From the crime center in South Africa to the city of Al -Awda

The scene is amazing from the top of Ponte Tower, one of the most famous buildings in Johannesburg, South Africa.

It was built in 1975, with a length of about 200 meters (656 feet), a firm feature on the city horizon, once the tallest residential building in Africa.

But like the city, it had up and down. In the eighties of the last century, it was seized by criminal gangs, and its hollow heart is full of garbage of 50 meters.

“The building was kidnapped. There were no auxiliary tools, so most people were actually throwing garbage inside the building, until it reached the fourteenth floor,” said Dithoul, who runs tours in the building.

He added: “There were some bodies here, illegal firearms, drugs. The smell, I am sure they were terrible, like hell on the ground.

“If you ask anyone about what is happening in this round building, then someone will have something interesting or frightening to say about this topic,” said Seviso Zakhali, who works with Mr. Sithoul in an organization called Dlala NJE, which means “playing” in Zulu. .

“People were afraid of the neighborhood,” he said.

Johannesburg was seen as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

But the building has turned into itself for about 15 years in the aftermath of the FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa, and people began to return.

After Covid, people and the building are now about three quarters full.

There is no escape from the issues faced by Johannesburg and South Africa.

Despite the signs of improvement in the latest statistics, the crime is still a major issue.

The disrupted energy cuts that afflicted the city for years, known as loading, almost a year ago, but now the water crisis is waving on the horizon, leaving a lot without.

A building fire in the Central Commercial Zone (CBD) killed nearly 80 people in the winter of 2023, and revealed the issue of kidnapped buildings, housing and abandoned residents seized by the criminal gangs that receive people who live there.

This is a field renewed by a real estate company called Ithemba, which is Zulu for “Hope”. It is a company that sees business that flourishes in Johannesburg.

A few days later, on a tour of one of the leading residential developments in Emba called Jewe City, first manager Alan Tate explains the transformation.

“The demand is just an enormous, and this demand is specifically to live in the Convention on Biodiversity,” he said.

He said that the company is currently renting 7,200 properties and is expected to double this over the next two years.

It was named after its origins as a area that deals with diamonds, such as Ponte, the area fell in bad condition, only to see a recovery.

“We launched the city of Jawhara about five years ago, just as Kovid was hitting. So it was a little timing. But as soon as Kovid was raised, the buildings fill very quickly,” he said.

While we are near the edge of development, it indicates a long strip of lights under a bridge. They were placed to provide light in an area that was dark for some time, which is largely due to the load that affected the city.

It was part of an initiative by a group called Jozimyjozi that started in 2023. One of its first projects was to light the Nelson Mandela Bridge, the city's axis, and this means that people found that it was safe to use.

“So the full goal of Josimizi is to restore hope to the city's residents,” said Boy Swanpoel, CEO of the organization, in the courtyard behind her office in Rosapank, north of the city center.

“By re -hope, we need to show some visual improvements and influential projects so that they can flourish and where there are jobs.”

The group also launched the Gateway project, an attempt to clean the ten main entrances to the city, and began to address everything from drilling to displacement to education.

Is it possible to speak in Johannesburg one day about London, Paris or New York?

“Well, this is the intention,” said Ms. Swanbuel. “A lot of what happens in Joburg is due to perceptions. We have a long way to cut it. I mean, no doubt about it, but this is not impossible. We need to wake up there and be the golden standard for cities in Africa.”

The city is scheduled to host the G20 later this year, which will bring new investments and attention to the city.

Again on the 51st floor of the Ponte Tower, Seviso Zakhali stares out of the window.

Do you think Dlala NJe succeeds in its mission?

“Yes, we are, because one of our biggest challenges is to make people come here. We are now one of the best attractions in the city. This is our city, and anything we face, we need in the end to find a solution to it, he said.