICA is all about, and have seen the beauty of it, will understand that as a proud south african, these photos are of a very small part of a huge country, yes they look shocking, but helloooooo wot city does not have its "BAD AREAS" take the bronx in New York, eish!!!!!1!!!!!
So if you shit ice cream, you belong on mars not on EARTH so get a life and open your eyes and see wot your back yard looks like before dissing ours!~!!!!
What you fail to understand is that the reason why JHB looks the way it does, is for exactly the same reason that the Bronx looks the way it does....comprehende?
I am shocked beyond belief at the way JHB and Hillbrow have been destroyed. I remember the area well and used to go to Ciros, Collesuem, Carlton Hotel Ice Rink, Saturday afternoon movies in JHB. My friend and I (yes Just the 2 of us) used to catch the 73 bus from Linden 4th Avenue all the way to Loveday street on a Saturday to catch the Matinee at the Carlton Ster-Kinekor. At no time did we feel unsafe.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking at this Blog for weeks now as it has shocked me to the core. I keep coming back to it as I was thinking of coming back to SA with my family to settle in the New South Africa next year, but now I know I would be killing my children by doing that.
Keep up the good work - hopefully it will reach the World Cup Soccer Comittee and get the 2010 Games taken away from SA, as the reality is VERY different to the rosy picture the SA press paints.
To all rational-minded people that may stumble across the bitter, sick racist rants scattered across these pages: the worst white south africans have thankfully emigrated. In order to feel powerful, these small, backward idiots kick and peck away at the underdog.
ReplyDeleteWho owned all the property in Hillbrow and Berea? Who withdrew from the area, failed to maintain their properties, abandoned their tenants out of racist pessimism? Almost all the blame lies at the feet of landlords.
In SA today, white people are better off than ever before. They are richer than ever, sharing the good life mostly with one another (Yet the optical illusion of black economic empowerment continues to fuel white hysteria). How white people have managed to wangle themselves such a good deal with hardly any payback is amazing. You'd think there'd be just a little more gratitude. But then white people throughout history have not really been the grateful sort.
Lastly there is very little understanding here of the organism of the city. Johannesburg has always been a cannibalistic city, devouring itself. There is no regard for anything older than 5 years. Eventually it'll move around and eat its own shit, turning Hillbrow back into some kind of fashionable reinvention of itself. You'll soon be praying that it be destroyed when it gets turned into whatever the equivalent will be of the current Tuscan theme park.
Thank you for creating this eye opening website!! I am ashamed of being born in such a horrible city! Even though I live in Canada now I used to go to SA every 2nd year to vissit fammily and friends, but in the last two years I have lost whaterver love I had left for SA and will never return to that hell hole!!
ReplyDeleteHappy memories, but what a shame - so many pictures of places I used to frequent "on a jol" during the 80's and early 90's ... I'm sad for the people who cannot afford to move out - I recall Berea having a large elderly population, I wondered if the state "relocated" any of them for their own safety ?
ReplyDeleteMajuba
ReplyDeleteQUOTE:
Hmmm, shouldn't that read ".. white people, on the backs of underpaid, disenfranchised blacks working hard and for next to nothing and then sent back to the townships for the night.."
You are 100% correct. But now things have changed, for the better for all blacks.So they were exploited to create something, now they are not exploited and the situation is bad, the building are destroyed. What justification do you have to tell me in response? So what are you trying to say? Your argument lacks merit.
This has to be responded to ...
ReplyDelete"awww, some poor whitey is pissed b/c apartheid ended and your silver spoon is now up your ass. Sure is hard to maintain those buildings without slavery. I'd suggest you move to a more racist country but alas your currency is worth shit and now you're stuck in the mess you and your family made. Enjoy."
Man oh Man are you a sad person. I can feel the hatred pouring out of you and that is soooo sad!! Slavery did not exist in SOUTH africa - everyone was paid whether it be a fair wage or not they were PAID to do work and sometimes it was a real waste of money and sometimes not. As for our currency - it was worth a lot more then it is now, now that our fellow "slave" has taken over - how come??? Don't belittle yourself with ignorant comments and remarks - educate yourself first before opening your mouth and letting the drivel run.
