Hillbrow SA
#1
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Hillbrow SA
Hi Looking to talk with anyone that lived in Hillbrow during the 70”s.
#3
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Re: Hillbrow SA
We lived there for a while c1980. I can't remember which street but it was roughly in the middle, and a short walk from Highpoint.
#4
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Re: Hillbrow SA
How long was you on Hillbrow ?
#6
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Re: Hillbrow SA
A year or so, then we moved to Jhb North.
#7
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Re: Hillbrow SA
Would you like to chat at some point, do you use Zoom or Skype or anything else like them that we could talk on
#8
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Re: Hillbrow SA
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ticle24992755/
And why do you want to talk about Hillbrow I wonder?
#9
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Re: Hillbrow SA
I the 70s it was one of the fun places in the world
#10
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Re: Hillbrow SA
Fun is long gone:
The Death of Johannesburg: A Tour Through Hillbrow Part 5
Has Hillbrow changed since the above link?
The Death of Johannesburg: A Tour Through Hillbrow Part 5
Has Hillbrow changed since the above link?
#11
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Re: Hillbrow SA
That’s for sure, but I am still having fun as I visit NYC about eight times a year, and at times it somewhat reminds me of times gone bye
#12
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Re: Hillbrow SA
Fun is long gone:
The Death of Johannesburg: A Tour Through Hillbrow Part 5
Has Hillbrow changed since the above link?
The Death of Johannesburg: A Tour Through Hillbrow Part 5
Has Hillbrow changed since the above link?
There's some evidence of urban regeneration now, with major property investment companies refurbishing older apartment blocks and constructing new ones, for city workers and students (Hillbrow is quite close to the CBD and the main campus of Wits University); but it's still a mess and crime is a major problem. Slumlords also take advantage of the poor, people who earn very little but have jobs of a sort. My daughter's domestic worker/nanny was paying about R1,000/month rent so that she and her little girl could share a bedroom with another woman and her kids. No electricity, running water or sanitation because the accounts hadn't been paid for years. Fortunately my daughter was able to help her move to a better place. It's still a flat share but she has her own room and the utilities work.
#13
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Re: Hillbrow SA
I remember carrying out crime loss assessments for a major retailer with stores in Hillbrow back in the era when those articles were written. They were pretty accurate and it was more like a war zone than an inner city area. Most of the claims were for armed robberies, and a few burglaries, but I remember one for 'broken glass in display windows'. They were broken, yes, by automatic gunfire during a drive by shooting...
There's some evidence of urban regeneration now, with major property investment companies refurbishing older apartment blocks and constructing new ones, for city workers and students (Hillbrow is quite close to the CBD and the main campus of Wits University); but it's still a mess and crime is a major problem. Slumlords also take advantage of the poor, people who earn very little but have jobs of a sort. My daughter's domestic worker/nanny was paying about R1,000/month rent so that she and her little girl could share a bedroom with another woman and her kids. No electricity, running water or sanitation because the accounts hadn't been paid for years. Fortunately my daughter was able to help her move to a better place. It's still a flat share but she has her own room and the utilities work.
There's some evidence of urban regeneration now, with major property investment companies refurbishing older apartment blocks and constructing new ones, for city workers and students (Hillbrow is quite close to the CBD and the main campus of Wits University); but it's still a mess and crime is a major problem. Slumlords also take advantage of the poor, people who earn very little but have jobs of a sort. My daughter's domestic worker/nanny was paying about R1,000/month rent so that she and her little girl could share a bedroom with another woman and her kids. No electricity, running water or sanitation because the accounts hadn't been paid for years. Fortunately my daughter was able to help her move to a better place. It's still a flat share but she has her own room and the utilities work.
In 2010 I visited Jo'burg. The driver I had used a very different route from Rosebank to the airport to the route I knew. Reason was: too dangerous to go via Berea/Dornfontein.
Will Jo'burg ever go back to what it once was?
#14
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Re: Hillbrow SA
A friend of mine owned 12 apts. in Hillbrow which he had hoped to eventually sell when the "transition" happened. Squatters where a lot quicker. He couldn't sell a single one one.
In 2010 I visited Jo'burg. The driver I had used a very different route from Rosebank to the airport to the route I knew. Reason was: too dangerous to go via Berea/Dornfontein.
Will Jo'burg ever go back to what it once was?
In 2010 I visited Jo'burg. The driver I had used a very different route from Rosebank to the airport to the route I knew. Reason was: too dangerous to go via Berea/Dornfontein.
Will Jo'burg ever go back to what it once was?
#15
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Re: Hillbrow SA
I lived in Orchards in 1968/69 and spent many evenings in Hillbrow as that’s where it all happened. I dont recall ever having any security problems and my car was never broken into. There was a place called the Summit club, which was great, as it had lots of facilities including a very reasonable restaurant. We used to see the weekly recorded uk football matches . We left for Rhodesia in late 1969 as we couldnt live with apartheid any more.