Hillbrow, My New Home: Drugs, Prostitutes & Excitement

Kgothatso Madisa
@kgmadisa

Hillbrow is a notorious Johannesburg suburb that many in South Africa have heard about. Sometimes we dismiss the stories we hear as untrue because people tend to exaggerate the smallest happenings. Some would say Hillbrow is not different from any other place as crime is found on every corner of South Africa. I have been living in Hillbrow for a few months now and have definitely seen things, things that are shocking for my young, innocent Mpumalanga eyes.

On arrival in this part of Johannesburg a cousin took me on a tour of the once plush suburb. It was still day time and the place was packed with hawkers, beggars and joy seekers. It looked as a thriving part of Johannesburg where Africa meets as there were immigrants from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa – I just couldn’t tell where the rest were from. They all contribute a segment of their part of the continent to Hillbrow. The many accents one hears here are also an exciting part of this cosmopolitan society.

This Is Maria. She Will End the War on Drugs.

Maria is a composite character based on many Mexican victims of the drug war – their words and actions – who together are organizing to end the war, including Javier Sicilia, Maria Herrera and Julian LeBaron.

This video was made by The School of Authentic Journalism.

SA and Nigeria Police Need to Fight Drugs Together

Gift Ngobeni

@nyikogifted

After several stories of South African women arrested overseas for trafficking drugs and the implication of some Nigerians in South Africa in drug manufacturing and the State security minister’s wife with a Nigerian counterpart found guilty after recruiting girls to work as drug mules maybe it’s time the South African and Nigerian police started working together to curb this crime. Nationals of both countries being implicated in the international trade of illegal drugs cannot be good for both nations and authorities from both countries working together will probably help improve how both countries are viewed. I will start with a long reminder of recent drug cases that have involved South Africans and others that have involved Nigerians in South Africa to show how important this is.

Thailand probably gets a lot of rich and beautiful young things taking advantage of cheap holidays there. The website www.socialreview.org.uk estimates that over 600 thousand Britons visit Thailand each year. So authorities probably welcome people from new territories too and see it as a good sign of the treatment they give to visitors. They probably didn’t mind much when they saw a phly African princess carrying simple luggage with beautiful, big and long dreadlocks. Normally we praise such people because they would have had the patience many don’t have to maintain their hair properly and make sure it grows without breakage. But not this time as Nobabalo Nobanda’s dreadlocks were fake with something illegal hidden inside.