A journo’s Johannesburg
JOBURG - David Smith arrived in Joburg in 2009 to work as the Africa correspondent for a British newspaper, and was soon enamoured by this city.
The Guardian journalist spoke to City Buzz about his life in the City of Gold.
“I arrived in April 2009, and had never been to South Africa before,” he said.
“Johannesburg was much greener than I expected because of the vast artificial forest. I also didn’t realise there would be such a sharp distinction between the CBD, where people walk day and night, and old buildings have lots of character, and the northern suburbs, where the car is king and there’s an eerie silence after dark.”
Now Parkview residents, Smith and his wife Andrea, whom he married in New York in 2010, as well as their children Henry and Viola, previously lived in Newtown and Killarney.
“We moved [to Parkview] because it’s perfect for young families,” he said.
“I still hang around Newtown for the Market Theatre, Dance Factory and Museum Africa. I also like the cinema and art galleries, Rosebank, walking the streets of Braamfontein, dining in Melville and Parkhurst, and watching the growth of Maboneng.”
According to Smith, Joburg’s greatest triumph is its “vibrancy, pulse and cosmopolitanism”.
“It’s a young city, the ‘New York of Africa’, drawing people from Africa and around the world. There are certain areas that feel dynamic and racially integrated, with a sense that anything’s possible,” he said.
“But… there are still huge challenges in trying to reverse apartheid urban planning, deliver basic services, and tackle the inequality between, for example, Alexandra and Sandton.”
Smith’s personal highlights in the city included the birth of his children; Henry having been born at Genesis Clinic in 2012, and Viola at Park Lane Clinic in 2013.
“Joburg is a terrific place to bring up young children in terms of weather and open spaces,” he said.
Smith added that the city’s lowlights included crime and a lack of public transport, but said the Gautrain made for a good start in terms of improvements.
Smith was born in Salford, UK, grew up in Bristol, and lived in London before emigrating to South Africa.
“I will probably be a foreign correspondent elsewhere in the future, but hope to stay in South Africa for a while yet,” he said.
Follow him on Twitter: @SmithInAfrica