Down the road is some great graffiti check it out. Have you come across any other in your travels
ReplyDeleteHere is my contribution
http://urbanart-artcollector.blogspot.com/
some pretty good graffiti in the Rosebank area as well must go and check it out
see yeah
WOW Power site this one. Even comments from the Jani Allen.Bet she could give us some stories.
ReplyDeleteI thought she was a looker
To darth vader...
ReplyDeleteFirstly I want to say that it's lekker being out of tjoekie.
Darth ou boet, let me tell you that Jani looks vris only because she wears six cans of Plaston Paints on her face, but it was my green Jockies that drove her nuts.
I have news for you my boy! I did the chicken run 2 years ago. What fascinates me is the number of blacks that have also RECENTLY moved here? Why are they running?
ReplyDeleteI guess you are easily fascinated. I have lived in the past 6 years in four countries spanning three continents. I would not use a simplistic term like “chicken run” to describe what is to many people a life changing decision. It is at best a disrespectful term that anyone forced to leaving the country, would find insulting. Traveling is a way of life for me, never in one country for more than a year, so I am not upset by your comments. I am an international traveler with my degree in one pocket and cash in the other. I would refer to it as being a “chicken run” if I had low self esteem, perhaps you should talk to someone about it? Or perhaps you should think before you type??
Poor old Joey's, The city of Gold has turned to dirt and decadence.
ReplyDeleteYoo. black dudes. If you think you are so great, lets see you rebuild it.
You can destroy our city.. but our dreams and creations go on.. somewhere else.
OUCH!! How long will it be before places such as Sandton will look like this??
ReplyDeleteGoing to have to call this blog DEATH OF REAL REALIST'S BLOG soon. Nothing happening here, losing momentum, bear market blog, going south, blogging like JHB...come on REAL...DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSay what you like, the supposed ‘white supremacist’ at least kept the country in shape and contrary to popular belief this was not achieved through slavery. Do you self righteous buggers in other politically correct parts of the world honestly expect me to think that you pay your lawyer what you pay your housemaid? You pay for the service and the level of skills you are making use of.
ReplyDeleteThe people now running/ruining the country had education given to them but they chose to burn down the schools, hold mass gatherings and 'toyi-toyi' against any of the runnings of the country. If you look at any of the ‘black’ countries further north the pictures shown on this blog is what they all look like and much worse.. it’s only a matter of time before SA goes exactly the same way. I doubt there are any readers of this blog who can remember Commissioner Street before it was a tarred road. Give it a couple of years and it will again be a dirt road. I wonder how long before we see horse (donkey) drawn carts in Marshall, Smit and Market Streets?
A comment I read further down this blog is that natives dont like spending money on maintenance. I recently spent some time in Zambia where for the Presidents visit they painted virtually everything they could. Kerb stones, streets, rocks, fences, tree stumps. The locals do not believe in looking after their houses because they are then seen as being wealthy and are targeted by officials for handouts and taxes and various other cash 'prizes'. Its a mentality thing. THERE IS NO MENTALITY!!!
I recently employed a gardener at a decent wage to work in my garden on weekends. His thanks for the job I created for him was to work for a couple of hours and then run off down the road with my lawnmower. Is that thanks or just SAVAGE mentality. Instead of earning a decent wage, getting fed and receiving old clothes (which dont fit because I have lost weight, not because they are old and tattered) he chose the lawnmower which he has subsequently more than likely sold for a six pack of beer and a half loaf with chips. You can take the native out of the bush, you cant take the bush out of the native!!!
These photos of Jozie are distressing at best. To think that so much wealth (which is not appreciated) is going down the drain. Imagine if the Carlton hotel and many other businesses in Johannesburg were able to re-open how may jobs it could create and how many of these savages could then build a better future for themselves without the need to steal, rape, murder or pillage. I agree with a statement about bombs and shit. The inner city of Jozie should be blown to smithereens and then a new world started on EGOLI soil. Place of Gold indeed. mmmh...
Stuff the New South Africa, I prefer the old one. No I am not a racist but I certainly am a realist. Agreed there were attrocities but hey, show me ANY country in the world where there is not one form of APARTHEID or another. South Africa's biggest downfall was in giving it a name!!!
Guys, you are having me on. The pics you took are from Uganda. Right? Couldn't be JHB. Just kidding.
ReplyDeleteWhat would make these pics realy impresionable is if you had pics from the 80's of those locations and compare them side by side with todays current ones.
