Hillbrow: The danger zone some call home

The golden era of Hillbrow is long gone. The past 20 years have seen the area become synonymous with crime and thugs, but projects like the eKhaya Neighbourhood City Improvement District make transformation seem possible.

[@nonhlanhlapreciousRadebe]

I grew up in Hillbrow; went to Barnato Park High School; lived through the 1996 to the early 2000 era when the crime in Hillbrow was bad; but I survived growing up here has made me a strong resilient adaptable person.I studied at the University of Johannesburg towards my BSc degree and BSc Honours degree through support from NSFAS which was initiated by government.I am doing my MSc in Water Engineering at TU Berlin;there are no limits; the only limitation is one that one sets for themselves.

[@SuperLuckao]

Hillbrow was wonderful in 70s and 80s...only sanctions ruined it..;ie no music bands toured!..other than that it was modern, beautiful, friendly, vibrant, fun, great weather..it had everything!!!...what have they done??

[@nonhlanhlapreciousRadebe]

I am determined to use my qualification to serve my country in any way that I can; and if we all have a positive mental attitude of what can be done and continue to do it; there is no limit to what good we can achieve in the world. Well Done to eKhaya!My form teacher at Barnato Park High School used to ask me a rhetorical question when I feeling a bit overwhelmed with what needed to be done. He would say to me: "How do you eat an elephant? and the answer to that question is one bite at a time!"

[@jonathanspilhaus3165]

Good luck with this project, I hope Ekhaya expands and brings self-respect to communities

[@gina3498]

This is what will happen to cape town city centre if anc wins the western cape

[@Rob4Yvo]

I lived in Joburg .. i was brought up there .. The young people dont know the past. 100 years wont fix it.

[@user-db8kj8so7f]

From the 20s onto 1994 things were very good now its a place u dont want to go

[@petersutherland7779]

Amazing looking at this video now , visited in 1985 , sister stayed in Kemp park . Fantastic place to visit . Bars , clubs. Restaurants. Not so clever now !!!

[@johnroberts262]

Hillbrow was lovely in the early 70s, I lived there for two years. What happened to it man.

[@SAOnPoint]

@Mmapara Pilusa You must be ashamed of yourself..Ur names says a lot though,mampara

[@SAOnPoint]

@Mmapara Pilusa u must be ashamed of your self,"clever' blacks who want to be white..

[@ReeceMarshallPersonal]

It was super racist and dangerous for black people in the early 70s. Maybe it was nice for white people but for everyone else it was just as dangerous as it was then!

[@johnroberts262]

@@ReeceMarshallPersonal I never saw any racism in the 70s and all races enjoyed the vibration of the environment

[@helenmcdonnell2585]

@@johnroberts262 true that's my experience, hope you're doing well..

[@TheTheobear]

Very uplifting! Thanks for posting!!!!

[@cedarsable1014]

lovely project I love SA people like you bring hope. it's a beautiful place. I leave on Europe the government can never allow foreigners to take over any peace of land or area. As rainbow nation we should keep SA as a colourful place as it should be

[@israelshabangu7583]

But change is happening in Europe where previously peaceful nations like Sweden are now having ghettos.

[@ernestoaltario]

south africa is a great place. white and black people should find a way to be together and helping each other. those areas in Johannesburg that suffer under this insecure environment should be stop existing. cause this affect not only the white and black people of the city , but also the idea in the mind of foreigners that south africa is a bad place for people to live in. so the country slowly slowly dies.....

[@PeterPrevos]

I lived in Hillbrow in 1991 - great to see this area prosper again.

[@PeterPrevos]

+Omid Gul have you actually watched the video?

[@isabelnavaro6322]

When did I it go downhill?

[@jeffyjohn5673]

I don't get it, this is called progress...a beautiful city, a shadow of what it once was.

[@uncletimo6059]

you just got it.

[@knokkelmann1]

this is how europe is gonna look like unless non-EU immigration is stopped. sorry if i`ve offended anyone

[@Romeowasbleeding1]

Bless these people! SA could be great, people like this still give it a chance!

