Monty's Memoirs: Johannesburg

Its not long since I returned from Johannesburg. It is the sort of place where people warn you to keep your eyes and ears open. But I found myself listening and watching, not just for the bad guys, but to all that was good and wonderful about the city and the nation.My time there was spent with a few South Africans but also with representatives of many other African nations. It was fascinating talking with those people. Everyone has a story about the problems in their home country, some claim to have a solution to those problems and others just voice their general acceptance that things will not change.

I went on a tour of Sowetto and Johannesburg while I was there. Such contrast.

The rich live well but they do so behind concrete walls and electric fences. They live in fear that someone will break into their fortresses and shoot them and there family just to steal the car. I'd love to comment on the beautiful houses in the 'millionaires' part of the city but I didn't see them behind their walls.

The poor do not have concrete walls, or bricks, or electric fences. But they do have Coca-Cola! Part of the tour took us on foot into one of the townships - I think we only got a flavour of what it was like. To be honest it didn't strike me as hard as the poverty in India.

Also, while being shown through this ladies home I felt a little odd. Maybe it was guilt for being so wealthy my comparison and not being as thankful as I should be.

Another thing that I have taken for granted is a good education. In 1976 a teenager called Hector Peterson died during a mass protest by students in South African. The then government wanted to restrict their teaching to the Africaans language - not learning English would hold them back.

You can learn all about it at the Hector Peterson museum in Sowetto.

The memorial outside the museum is pictured below. It was opened by Nelson Mandela in 1992 after he was release from prison.