ReplyDeleteWhat would make these pics realy impresionable is if you had pics from the 80's of those locations and compare them side by side with todays current ones.
ReplyDeleteI visited JHB early 80's and then 1986-7. Used to go to Chelsea hotel terrace for a beer and walk to my friends living in Berea. Did not have to worry then, and could park the car safely almost anywhere.
ReplyDeletewow i stayed a night in hillbrow once in teh 80's the allnight gunshot sounds was quite scary ..but to see it now i would never set foot near there again ,whoever took these photo's must have taken his/her life in their own hands ...maybe on day things will get better but when i will never know and so will keep on living in teh uk
ReplyDeleteYou wilthy person, what do you want to aim at this???? Picturing bad parts of the city and trying to use it into propacanda....Some ingnorant people will believe your shit. I have been to African countries and know that it depends how you portrait the picture, it makes it different alltogether.
ReplyDeleteShame on you.
What I would like to do is shove my foot up his ass. It amazes me how black people think that they are so tuff. But in most cases they seem to cry out for the white people to help them. I think that the USA needs to stop giving them aid so that they can wipe each other out, only then will we come back and rebuild the mess.
ReplyDeleteThis situation reminds me of an animal in the Kruger Park, that has been allowed to exist in freedom and over expands beyond its means (because of lack of control from the game rangers). It does not have the intellectual capability to sustain its existence. It eventually leads to it own downfall through death and destruction, reverting to a mean of natural selection. The end result is nothing more than nature at its best. Can a virus survive without its host? Go ahead Zuma. Cut off the hand that feeds you. The devil has his pitch fork in you already my man.
ReplyDeleteLooks pityfully similar: http://www.anycities.com/user/conradroy/english/english.htm
ReplyDeleteI also deplore what the SA became... We, the people, never concidered the old SA to be an enemy, rather respectable rival.
Thank You for the photos.
(*) (*)
ReplyDeleteWell they will still blame the Apartheid Regime. The truth of the story is this: In 12 years of democracy the collapse of the country is evident...they are a lot of bushcats that will take another 30years to come right.
Viva White Rule!!
Modern Tsotsi
ReplyDeleteWhy i really feel for all of you pissed off, Disillusioned, lets not kid ourselves, Rascists!!!!!
Well sorry SA didnt turn out the way u wished it would. lets face it theres alot of animosity between the races in our country especial between Black and White. And none of the strides that have been made in the country can make some people feel happy, because they simply cant accept the fact that things have changed.
Sure things have detorierated as seen in the now infamous pics, that document the parts of Jozi that havent been refurbished. However there are plans to fix them up.
Lets focus on Hillbrow, for the people that know it, will tell u that no self respecting SAfrican would live there. The Place is filled with illegal immigrants, and thats why its in a spiral of decay. This didnt happen over night, ohhh no, i used to go to school in yeovil passing Hillbrow everyday. I can guarentee it took at least at least 20 years for this to happen.
However this is not my point. As soon as we accept the fact that things wont change until we stop relying on the friggen government (like lazy bastard. some people made a connection of that word in that context to people of a darker skin colour) to fix our problems. WE gotta be a DIY society and stop complaining. Take up the Megggga challange of rebuiling a good nation into a Fantastic 1, regardless of skin colour. We all have something to offer.
Quoting - Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"To all rational-minded people that may stumble across the bitter, sick racist rants scattered across these pages: the worst white South Africans have thankfully emigrated. In order to feel powerful, these small, backward idiots kick and peck away at the underdog."
------------
I am a Canadian Aboriginal and I have many white SA friends who have moved to Canada. These men and women can be characterized by their clear eyes, steady hands and of hearts of oak. I have never heard them utter a “sick racist rant” in my life. I have found their men brilliant and indomitable, their women intelligent, beautiful and demure. And I for one would be proud to stand beside them in the library, the boardroom or the battlefield. I have watched these people create successful businesses and careers from nothing in a very short period of time and do so in the face of daunting odds. They have my highest respect.
I encourage more South Africans to come to Canada. This country needs you and wants you.
All the best,
D
I am not surprised because it is happening in the entire world. London, Paris, New York, Washington, Philadelphia and now Johannesburg.
ReplyDeleteIt is not only a local war. The current civilization is growing in fights but we are happy because we see it only in TV or when we want to see something different (not so often).
