It was just before dawn 39,000 feet above the Indian Ocean on our flight from Singapore to Johannesburg, that we awoke to first light breaking over the island of Madagascar, far below in the pre-dawn haze. It’s our first trip to Africa (for me) and our first visit to South Africa, so plenty of adventures ahead!
An hour or so later into the flight, our Singapore Airlines A350-900 crossed the Mozambique coastline and then over the Kruger National Park (our destination in a few days), descending into the early morning haze of a surprisingly green Johannesburg, pulsating with purple Jacarandas which blanket this city in spring time. We’re here for a few days staying in the rather chic and seemingly upmarket district of Rosebank, where security guards bristle on every street corner, so safety seems to be a priority around here, and probably for good reason, as Johannesburg has quite the reputation for crime. We’ve been warned by many to avoid the city at all costs and to be vigilant at all times in other areas, including Rosebank, particularly after dark, so no chance of any wanderings.
We were met at O.R. Tambo Airport by John the Baptist. Yep, that’s really his name, a wiry young African fellow sporting a jaunty trilby hat and a beaming smile. In the time it took chatty man John (the Baptist) to drive us to Rosebank, winding his way through freeways, back roads and short-cuts, he’d asked a ton of questions about Australia… ultimately leading to his asking us to sponsor him and bring him back home! And all this in the 45 mins or so it took to leave the airport and drive across town. The fact that he’s married with two young kids didn’t seem to faze him. He says ‘he wants out of South Africa’, something we heard several times more from various folk we encountered on our first day. Things must be tough for the non-white community here, a case of the haves and have nots. A lovely black waitress in a smart Rosebank café told us she too wanted to get out and had secured herself a visa to ‘live’ in Austria, of all places, though she couldn’t even afford the airfare, let alone the living expenses when there. Desperation springs to mind. No wonder then, that crime is so rampant here.
Day 2. The Rosebank Bubble
Another hot and dry spring morning in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The hazy purple of Jacaranda trees is blooming across this city, perhaps nowhere as much as here. These gorgeous trees, native to South America, were deliberately planted during the city’s rapid growth after the 19th century gold rush and herald the onset of the hot summer ahead.
You begin to realise that the Rosebank Mall area is really quite compact, a bubble really, bristling with security as previously mentioned, but also buzzing with people. It’s an eclectic mix, mostly well to do blacks, but of course intermingled with tourists from all over the world. It feels super safe here but venture slightly outside and you begin to see the fraying of the edges. For the nervous first timer best scurry back to the safety of the bubble…
There’s a roof top market here at Rosebank on Sundays. It’s on the 4th floor of the mall carpark. It’s actually quite dark and enclosed with little natural light, so perhaps an odd place to have an open market, but then again, given the security risks, perhaps sensible. Beyond the outer ring of second-hand clothing there are some interesting African arts and crafts artisan stalls, full of beaming friendly stall holders who beckon you over to inspect their wares, all full of creative stories.
One of the stalls we came across was selling native animal skins including Springbok, Kudu, Zebra and even Giraffe (a giraffe makes a very long and slippery rug). You could have cushions, rugs, throws or handbags even – whatever you wanted, he seemingly had everything. When asked how he was able to sell these skins he explained it was legally sourced through culling. We couldn’t help but ponder. Though surely the animal populations are monitored, there are apparently less than 30,000 African Giraffes left in the wild in South Africa, so culling seems a controversial action. But then what do we know.
We’re off to the Kruger in the week and looking forward to seeing these animals very much alive and well.
