More than just hockey opponents in Joburg

17/07/2003

MUGGINGS, snatch thieves, pick-pockets and the such in Johannesburg, or
better known as `Joburg' by the locals, is there for all to read about on
the internet.
The official Johannesburg website even advises motorists to run red
lights on lonely roads, as car-jacking is a rampant practice here.
But Malaysian journalists on board a flight to Johannesburg to cover the
Champions Challenge kept an open mind and adopted a wait-and-see attitude
- until advice started pouring in from Joburg residents on the same
flight.
Mohamed Azzemier, a cape Malay seated next to us, had this to say:
"Joburg is a very nice place to visit, but I hope your visit is not marred
by muggings or snatch thefts."
Azzemier is a resident of Cape Town, and when we got off at Johannesburg
airport, he took a connecting flight, but not before trying to persuade us
to head for Cape Town, instead of Joburg.
"Cape Town is a much safer place to visit in South Africa, why don't you
guys stay there a few days as the tournament only starts on July 17?"
We already had our reservations in Joburg so we politely declined, but
nevertheless, started looking over our shoulders more often.
Three elderly ladies, who sat behind us in the same flight, must have
felt a littly sorry for us first-timers in Joburg, and while queuing up
behind us at the immigration counter, decided to warn us.
"Don't keep your wallet in the back pocket. Always carry travellers'
cheques. Never walk along lonely lanes by yourself. Make sure you have a
local guide if you plan to go out at night. Never display your cell
phone."
By now, we had a pretty scary picture of Joburg in our minds, but as we
travelled to our hotel, which was about 45 minutes from the airport, the
sun was out and we felt safer.
Joburg is a sprawling city, but the traffic jams are worse than in Kuala
Lumpur as cars crawled along the highways, even though it was only 6am.
Everywhere, the grass was brown and the trees had shed their leaves as
winter was approaching. The temperature was six degrees, and people from
all walks of life were rushing, presumably, to their places of work.
Highways criss-crossed in a maddening manner, until we reached Randburg,
where the pace was slower, but still lines of people could be seen walking
briskly to keep themselves warm.
Our thoughts of Joburg softened somewhat when we reached the hotel and
were warmly welcomed at the reception, with the manager bending backwards
to meet our every need.
Maybe Joburg is not such a bad or scary place after all. We will know
for sure in the next few days.
(END)