None country has recovered the lost zones. SA will not be different. It is cheaper to make a new city.
Kruger, Botha, Steyn and the rest, must surely turn in their graves.What a criminal waste of a once fantastic place. As if in our heart of hearts we didn't know this is what would happen. But in just twelve years?!!
ReplyDeleteanonymous said
ReplyDelete"Go Europe, go UK, go home, ge where your are coming from and never came back"
You don't right. A lot of people was born and grew up on this land, built and bought houses, skhools, life, city. Where is truth?
I am white but not rassist. i am from Ukraine - postcommunist country. I visited Johannesburg in 2004 and shoked. Its real internally war.
Maybe some of you guys should try living in Nairobi which the British left to local authority control in 1963 and then get some idea about a vision of the future.I can tell you that although the Kenyans are essentialy decent the precipitous slide seems to be irreversible.
ReplyDeleteGo and live in Australia or the UK and be grateful that the choice of doing so is still open to you.
I used to live in Botswana and I can tell you that although life there is generally about as exciting as watching paint dry they were smart enough to only pay lip service to the changes that were ocuring in SA and Zim and definately knew that such policies practised by these countries goverments were ruinous.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that Botswana is about the only country in Black Africa that is reasonably prosperous proves that they may have been right.
Whilst the pictures are shocking, some of the comments on this blog are extremely racist. Kinda sad....
ReplyDeleteFirst time in Blog, link received from a family member in Beaumont TX US, A very brave and informative site. I live in Alberton SA at present and work daily in JHB,Germiston,Kempton Park etc and I am PSed off with the slow and systematic degredation of infrastructure and and and, the list does not stop. You that bitch about comments etc, he who has not had a 9mm pistol shoved in their face by a RIFFAK (lees agteruit) then keep quiet, for us who live in fear when we want to take our families for a picnic (where in JHB) a park, haha. Come to SA with your IPod, clothes and CD's in your bag and have it very kindly removed by the staff at Jan Smuts sorry JHB INT sorry OR Tambo International Airport what ever the name. Our culture, places and security are not in the interest of the formaly disadvantaged individuals who now without qualifications employ us to do their jobs and of course drive those shiny cars which I do to, because at the end of the day ownership of anything is earned the good old way (om fokken hard te werk). Qualified as a dental technologist and own an IT company, busy with emigration to Aussie, SA's 10th province.
ReplyDeleteSAD ! so very sad that the concept of maitainence is not inpractice,
ReplyDeleteBUT
who are the current landlords who bought the various high rises from major insurance groups for greatly devalued prices, why are they not concerned about the buidlings' degradation ?
I shouldn't worry too much these people pressed the self destruct button 12 years ago and now the abort opption has now passed. AIDS is gonna take them all. 10 years max. Ladbrokes care to take bets on that? I hear they've already opened a book on wether or not the World Cup will take place in South Africa in 2010 let me tell you those odds don't look good.
ReplyDeleteIt is pointless lamenting the mayhem going on. It's all over bar the shouting. If Zuma gets in, and it looks like a very good chance that will happen, then it's the final slide into Zimbabwean chaos.
ReplyDeleteI left for the USA at the age of 45, with wife and three kids. Starting over has not been easy, but as a hard working ex Saffie, after 4 years we are now getting our lives firmly established. I went back to SA twice last year and finally saw the place without rose tinted glasses on. It's a disgrace what is happening. Black, white and brown, I don't care. To ALL decent South African people, there is a MUCH BETTER AND SAFER quality of life awaiting you in civilised, and decent societies where you will be respected as human beings, not as cannon fodder for the likes of Mbeki and his cohorts, who have clearly demonstrated that they simply don't give a damn.
Good luck to you all!
Oh how sad! I remember the city well having worked corner Joubert & Eloff St all those years ago. My memory is clear. Have not been back since and now seeing these pics - it is a true 'death' and warrants great mourning as it will never recover to it's former beauty.
ReplyDeleteLet us weep for a nation lost!
Pam
Why don't you create a formal website for all of this stuff? I mean you are doing a great job chronicling! Get a domain name, a little web space, and put this stuff up.
ReplyDeleteI think what strikes me as obvious is that the money just dried up overnight. You can see it and there is no chance anyone will bring it back again. It was as if a whole population left and it was repopulated.
