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.