[@Kinghornish]

It is a little frightening to view the spiral of decline that has consumed this once fantastic area of Johannesburg. I used to live in the apartment block shown at 1.48 on the clip, way back in 1974. Similar to Hillbrow, as a whole, it has experienced dramatic change...oh to be able wind back the years to an all-together better time.

[@glenatkinson4066]

Any other large city such as London, New York or Toronto would take pride to have prime housing in the city center. How did the government allow this to happen?

[@SAOnPoint]

Have you ever been to Detroit?

[@SAOnPoint]

@SnBergamo I'm sure you don't mean what your saying coz people who think like that are usually lazy thinkers with small brains..What u say or what you write can tell a lot about you...

[@zipacna1980]

Let's make things clear. Detroit, Jahannesburg.... It is one thing behing it's decline.

[@SuperLuckao]

i agree..it was great!!!..Jhb was a great city...hope they're happy to what they've done to it..

[@halfniak]

Joburg central was a nice place in the 80's.

[@isabelnavaro6322]

Why did it go downhill?

[@ca9968]

@@isabelnavaro6322 Corrupt, Communist rule since 1994...

[@t-mantheman3768]

Man, with or without crime hillbrow remains in my heart

[@israelshabangu7583]

Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkklklkkkkl

[@VictorWehan]

Technically speaking, South Africa belongs to the Koi San.

[@maritafroehlich4818]

Technically speaking, America belongs to the Indians ... and so on.

[@vuvufuzzy2594]

May projects or this nature spread all over SA, well done

[@randiparis]

Your always welcome in Namibia!:))

[@trainsmashtv200]

I love this

[@MrSwadds]

I am French and I would love to visit South Africa. However I won't because I can't run the risk of having my car hijacked, my daughter raped, my possessions stollen, being spat at because I'm white and all this disgraceful stuff you hear day in day out. I'll go to Namibia instead.

[@maritafroehlich4818]

Certain countries in Europe are not very far from these conditions nowadays, especially cities.

[@E-D-E2704]

isn't this what all the blacks fought for over the decades?? now fucking enjoy it!!

[@VictorWehan]

You rock dude.

[@angelavermaak2591]

Why has Hillbrow deteriorated since the 80/90's?

[@colleenward3425]

Wat a lovely change

[@antoinejohnson9944]

High rise building will ne minimum risk factorisés such like bakery, plastic producteurs, spoon, cups,also low dire risk mass producteurs ! It been great tout sée smiles around thé cities . I hope will make thé right décision tout keep our future shining brite instead of pour blood on concrète ! Sao Ai *

[@duxberry1958]

if you came up on the left hand side from jo-burgh park going up to hillbrow

[@moshemirkin7682]

vote DA

[@subwaysurfer5378]

What's wrong with you

[@hussainfatmi9566]

I will say plz people of sth africa anc has been running this country for more then 20 years just tell me what did u ppl get ? Did they give u employment, peace, security, good health facilities, or any good quality of life????????

[@isabelnavaro6322]

No!

[@isabelnavaro6322]

When did the white people leaved Hillbrow?

[@maritafroehlich4818]

Only friends of the government, the clique around them.

[@allengardenroutelife8787]

Rich people go to the north of Johannesburg now.

[@duxberry1958]

who remembers the security firm which had trucks and they would entry a build and drive down a ramp and go underground it was in hillbrow

[@TheKaveshan]

dont wori u will have a nice time...just be careful tho..we have tons of tourists year in year out

[@israelshabangu7583]

I also pledge to use whatever resources I acquire to bring change into this city.

[@avicciimmxx8156]

In 1970 was great place to be now a sewer.

[@bmw803]

SHIT!!! They call this a ghetto? Yeah it's fucked up, but they should come and see what Detroit (Michigan ) St.Louis ( Missouri and Illinois side ) , Newark ( N.J.) Philadelphia (Pennsylvania ) look like. It's 10 times worse than this. But keep up the work, so it doesn't degenerate to places like Detroit.