It is interesting how glad many are to have emigrated. This has nothing to do with apartheid except that the governments before the ANC were better ordered, ruled by law, and had higher standards. Again, it is as if all of those people just left.
It is too bad the US and others superimposed the template of the "civil rights movement" over South Africa and Rhodesia. They were unique and in an age of multiculturalism very diverse with Afrikaaneers and Rhodies.
This type of blog would be outlawed here in the UK thanks to the lunatic lefty liberals that run the country; I just wish some of our politicians would read it and see the cancer that is spreading throughout the civilised world.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that whenever multiculturalism is invoked on 1st world society, the parasitic sub-humans set out to destroy it. They just want handouts (which our welfare state readily gives them) or take what they want from those who have worked hard to get it. To speak out about this subject, though, gets you branded as a rasict.
I just hope there is something left to save, not only of your country but of the civilised world in general, before the disease is terminal.
move to Sweden! my white friends!
ReplyDeleteWHAT A DISASTER !!
ReplyDeleteI remember the peaceful days. Just a distant memory.
RIP
Here is a little story that goes with the theme of this blog.
ReplyDeleteAfrican Renaissance
Every era in the history of mankind can to some degree be recognized by the characteristic style of its architecture.
Greek (750-30BC)
Roman (100BC-365AD)
Byzantine (330-1453AD)
Romanesque (850-1200)
Gothic (1150-1550)
Baroque (1600-1800)
Renaissance (1420-1900)
Industrial Revolution (1850-1914)
Art Nouveau (1875-1914)
Art Deco (1920s and 1930s)
Modern Architecture (1918-Present)
and
Post Modernism (1957-present day)
Since our President Mr. Thabo Mbeki declared his term of office
the African Renaissance but has failed to define it in any way I have decided to suggest that it may be appropiate to call the style of building in South Africa
since 1994 the Madiba Style.
Since very little building activity is expected due to a total lack of funds it can however be applied (and this is the absolute beauty of it) to all existing, especially government and other public buildings like
hospitals etc.
Another important attribute of the Madiba Style, one which will find immediate favour with the Department of Public Works, the Department of Finance and I'm sure others is the fact that absolutely no effort is required to implement it.
Let me explain what the Madiba style is.
As stated earlier it can be applied to any and all existing structures. To qualify, the building has to be in a state of extreme disrepair, water and electricity, lifts, sewerage nonfunctioning, windows shatterd
and replaced with cardboard etc.
In special circumstances, maybe when the building has been declared unsafe because it has been severly vandalized, or the raw sewerage is runnung out of the front door it may even be declared a national monument.
Another approach, one which will require some capital and effort is what can be called the Maseru Option. However the desired effect is obtained a lot faster. I don't think I have to elaborate too much as it is pretty self-explanatory.
AS I pointed out earlier all this can be achieved with little or no
capital investment and will be a fitting tribute to our leaders and democracy.
It is so sad. My parents grew up in Jo-burg and used to go out in Hillbrow - now... Crap depressing
ReplyDeletePLEASE TELL ME WHY JOBURG WAS DESTROYED IN THIS WAY
ReplyDelete“No difference whatsoever: south side Chicago, Port au Prince, Detroit, South Central L.A., Bronx, Detroit, Paris (Clichy), London, Lagos, Gary, Indiana, Atlanta (the home of the CNN media mafia), Rio de Janeiro, Bamako, Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe....”, Strange but the only similarity or common denominator in regards to all theses places is that in each case the white order and its inhabitants have all left and they are now inhabited by the roidian virus, a plague far more devastating to society than HIV/aids. As for Kafricans spending funds on repairs and maintenance, as learned from their atypically politically correct leadership, “Why work or spend when you can steal”, the only problem with the last remaining die hard opportunistic white South Africans is their inability to understand basic animal instinct, no mater how destructive and murderous the head monkey is his troop will always defend him and follow suit. There is an old South African expression that has proven itself time and time again, you can take the Kafrican out of the bush but you will never take the bush out of the Kafrican, even in those that have migrated to other parts of the world. I have lived in North America for the last fifteen years, two of my business partners are black Americans with black American wives, and they do not class themselves as African Americans and want no association with the African continent or its inhabitants. They have shown me a lot more about separatism than I ever saw back in SA with their basic business policies of no credit to black Africans and no cheques accepted from black Africans coupled with their refusal to socialize with black Africans pretty much says it all. As much as I love SA I will never return, together with the over one million white South Africans that have already left, the ones that will still leave and those as yet to be democratically liberated of their lives by the new authoritarians, it’s just a mater of time until the lights go out in Kafrica. Now go ahead, call me a racist white pig, my black American god children will most certainly disagree with you.
