7 First Impressions of Johannesburg, South Africa
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After starting South Africa in Cape Town on my 100 City Project, next came the country’s largest city, Johannesburg.

Johannesburg, commonly shortened to Joburg, is not only the largest city in South Africa, but also an economic center of Africa. While it brings a reputation of crime and danger, it also provides a vibrant, rapidly changing city. Within some of its danger and edginess, you’ll find a friendly and trendy heart to the city.  It’s a big city with plenty to see and hip neighborhoods to explore. While it might be the city I felt I needed to worry about safety more than most any other during my project yet, it’s also one of the friendliest and warmest big, urban cities I’ve experienced yet. 

I always try to be honest and not your typical travel fluff making every destination look like the perfect dream. So, I will be open about the dangers here, but I will also try to provide tips that can help because I truly feel Joburg is worth it, with more than enough positives to outweigh the warnings.

So here are my first impressions of Johannesburg, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

7 First Impressions of Johannesburg
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

1. No Go Zones

I’ve never been to a city with so many supposed “No Go” zones. I’ve also never been to a city where I was warned more by locals, and visitors, to not venture outside specific areas. Usually, these type of warnings tend to be exaggerated to help make sure you stay safe, but Johannesburg’s reputation feels mostly warranted. From my Uber drivers to everyone I met, it usually came up about where not go, which unfortunately felt like most of the city. The downtown and city center of Joburg has experienced some heavy increase in crime, as many companies and workers are moving up to safer areas now. Certain areas and shopping streets have outside security watching, but venture too far around and you can feel the danger.

I won’t come to a city for street photography and be secluded to small areas, though. I have to explore the city. That’s the whole point of my project, and this blog, so I made sure to take the risks, anyway. In some areas, it could be an adrenaline rush. In the worst areas, you could feel the looks, sometimes being followed, sometimes being asked questions made to intimidate and check you. The scenery and atmosphere can get sketchy and you won’t see a single visitor around. I just had to always keep moving and watch my surroundings. The metro stations can feel the least safe too, especially in the middle of the day so I did as much walking on foot as possible.

While I wouldn’t recommend it, it did help me see a much wider view of the city, which I found interesting. There was a lot of edgy, authentic urban character to it. Some of it feeling a little back in time and some of it having a multi-cultural mixture of influences. Of course, most people are not dangerous, although they will give looks like “what the #*&! are you doing around here?” There’s really two very different sides to this city mixed in together, even seemingly divided by zones. So I’m glad I was able to experience them both.

2. Soweto was my highlight

Soweto is the oldest and largest township in South Africa, and the prior home of Nelson Mandela. Formerly a separate municipality, it’s now part of the city of Johannesburg. Covering many neighborhoods, Soweto is full of history. It used to be known as the most dangerous part of Johannesburg (my 50-year-old taxi driver from the airport told me he’d never dared step foot outside there his whole life), but today it’s not like it used to be. Visitors come to see Mandela’s old house and there’s popular bike tours given to explore the township. I was even able to find a nice place to stay for a few days in the middle of it all, which ended up being my most memorable experience in the city.

While it’s still not completely safe, as I was warned about danger many times walking around alone (I was nicknamed “crazy man” after the first day), it’s actually become safer than the city center. And as far as friendliness goes, you’re not going to find many places friendlier. I was constantly greeted with smiles walking around, many people wanting to talk to me and welcome me to their community, most remembering my face by the second day. And that was what stood out the most, there’s a very strong community vibe exploring the streets here. While it’s part of a big city, it doesn’t feel like it. Not only that, but there’s so much life and interest to capture outside here. It feels a little back in time, with a strong authenticity to it that I really enjoyed. If you come to Joburg, I strongly recommend visiting Soweto with your camera. If you’re worried about safety, at least spend time walking the area around Hector Pieterson Memorial and Mandela’s House in Orlando West.

3. They love Malls here

When I asked locals where locals like to go in Johannesburg, malls was the most common answer. After exploring different parts of the city, this answer was noticeably accurate. Joburg is filled with some impressive malls. It makes perfect sense too in a city filled with no-go zones, where safety is an issue walking around. These elaborate, modern malls provide a safe getaway filled with everything you could need for a day’s entertainment. Shopping, food, movies, and more. Many times laid out in an expansive inside/outside pathway construction where people can come enjoy a day out with friends and family in a setting that is more than a mall. 

For street photography, this also provides some safe spots to come shoot with guaranteed activity. I’m not a big fan of shooting at malls, mostly because of the light, but with outside areas too, I found it worth some time. The massive Sandton City and Rosebank Mall would be my two most recommended. With Sandton City, you get arguably the most impressive mall in Africa, while also having the popular Mandela Square connected for even more photo opportunities.

