June 12, 2002
By Zolile Mtshlewane
WHY do the people of Hillbrow love living in that dense flatland? Because it's got plenty of buzz, plenty of entertainment, and plenty of fast food. The local residents' association, the Hillbrow/Berea Regeneration Initiative, has done an informal survey, asking residents to tell them what they like best about their communities. Here are some of the answers:
- Transportation by taxi is accessible all the time. Criminals don't carry out their nefarious acts in and around taxis. They know better than to mess with taxi operators.
- There is a buzzing business community.
- You can buy groceries and takeaways at the 24-hour KwikSpar supermarket.
- You can see two current movies for R6 at the movie house.
- The area has a vibrant cultural life, including French, Portuguese and Nigerian multi-cultural events.
- The two Shoprite-Checkers supermarkets are still open for business.
- Theatre and arts projects are still happening, at the Windybrow Theatre, Movement 76 and the Hillbrow Theatre. The latter has a very busy schedule, with many youth activities.
- A University of South Africa project in the area trains teachers to recognise and deal with signs of child abuse.
- There are public bathrooms and shower facilities for people living on the streets.
- The nightclubs no longer operate 24 hours a day.
- The sleazy Europa Hotel is now a shelter for the homeless.
- The Esselen Street clinic conducts HIV/AIDS testing and counselling.
- The Hillbrow Recreation Centre offers practical skills training for drug addicts and street children. The training includes candle making, pottery and flower arranging.
- There are many good educational institutions in the area. These include the Barnato Park High and St Enda's Secondary. The Wits Technikon in Smit Street also offers affordable tuition.
- The library, the post office and the police station are still operational.
- There are a number of clean-up campaigns by both the residents and Pikitup, leading to an improvement in the environment. Individual behaviour is also changing as more people are putting litter in the bins.
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