ReplyDeleteI had lived in Yeoville/Johannesburg as a young man, and am amazed at the destruction of the whole city shown in these pictures! This looks like a war zone. The people that live in these areas have no concept of the worth of property or life. They were given a beautiful city and country and the opportunity to build their own lives. That no longer exists. I wonder if they realize as a community that nobody will invest time, money or any of the things necessary for them to succeed, with all the destruction and crime. This is now a "Third world" city/country. This is no different than the Congo after the Belgians left, or many other similar countries in Africa. I am amazed that these people cannot figure out that this way of living does not work. The more there is crime and killing, the less they will have.
ReplyDeleteI refer in particular to the post of one "anonymous" at 6:06 PM
ReplyDeleteIt is apparent that the author cannot express him/herself in a reasonable fashion, but never the less....
These buildings were not maintained by slavery, where on earth do you get such an absurd notion from?
Your implication is that South Africa is a racist country and in saying this you are completely correct. Which "More Racist" country would you in your infinite wisdom suggest.
The ANC have not demolished apartheid, they have simply restructured it to suit their own ends establishing their own sinister and insidious brand of racism.
To defend the undefensible is sheer stupidity.
It does not matter if some of theses pictures were taken last week or last year. What matters is the intention of the blog owner in making these available. THe intention is to demonstrate to reasonable thinking people the fact that the black "Authorities" are completely useless and unable to maintain standards and hence the decay that is so graphically demonstrated.
ReplyDeleteThe authorities are not interested in responsibilities or standards, they are simply unconcerned, indifferent and could not care less.
So long as they can blame the Whites then they have their standard excuse.
Go here and follow the links to see what happens to farms liberated from white racist exploitation and oppression http://www.africancrisis.org/default2.asp
ReplyDeleteTo the poor "anonymous" with the "so-called" spoon up HIS ass. Not only are you SO misinformed, but totally uneducated. In the old regime, the GOVERNMENT kept the buildings in shape. I have never heard of any slaves in SA, because as far as I know, slaves are bought, and not paid a salary. So If there was any black people working on these projects, it was by choice! Everybody makes a choice in his life, on what kind of work you will do when you grow up. I BET you said "I want to be a fireman" and what happened? Still loitering, like allways, but only on the internet. Sit on your be-hind, instead of doing something constructive. The so-called new regime, not only lives off MY tax money, but YOURS as well! So WHO is the idiot NOW? They steal from YOU, and you let them? Poor, poor, dark soul. You have yet a lot to learn.....
ReplyDeleteare there any new photos coming up this year?
ReplyDeleteJohannes
You mentioned a Peter Rose ( publisher) who disappeared - was he australian and a graphic designer as I knew a Peter Rose in the early 70's he had just come over from Oz and we met working on tarmacing parking spots ( temp job)
ReplyDeleteI was in Johannesburg during the 80's and spent every weekend in Hillbrow at the Bella Napoli or Thunderdome or Boobs the list goes on...Those were great days! How shocked was I to see these pictures.
ReplyDeleteShocked yet not surprised we always knew this would happen South Africa always had a Third World destiny it was merely delayed by the apartheid era. I don't know what the solution is, I'm not sure there is one...maybe best to just shut the door on Africa and let it die.
London has whole areas now which resemble third world slums and the problem is creeping across the rest of the UK like a cancer...maybe what's happening in S.Africa is the ultimate fate of western civilisation as each day more and more poverty stricken and disease riddled Africans are washing up on the shores of southern europe and spreading across the continent like a dark plague... Anyone whose been to Spain recently will know exactly what I'm talking about.
it may not be PC but the African was better off under colonialism because lets be frank guys you just got to open your eyes, look around you to realise that you've realy f%^$ed it all up..anyone with broadband use the following link..watch 'Addios Africa' and then tell me I'm wrong http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5855323615829365487&q=africa+documentary
Paul M