September 4, 2002
By Sheree Russouw
FOR the residents of Sandton, the multitude of police officers protecting delegates to the World Summit on Sustainable Development has been a novel and often a welcome sight.
The summit has been a mixed blessing for local residents. The nightmares of nail-biting traffic jams caused by limousines and taxis ferrying delegates have proved unwarranted. "Traffic has been a breeze. The roads are quiet and the traffic has been quite a pleasure," says Benita Wise, who lives in Morningside. But, like many other businesses, her store Bathroom Boutiques in Sandton City, has taken a beating.
She anticipated a rush of foreign delegates armed with wads of foreign currency to spend at her store - but these potential customers failed to arrive. Worse still, local customers stayed away, opting instead to do their shopping at less congested malls like Norwood and Eastgate.
Wise points to the heaps of unsold leopard-print towels and ethnic outfits covering the tables outside her shop. "I laid out huge amounts of ethnic stock, particularly for the foreign visitors. But we have barely sold any of it. It's been upsetting because we have lost a lot of our local customers, who are our main supporters. Unless there is a miracle, we are going to lose a lot of money."
"It's really the media's fault," says her assistant, who does not want to be named. "The radio stations and newspapers warned people not to come to Sandton because it would be too chaotic. They said there would be heavy traffic jams and restrictions to entrances in Sandton City. It has been dead."
Kate Fynn from Sandown suspended her shopping for the whole of last week. But on Tuesday she decided to brave the malls - and was pleasantly surprised. "It's quite empty here. Also, the traffic is not as bad as I thought it would be. I think the summit has been good for Sandton. Signs have been put up and the increased police presence has definitely been an improvement."
Other residents embraced the vacant corridors of Sandton City. "Shopping is a pleasure now," says Barbara Mosselson from Gallo Manor. "The worst thing is that the restaurants have put up their prices by 30 percent. For shopkeepers, I think it has been shocking because they didn't have the business they expected to. But I will say that the police presence is great."
Residents agree that a positive spin-off of the summit is the improved police presence. They hope this will continue after the end of the summit. "I wish it could stay that way after the delegates leave. I hope the security will remain tight," says Baboo Omar, manager of Henry Cottons in Sandton City.
"I feel much safer walking in Rivonia Road now. I can wander anywhere in town without a problem. But it would be nice if the police could do that all of the time," says 22-year-old Arthi Singh, who works for an advertising agency in Sandton.
Employers, too, should be pleased that their workers were not stuck in traffic jams and hence late for work. It now takes Robin Hill resident Emelia van Heerden 15 minutes to get to work in Sandton City - a month ago it took half an hour. "The traffic has been great. There has not been that strong flow of people coming to Sandton, probably also because of the school holidays. I'm sure a lot of people have gone on holiday. The roads have also been made beautiful."
Alexandra resident Mapula Maruma says she was initially worried that there would be no taxis to take her to work in Sandton City. "But there are plenty of taxis. Other than that, I don't see any impact from the summit. Nothing. It's the same but I do think it has not been good for businesses."
Hearing foreign tongues has been exciting for Guida Gomes, owner of Diplomatic Luggage in Sandton City. "It's a bit exciting for us - all those people coming here and having nice conversations. I've enjoyed it. The roads at night are so quiet and that is such a pleasure. It's usually bumper-to-bumper. I think that Sandton is the safest place in Johannesburg at the moment."
But the summit was clearly not in the hearts of all residents. "I don't really care about the summit," says Singh. "There has been all this hoo-hah about it but South Africa should not only show the world how good it is when the world is here. It should always put its citizens first. But it has been nice to have all these foreigners here."
Maureen Makgae, owner of Amici, an accessories shop in Sandton City, is more upbeat and believes that the summit has put Sandton on the world map. "The summit is good for Sandton but it's also going to bring good to the world, not just to us. Now, Sandton is recognised worldwide whereas before people didn't even know it existed."
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