http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/side-trip-to-soweto-sprawl/ Whiskey and Gunpowder features articles on gold, oil, currencies, emerging markets, energy, and more. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:22:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/side-trip-to-soweto-sprawl/comment-page-1/#comment-1415 Jeremy Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:42:51 +0000 http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/?p=3765#comment-1415 At last a nice reality portrait of Jo'burg. Where Melrose arch was built was far from "otherwise Los Angeles-style illegible suburban sprawl" it was some of the rare remaining "bushveld" of the inner JHB area right next door to the most violent of all "townships" Alexandra Township. In reality Melrose Arch is simply an ugly, inefficient ghetto of heavily guarded shops, restaurants, and a way over priced Stark style Hotel flop on the edge of two very busy noisy main roads with no view other than urban sprawl. Crime in and around the area has soared due the new rich clients who make the mistake of venturing to the complex supposedly guarded by an undermanned security check point ( common it is to find these untrained security officers bribed by the thugs or even more commonly they are part of the group and facilitate the attack. Sadly the energy crisis amplifies this crime problem and causes an new economic problem. The restaurants and shops are often unable to operate at crucial times due to "power sharing" when electricity supply is simply cut off because the supply grid cannot handle demand. As the power goes down everything turns dark and security alert systems fail, patrons flood to their cars in underground parking garages and out of the centre and get carjacked, and robbed in the now dark streets or non operational parking areas. The security and police are over stretched and as will happen with the 2010 football championship a potentially great idea becomes a seth pool of crime and killing. Now, the next issue will put everything back in the spot light - the election of ZUMA. Beware, do not venture to SA with hope and open hearted tolerance. On Sunday two elderly women were attacked outside my father's house in Johannesburg, which is around the corner from Melrose Arch. Both were beaten to a pulp, the one hand her fingers bitten off in order to get her rings, the other bundled into the back of the car and driven away to be raped. Nothing serious simply another attack amongst so many others that day! At last a nice reality portrait of Jo’burg. Where Melrose arch was built was far from “otherwise Los Angeles-style illegible suburban sprawl” it was some of the rare remaining “bushveld” of the inner JHB area right next door to the most violent of all “townships” Alexandra Township. In reality Melrose Arch is simply an ugly, inefficient ghetto of heavily guarded shops, restaurants, and a way over priced Stark style Hotel flop on the edge of two very busy noisy main roads with no view other than urban sprawl. Crime in and around the area has soared due the new rich clients who make the mistake of venturing to the complex supposedly guarded by an undermanned security check point ( common it is to find these untrained security officers bribed by the thugs or even more commonly they are part of the group and facilitate the attack. Sadly the energy crisis amplifies this crime problem and causes an new economic problem. The restaurants and shops are often unable to operate at crucial times due to “power sharing” when electricity supply is simply cut off because the supply grid cannot handle demand. As the power goes down everything turns dark and security alert systems fail, patrons flood to their cars in underground parking garages and out of the centre and get carjacked, and robbed in the now dark streets or non operational parking areas. The security and police are over stretched and as will happen with the 2010 football championship a potentially great idea becomes a seth pool of crime and killing. Now, the next issue will put everything back in the spot light – the election of ZUMA. Beware, do not venture to SA with hope and open hearted tolerance. On Sunday two elderly women were attacked outside my father’s house in Johannesburg, which is around the corner from Melrose Arch. Both were beaten to a pulp, the one hand her fingers bitten off in order to get her rings, the other bundled into the back of the car and driven away to be raped. Nothing serious simply another attack amongst so many others that day!

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