Jozi vs Jozi – the X page showing the truth behind Johannesburg’s tragic decline

Johannesburg

Johannesburg — An X account that joined the platform just last month has dedicated time and effort to showing the shocking decay around Johannesburg, South Africa’s once-thriving business hub.

The account is titled @jozivsjozi and has already gained more than 25 000 followers in its short history. The account showcases various roads, buildings and landmarks throughout the city and does a side-by-side comparison of the landmarks 10-15 years apart.

“Raising awareness around the unprecedented but avoidable decline of Johannesburg. A labour of love for a city that means a lot to many,” the page’s bio reads.

The page has managed to highlight the years of neglect and decay seen in Johannesburg since the late 2000s and early 2010s when the city was still a bustling hub. Using Google Maps images, the images tell a sorry story.

Buildings are run down and dilapidated, streets are filled with litter and potholes, and businesses that once thrived, are no longer operating in the same space.

According to TimesLIVE, the man behind the page, who has remained anonymous, was born and raised in Johannesburg and wanted to raise awareness of how the country’s economic hub has fallen into decay.

“I grew up in the West Rand and went to boarding school and studied at Wits University. I experienced every crevasse of the city. Johannesburg has disintegrated on the basic level. The quality of roads, traffic lights and street lights that are not working. Those three things stand out for everyone who lives in Johannesburg and that is the broad devolution of the city,” he said.

He blamed the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) for the poor state of the city, and since 2012, he has noticed neglect of the city; ‘s streets, as traffic lights and potholes are rarely fixed.

“The road infrastructure is most troubling. The JRA has seen a catastrophic decline of not patching potholes, or painting lines on the roads. I drove through Witkoppen Road in April and hit a pothole which dented my rim. I had to continue driving because I couldn’t stop anywhere since it was dark, he said.

He said he wanted to compare democratic Johannesburg when it was at its peak and students would walk through the streets of Braamfontein and come across European tourists, or walk across the Nelson Mandela Bridge to catch taxis with no concerns for their safety.

Among the issues he highlighted were the hijacked and decayed buildings in the city, describing them as the first symptom of the “overall cancer” of the city. He said the efforts to reclaim and rehabilitate old buildings need to happen quickly, but it does not look likely.

“Joburg is the most important city in South Africa. It carries the country economically and for South Africa to grow, Johannesburg needs to thrive. We can’t let it fail. Johannesburg is one of the greatest urban tragedies I have seen.” he added.

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Picture: X/@jozivsjozi

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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