Johannesburg

Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa and the second (or third) most populous city in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind Lagos (and probably behind Kinshasa). Local residents have nicknamed the city "Jo'burg", "Jozi", and "". Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng Province, the wealthiest province in South Africa, and the site of the South African Constitutional Court. It is one of the newest major cities in the world, and is one of the few major cities in the world not along a coast or near a large river.

Crime

Johannesburg has a major crime problem. After the Group Areas Act was scrapped in the early 1990s, Johannesburg was affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, mostly black, people who had been forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city from surrounding black townships such as Soweto. Crime levels in formerly white areas rose. Many buildings were abandoned by landlords, especially in the high-density areas such as Hillbrow. Many corporations and institutions, including the JSE Securities Exchange, moved their headquarters away from the city centre, to suburbs such as Sandton.

Related Topics:
Group Areas Act - 1990s - Urban blight - Soweto - Landlord - Hillbrow - JSE Securities Exchange - Sandton

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Reviving the city centre is one of the main aims of the municipal government of Johannesburg. Drastic measures have been taken to reduce crime in the city. These measures include closed-circuit television on street corners. The latest police statistics show that crime levels in Johannesburg have dropped as the economy has stabilised and begun to grow.

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