Economist.com Cities Guide: Johannesburg Briefing - April 2006

News this month

Think locally

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) passed a test of confidence in the local elections on March 1st. Despite mounting criticism for failing to improve the basic quality of life, the ANC was easily re-elected with 66% of the vote, an only slightly smaller victory than the last poll, when the party won 70%. Still, some areas boycotted the election, and national participation was under 50%. The ANC also suffered a severe setback in Cape Town, where the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), together with a coalition of smaller parties, snagged the majority of council seats, as well as the mayoralty.

The election follows a year of protests against the ANC from people who are still living without proper housing, running water, sanitation or electricity—services they say should have been delivered after apartheid. In Johannesburg, the ANC scored 62% of the vote, winning 136 of the 217 council seats; the DA only took 59 seats, with 27% of the votes. The ANC's Amos Masondo was re-elected as Johannesburg's executive mayor. But after five years as city manager, Pascal Moloi is moving to the private sector. The city will reportedly appoint his replacement by early April.

Disorder in the court

After a false start in February, the Johannesburg trial of Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s disgraced former Deputy President, began in earnest in March. Mr Zuma is defending himself against charges of rape. He does not deny having unprotected sex with his accuser—an HIV-positive family friend who regarded him as a father-figure—in his Johannesburg home in November. But he maintains that the sex was consensual. In February his lawyers pressured the presiding judge to step down, and now they are calling the police investigation into question. They are also raising doubts about the alleged victim's credibility by claiming she is mentally unstable, probing her sexual history and suggesting she made false charges of rape in the past.

These tactics, together with anonymous death threats towards the defendant, have prompted demonstrators to gather near the courthouse in her support, alongside Mr Zuma's own backers. The trial has ignited debate over women’s rights in South Africa, which has one of the highest incidences of rape in the world.

Grudge on the tracks

A controversial scheme to restructure Transnet, a state-owned transport company, sparked a national strike of thousands of workers on March 13th. Plans to restructure Transnet have been in the works for years, as the government tries to improve service from some state-owned companies while increasing infrastructure investment. Transnet officials want to sell non-core assets, worth about 7.7 billion rand (about $1.1 billion), to narrow its operations to freight transport. But trade unions fear that this move will cost up to 30,000 jobs and undermine pensions and working conditions. They also demand further talks with Transnet management. Company officials claim that fears of job-loss are overblown and that they have consulted organised labour plenty.

The dispute triggered a series of local strikes by Transnet workers in January and February, culminating in a national strike in March. Leaving train commuters to fend for themselves, strikers marched through downtown Johannesburg to Transnet’s headquarters to deliver their list of demands. The dispute remains unresolved, though the government has decided to delay the transfer of Metrorail, Transnet’s commuter-train service, to the department of transport from April 1st to early May, to avert another strike.

And the Oscar goes to...

South Africans were elated when a local production won the Academy Award for best foreign language film on March 5th. “Tsotsi”, based on a novel by Athol Fugard, follows the tribulations of a Johannesburg gangster after he steals a car, unaware that a baby is in the back seat. This was the second South African film nominated in two years: “Yesterday”, a story of a rural woman infected with HIV/AIDS, failed to win the prize last year.

Gavin Hood, the director, and the main actors of “Tsotsi” got a hero's welcome when they flew back to Johannesburg on March 12th. They have since been touring townships and attending swank events to celebrate their success. The prize is expected to be a boon for the film industry in South Africa, already a popular destination for the shooting of foreign commercials. Meanwhile, pirated DVDs of the film are circulating in Johannesburg, much to the displeasure of Mr Hood. “When you buy a DVD you are giving your money to criminals who are in the business of investing in nothing but their greedy souls,” he told the Sunday Times newspaper.

Finding your roots

Johannesburg may soon be a hotspot for lovers of hominid fossils. In December the Maropeng visitor centre opened at the Cradle of Humankind, the world’s richest hominid fossil site, and on March 8th Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s president, helped launch the Origins Centre at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The centre traces the history of humankind through multimedia displays and an impressive collection of rock art from the San hunter-gatherers, the oldest surviving inhabitants of the region. The centre includes a DNA-testing facility for visitors to explore their genetic ancestry.

Catch if you can

April 2006

Soweto Gospel Choir

April 15th-22nd 2006

The Soweto Gospel Choir was created in 2002, with 26 singers plucked from churches in Soweto. The choir, which performs in six of South Africa’s 11 official languages, has ascended quickly: it has already earned several awards, including Australia’s Performing Arts Award and the American Gospel Music Award. In 2003 the choir even created its own foundation for AIDS orphans, financed from concert proceeds.

Following a successful international tour, this young and dynamic choir celebrates its homecoming at the Civic Theatre. The programme will feature a wide range of styles, from traditional African gospel to contemporary standards, and the choir will perform both a capella and with a four-piece band. Foot-tapping rhythms and contagious dancing are guaranteed.
Johannesburg Civic Theatre, Loveday St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Tel: +27 (0) 11 877-6800. For tickets, visit Computicket's website.

More from the Johannesburg cultural calendar