[@tonshbenosh1115]

Love the ekhaya project cos those areas can’t be abandoned like that

[@isabelnavaro6322]

I heard about landlords abandoning properties in Hillbrow in the nineties!

[@wildebeest88]

This was 9 years ago. Its 2020 now. Has this area regressed or improved?

[@ca9968]

No...it`s still the seventh level of Hell!

[@brocanova]

If you read the comments here you somehow get convinced that many people's brains don't get along with drugs

[@nonhlanhlapreciousRadebe]

I love Hillbrow; and I believe that great things are coming out of there. There is hope :)

[@namdelovoi]

Nonhlanhla Radebe 5 years are gone, are you still a believer?

[@peterr7530]

Nonhlanhla Radebe Why are you studying in Europe? What happened to studying in the great gem of African democracy, South Africa?

[@zell863]

@@peterr7530 Do not kid yourself. Every black, Indian, Pakistani, arab, Muslim of this planet plan to come to West.

[@israelshabangu7583]

Am still a believer

[@israelshabangu7583]

Watch doccies of Singapore and Hong Kong there's always hope.

[@53Africa]

@annisisbell?African Metal Ores,Mining Suppliers, Companies, Manufacturers, Exporters & Importers...African Ancient Ltd. Have you been to Timbuktu, Great Zimbabwe.NAMGEM is a diamond polishing company which is situated in the garden Town of Okahandja which is 70 kilometers Windhoek city. Metals in the Great Pyramid. Prehistoric Mining for Metal Ore.Ancient Iron Metallurgy in Africa. Tanzania - 1,500 AD-The discovery of steel making up Jewelry in Ghana, Lagos and Ethiopia, Queen Nzinga Mbandi .

[@robertchutney]

As is written in Talmud: From the chaos will become order! Shalom and good luck!

[@ElenaAshe]

So, the criminals are being locked up?

[@eland65]

Still going strong...?

[@53Africa]

@annisisbell?Namgem is fully owned by Namibian diamond mining company called Namdeb.Namgem was opened by His Excellency Sam Nujoma on the 12 of August 1998 with 127employees.White African Cecil Rhodes,founder of De Beers no Jews.Pan African Professor Yosef Ben Jochannan is an Egyptologist who prove our own Black Egypt before the Arabs took over.Ghana National Petroleum Company of Ghana is the state agency responsible for the exploration, licensing, distribution of petroleum related activities.

[@zazaza903]

its still shit hole :(

[@TheKaveshan]

anyway,nice chat..TC

[@TheDesim72]

woah woah woah......stop it there buddy

[@cubasedoos]

Highpoint Fontana Little Roseneath scouts Roxy and Royalty soppies Ambassador hotel Nugget hill skating on cardboards and boards Cresthill Madison square Skyline Hillbrow police station Together bar Christmas eve at Joubert park flea market on Pretoria str Chelsea hotel Sam Busa's Cafe Vien/de Paris Zuric those were the days took em less than one year to destroy everything ,, yes them them them Lenny

[@SomeDayDreamer]

I was waiting for someone to say that we don't wanna go to Hillbrow in South Africa..........because we're blek for the whole time of this video... Frustrated by failure.

[@Arsene1231]

@annisisbell visit Angola, Angola 2020= SA

[@johnkingsley6999]

i agree with your point only that it is not incumbent in the black race but can be solved(man-made). the mentality coupled with the senseless people put as leaders who are supposed to be the elite class creates a problem. Africa should invest in education and research and there should be a total overhaul in thinking, belief and ideology and you will see how things will transform. we have capability as a continent to self sustain, only it is still untapped due to impaired vision and propaganda.

[@Hendrik44987]

Also, some of the most capable Black activists were murdered during apartheid. Really capable leaders like Stephen Biko, who had the natural ability and competence to lead people. Many other community and political activists, trade unionists and student leaders were murdered or psychologically broken by the oppressive apartheid regime. By the way: Do Indians also need Whites in order to get some education according to what you have said? You probably don't know what you are talking about!

