Introducing Johannesburg

Johannesburg, more commonly known as Jo’burg or Jozi, is a rapidly changing city and the vibrant heart of South Africa. People rave about its good-looking sister, Cape Town, but it’s dynamic Jo’burg that is at the cutting edge of South Africa’s development. The city is flourishing. Its centre is smartening up and new loft apartments and office developments are being constructed at a rapid pace. The cultural district of Newtown, with its theatres, restaurants, museums and jazz clubs, is livelier than ever.

Just as black economic empowerment deals have changed South Africa’s corporate world, Jo’burg, as the country’s corporate capital, reflects these changes the most visibly. A thriving black middle class has risen up from the ashes of apartheid, both in the suburbs and in the famous township of Soweto, which is increasingly attracting tourist dollars and investment.

Jo’burg does still bear the scars of past oppression, however, and many will take time to heal. There is a strong divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the glitzy shopping malls and exclusive restaurants of affluent suburbs such as Rosebank and Sandton are just down the road from desperately poor townships such as Alexandra. Although the post-apartheid government has ushered in some social progress, it has not happened fast enough, and the city’s high crime rate is one symptom of persisting inequalities. For the first-time visitor, Jo’burg can seem like an intimidating sprawl, and although most serious crime occurs far from the tourist haunts of the northern suburbs, it’s certainly somewhere where you should be on your guard.

That said, Jo’burg is an incredibly friendly, unstuffy city and there’s a lot to see here, from sobering reminders of the country’s recent past at the Apartheid Museum, to the bohemian streets of Melville, to the buzz of Newtown and the country’s biggest township, Soweto. With people flooding in from all over the continent, Jo’burg is creating an ever more cosmopolitan identity; its renewed confidence is reflected in its numerous investments in tourism and infrastructure, and there’s a strong sense of excitement about the future.