To an outsider of South Africa, the legend of Nelson Mandela and the legend and end of Apartheid are immediate associations made when thinking about the complex nation. Just as in the US with the end of the Civil Rights Movement and the Barack Obama presidency, though, the end of laws and the beginning of black South African leadership did not mean the end of informal practices. The historical relevance of the Apartheid regime today is eminent, showing itself in forms of ongoing oppression and unequal opportunity between racial and class lines. Throughout our time in South Africa, the most conspicuous signs of the everlasting Apartheid system showed themselves in the divide between Alexandra Township and Sandton / Melrose Arch.
Tourists in Alexandra are uncommon, being that it is frequently referred to as a “no-go zone” with a reputation of gang violence coupled with extreme poverty. Upon entering the township by bus, there was a certain level of visible poverty, but my expectations of seeing real tragedy far outweighed the initial reality. There were many cars that occupied busy streets, grocery stores, and internet cafes. We were given a warm welcome by many residents, and those who did not approach us had big smiles that consumed their faces. Our tour guide, Harry, exemplified the joyful side of Alexandra, explaining the sense of community and shared identity that exists.
By the end of the tour, we had seen the level of visible poverty that I had expected, but that was a hard thing to focus on while walking through the internal streets of the neighborhood due to the pure open and friendly vibe. Towards the end of the tour, though, we had an opportunity to look at the township from above. Looking down on the rows and rows of consecutive and identical tin shacks was somehow shocking. We had just been walking among these homes, yet they felt much more like regular homes when we were on their level, interacting with the people. It is easy to view an area from an exterior vantage point and just see poverty. But when immersing oneself in a community, the reality of the situation can be seen more clearly.
Directly upon leaving Alexandra, we traveled a few short miles to Sandton. The juxtaposition of this left me and the rest of the group baffled. It was like no place we had been in our time in Johannesburg, yet it was very familiar to me. We could have been at any american mall: the chain upscale restaurants, high end boutiques, white business men. It felt like being at my mall at home, a place I had never thought twice about. The whole area felt very sterilized, like a utopian world that had been sectioned amidst the real world, yet so disconnected from everything happening just outside its gates. Melrose Arch, more of an imitation of a cohesive neighborhood, still had the vibes of refuge seeking from the reality of the surrounding community.
It was hard for me to imagine the types of people who would chose to permanently reside in a place like Sandton. Awful people, happily ignorant to the world around them, I assumed. According to Dursuwiet and Schattaur though, tourists in Melrose Arch make up more than 30% of the population. On our tour of the area I also learned that the residents are commonly European business people, and therefore want a safe area that resembles their home city. This made sense, since the construction of Melrose arch heavily resembled western cities and culture. The African Pride hotel in particular reflected the irony and appropriation of black South african cultures. Traditional South African tribal masks lined the gold plated walls.
Overall, the contrasting environments of Alexandra and Sandton/ Melrose arch were just an extreme example that reflect many areas of South Africa as well as the world. Wealth and poverty can exist as next door neighbors in a stratified world.
Charlotte Mokdessi
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