Robertspark wrote:hillbrow was safeish
25 yr ago when I was there (during the daytime), lived in Kempton Park , I was born under smith and went the SA before here (search of education, work + safety)....
Totally off topic subject, but Interesting history... at least for me.
Kempton Park was equal to Jan Smuts Airport and Modderfontein (near Kempton Park) for me. I am sure it was a nice place to live, but I have never been there, except at Jan Smuts airport. I had a flat in the Ponte (I am sure you know the building) for a year and had a view towards Hillbrow/Berea/Yeoville and partially towards Kempton Park (if I stuck my head out of the window and turned to the right). One day I heard a huge blast, so I went to the window, opened and looked to the right, seeing a huge mushroom cloud rising... No, it was not a nuclear blast, but an accident at the Modderfontein factory. Never the less, it was really huge, shaking my building many miles away as well, and I could really feel the tremble on the 32nd floor, where I had my apartment. This was in 1977 I think, so it's been a while now.
Hillbrow was safe, day and night, even though there were some issues with some gangs back then, also some shootings and fights, but I never felt unsafe walking around anywhere in Joburg, day or night. Eventually got tired of walking back and forth to Hillbrow for shopping and jolling, and since the night life took place in Hillbrow, I moved to Nedbank Plaza, one of several famous buildings in that area where I lived mostly. Moving around was common at that time in my age, which suited me fine during my years in SA. My "base" was in Berea/Yeoville/Hillbrow, where I had several flats, but I worked and stayed on different sites as well, Vanderbijlpark for Sasol, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Windhoek and Kimberly for Anglo American corp. and other mining companies. I had more than a few jobs and other activities which showed me parts of SA and SWA, and in fact also some parts of Rhodesia, others could only dream about...
but it was good times, good weather, nice people AND I WAS YOUNG in my 20's... so I have very warm memories of it.
I never went back to SA after I left in 1980 and I suppose I never will go back. Some memories are best left alone and kept as memories, because I know it changed, not only the system, the people and the buildings, but street names, places, city names and even Transvaal is gone for whatever reason those terrorists had, to change that name... I love SA for what it was, but not sure I'd love SA for what it is today, so it is best left alone, as memories of times long gone. Still have some friends living there, but most moved from the Joburg area and many moved out of the country as well.
OK, sorry folks for this off topic nostalgia...