South Africa – May 2017

Before Tina and I embark on our road trip along the Garden Route we want to make the most of our time in Johannesburg. So we decide to visit the closeby city of Pretoria too. So we ask my relative Nadja’s partner – with whom we’re staying – how to get there. Marc tells us that the easiest and relatively cheap option is to take an Uber. And so we’re off early the next morning. The one hour drive on the busy but well-maintained highway flies by. Soon the driver drops us off in the rich Hatfield neighbourhood. We walk along the empty streets lined by trees and high fences behind. Occasionally, we spot buildings belonging to foreign embassies and big international companies.

Our aimless stroll ends up taking us uphill to the impressive Union Buildings with a gorgeous view of the city and the Union Buildings Gardens. We’re surprised to see a big group of Chinese tourists taking selfies before being ushered back into their tour bus. But then again, the government building and the Nelson Mandela statue in the gardens are one of Pretoria’s main sights. After thoroughly enjoying the well-kept park, we leave in search of the bustling city life we expected to find here.

We head east on one of the main roads and soon find ourselves in the business district. A little tired from all the walking and the many impressions to take in, we stop at a McDonalds in Arcadia for an early lunch. While eating we make use of the free wifi and check out other areas of interest we want to visit. With a rough game plan in mind, we continue to walk east and accidentally come across a street market. Tina buys a small leather wallet and I a pair of colourful sunglasses.

Later we walk around the downtown area for a bit. But, we quickly realize that there’s nothing too special there. It’s just like any other downtown of a large city. Looking for something more interesting, we head north towards the National Zoo of South Africa. The further we get away from the city centre, the more clear it becomes that we’re the only tourists there. Still, the people are nice and we get a glance of the daily lives of Pretorians.

At the big road leading along the zoo we turn east again, as this is where the map showed us a Bazaar in Marabastad. However, we never make it to the presumably most ethnically mixed neighbourhood of the capital. Instead we suddenly find ourselves between a big garbage dump on one side of the road and a rather provisional looking emergency room in a brick building next to a butcher’s shop on the other side.

Tina and I finally accept that we’re lost and head back south in the hopes of being somewhat close to the Kruger Museum. Surprisingly, we find our way to the original home of the former President of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek without any problems. The museum and it’s relics of the past make for a stark contrast to the poor areas of Pretoria we’ve walked through earlier. After a quick self guided tour we decide to return to reality and slowly make our way to Pretoria Station.

On our final part of our stroll through the South African capital we spot an unbelievably high number of leaflets with advertisements for doctors performing abortions stuck to street lights. Thinking back to the emergency room we’ve seen earlier, we can’t help but worry about the safety of these clinics and contemplate the reasons why they seem to be popular. Just then, the grid of streets opens up and we arrive at a large park. At Burgers Park all worries disappear and we join the locals relaxing in the afternoon sun and watch children play in the grass under old trees. 

Suddenly a big flock of Egyptian geese decides to fight us for our spot in the sun and Tina and I take it as a sign that it’s time for us to leave. (It’s not the last time that these geese interfere with our plans in South Africa). We walk the short distance to the train station and with a little help from a local manage to buy a ticket and find the platform where the Gautrain leaves. Just like Marc told us, we get off at Marlboro station and try to find a taxi to take us to Nadja’s address. While walking through the dusty streets between low brick buildings, we get a sense of how the less fortunate inhabitants of Johannesburg live.