[@christobosman5710]

All branded terrorists ,nothing wrong with that

[@juliotelesejulianojj8497]

conheçam júlio teles e juliano

[@tatey45]

If you have an opinion don't be afraid to say it pal. WIthin reason of course.

[@Arsene1231]

@annisisbell visit Angola, in 2020, Angola= SA.

[@brawlboxing]

Its true, we know the issue, but now what are they gonna do about it, wollow in the Blame game, Better energy spent in new propagation tactics and set a time frame to fix it, FIX IT... it wont take six months or six years, it a 50 year plus structure, re-education, but fix it! NO more blame game!

[@hoodrobin1596]

I love South Africa it's the best country in the whole world!

[@jessicabanks496]

i agree its an amazing and beautiful country

[@ryanmaistry5716]

Jessica Banks haha thats funny

[@Darlenesmit]

+ryan Maistry ..thats all she can say...I think she is the biggest racist here LOL

[@ryanmaistry5716]

+Darlene Smit black logic when its broken its somehow works better

[@Arsene1231]

Nope. Koi and San is in WC and NC. rest of SA is for Blacks. zulu is coming in 300. Xhosa os coming in EC in 872.

[@sydney79794]

dude, I red almost all of your comments, and there are not making any sense. you say, black south african people are doing bad things, but at the sametime; you don't have a problem with Xhosa people. What is Xhosa people's race? and you make an example about Julious Malema, but you forgot that he's Xhosa not Zulu. you need to get more knowledge about SA.

[@jacoblay96]

Sydney Mbonambi mmmmm the xhosa is a black tribe

[@TheKaveshan]

so true man....we need the white man and indian man to govern SOuth Africa...

[@TheKaveshan]

Please return to SOuth Africa...blacks did contribute but thats after growing up in a white society..was there education in Africa...Blacks cant even look after their own schools in their communities and flood the indian schools..un indians also suffered but still managed to build halls,schools temples etc...we disagree but as i say, u nt even in the country so ur opinon really is merely water off a ducks back..Ask any university student, opinion same as mine..ask black professionals,same as min

[@TheKaveshan]

theres a lot of good in our country man, but to be honest everythings sinking...Zuma cannot govern and th euneducated massess support him and cheer him..its actuali made fun of all the time by comedians and educated blacks

[@cornemaritz5349]

Yip thats home believe it or not sad like

[@cornemaritz5349]

Bernato Street berea / hillbrow

[@zaneleposh]

Worst place ever 💔

[@Arsene1231]

@annisisbell You cannot change history, his was always a country of the blacks and him will stay. Dabord several whites leave SA, while the others make so much. It will never be Australia, ever.

[@roymakkaypl]

BLACKS what else you cant expected?!

[@Arsene1231]

@annisisbell Gautrain, roads for WC 2010, 2 millions real estate since 1995, blacks middel class (black diamond), all this have been by the ANC.

[@CA-ul6qb]

What is it about these creatures ... you can give them gold ...and in no time they turn it into shit

[@thedbq1]

not like you're any better

[@jkiluu25]

The only thing needs improvement is you as a human being cause you are not, what kind of improvement you are talking about here., tell me who you have improvement since you walk on this earth, other feeding and pillaging on others.

[@TheFlightReporterLKO]

I find no difference between India and South Africa

[@TheKaveshan]

ur opinion will be laughed at in general..some races are more incomopetent..look at Iqs,blacks r the lowest and asians the highest..please man,before colonialistation, look at asia europe, africa was nowhere,thats why all r leavin 2 europe and causin havoc there..but as i say u an ex south african livin it large in a safe and civilized environment...so thumbs up2u..the grass is greener on the side??

[@Rob4Yvo]

Blow the buildings up .. bring them down .. Make a green place .

[@TheKaveshan]

so u an ex south african,how interesting..livin it large in australia or canada...ur opinion doesnt hold any value..come back here and speak???

[@YoYo-he9kf]

It's really not as bad as you think

[@scarabash]

city dwellers ??? lmao....cave dwellers is more like it !!!!