4. Safety Tips

With warnings kept in mind, I still did my best to explore Johannesburg on foot and camera in hand. I didn’t make it out without any problems, but I did make it out with my camera so if you want to risk it like me, here’s a few safety tips I can give for shooting in Johannesburg.

a. Keep notice of security guards

This is my best advice for visitors who don’t want to take many risks, but still want to shoot in Joburg. Security is a popular profession in Joburg. Many stores and restaurants will hire security to sit outside their business, while you’ll also find hired security working corners and streets in nicer areas. These are your safest spots to shoot. Fox Street in Maboneng and Braamfontein around Neighborhoods Market are a couple active and interesting spots where you’ll find solid pockets of security. Just be aware when security becomes out of sight.

b. Take a plastic shopping bag

When you feel you’re walking through more dangerous areas, carry your camera in there. You’re much more likely to get mugged if you look like you might have something valuable. A plastic market bag will get little notice compared to a real bag.

c. Constantly scan your surroundings

Notice suspicious body language and look for anyone that seems overly interested in you. Joburg isn’t a place where they’re naturally over-curious about foreigners. 

d. Make sure to keep distance between people

While remembering faces, notice if someone seems to be getting closer to you. Don’t let yourself be open to be cornered so keep on the outside of sidewalks and cross the street if someone noticeably crosses the street towards you.

e. Know where you are and what safe spots are nearby

When going from one busy area towards another, you’ll probably cross some quieter, seedier areas. These can be the most dangerous so move fast and know where to run if needed.

f. Run if needed

I had to twice. Don’t wait until you know something’s wrong. If you feel someone is moving closer and closer to you on purpose, then run to get out of any chance of danger.

g. Or don’t be like me

And take uber everywhere and walk nowhere :) Which brings be to my next impression…

5. Uber is your best friend in South Africa

I wrote the following for Cape Town too, but it’s even more true in Johannesburg:

Uber is a game changer in South Africa. The difference it makes here for safety and transportation is bigger than any country I’ve been to. And in Johannesburg, this is more true than any city I’ve been to. With so many no go zones and dangerous areas, exploring around takes some risk. And it’s a big city so walking on foot isn’t even an option many times. Muggings are as common here as anywhere, especially at night, and your transportation options can be dangerous too. The new and modern Gautrain is a safe, but only takes you to a few places north of the center, while the main metro train system can be unsafe. I was warned not to take it in the middle of the day due to it being non-rush hours without many people around (and for some reason, not much security around, either). I still took it, but felt uneasy some of the time. And never once saw a non-local take it.

Unfortunately, taxis in South Africa can feel more dangerous than walking around the city too. Many of the drivers are criminals using this as a cover or side job. They’re not always friendly and if you’re unlucky, there’s always a chance something could go wrong. At the very least, they’ll try to rip you off. Fortunately, Uber solves all these problems. They’re much safer due to Uber’s background checks and strict guidelines. They’re friendly and comfortable. And they’re even quite a bit cheaper. Using Uber is a no brainer here. Only one bit of warning is that taxi drivers aren’t too happy about losing their business so sometimes they will attack Uber drivers. I didn’t have a problem, but the Uber drivers get worried depending on the area they’re in and might not pick you up or drop you off in specific areas.

6. Big, Cosmopolitan City in Africa

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world. It’s an economic center of Africa and one of the most modern and developed city’s in the continent. From its history and continuing conflict to its prosperous development and future, it’s a big urban sprawl with a lot going on. It’s a diverse cosmopolitan mix that is hard to top in Africa, which attracts plenty of people from all over, especially the young.

In the 2015 YouthfulCities Index, it was named the “most popular African city” overall for young people aged 15-29. It has one of the more impressive city skylines you’ll find in Africa too. So if you want to experience a big, cosmopolitan city in Africa, this is one of the top places to go.

7. Within the warnings, a great city at heart

Within this large city’s dangers and warnings, Johannesburg has a vibrance at heart that is very appealing. You have to immerse yourself into it and look past the negatives to find it, but I ended up having a more enjoyable time here than most cities. Joburg is rapidly changing with trendy hipster urban neighborhoods like Maboneng and there’s an optimism found around the city. Compared to Cape Town, Joburg is commonly known as the friendlier, less stuffy city. And while I found Cape Town friendly, Joburg was even more friendly. For a big urban city, I found the people to be some of the friendliest I’ve met. There’s a lot of character in the vibe here and the city buzzes with its progression from past to future. 

Big City Friendliness with a Side of Danger

Cape Town had always been on my list in South Africa, but I’m glad it also brought me to Johannesburg. With the warranted safety warnings and being overshadowed by the beauty of Cape Town and the rest of South Africa, I’d never heard it recommended as a place to visit. But for street photography and a unique big city experience, it ended up being a place I’ll have fond memories of.  There’s something I really enjoyed about the people and vibe of Joburg. You do need to be careful here, but I wouldn’t let that stop you from spending some time here and experiencing this big, friendly city.

If any of you have been to Johannesburg before, tell me about your experience and impressions of the city and country in the comments below! And stay tuned for more on Johannesburg, including some of the best Street Photography shots I captured while there.

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(from a street photographer’s perspective)

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