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Nthabiseng Hlongwane
and her five-year-old daughter Phumzile live in a condemned
building in Johannesburg's inner city. It may be only a matter
of weeks before the city's metro council will force them to
leave their tiny room - a room where you can smell the despair,
along with the stench of urine, vomit and faeces.
When they are
evicted, Nthabiseng will look for another abandoned building -
or simply find a home on the streets. She wants to live on the
streets, she says, because that is where she can find food in
the dustbins or by begging.
This week Special
Assignment tells the story of Nthabiseng and others like her who
are oblivious of the city fathers' grandiose plans to
"clean up" Johannesburg's inner city. To be living in
a "World Class African City" will not improve their
lives, they say.
The city's
managers are, however, determined to turn around the rot that is
eating away at the heart of Johannesburg. Special Assignment
investigates plans to regenerate the inner city and considers
the viability of the efforts.
"People Are
Living Here" is produced by Adri Kotze with cameramen
Dudley Saunders, Jan de Klerk, Byron Taylor and Llewellyn
Carstens. Mandla Mlambo is the soundman and Hannes van Vuuren
the video editor. |
