Boom! Come Out Fighting

The property boom in a small spot of Johannesburg’s inner city has led to tension between residents and developers.

- Guy Oliver

The Zebra Inn, the scene of a recent double murder, was billed by local media as part of the inner city rejuvenation project centered on the Maboneng precinct on Johannesburg’s east side. Technically, it was an oversight.

The Zebra Inn’s only connection to the private sector driven city renewal is the eclectic black and white stripes adorning its exterior. Otherwise it is the antithesis of the Maboneng vision. Entering the Zebra Inn was always a laborious affair, involving a series of intercoms to choreograph navigation through two separate heavy duty security gates while under the constant gaze of CCTV cameras.

The decor on the top-floor bar is a clutter of dead African wildlife mounted on its walls. However, the most glaring example separating the Zebra Inn from the Maboneng philosophy of embracing the city is its claustrophobic interior. The city’s vistas are shuttered from view in nothing more than an act of heresy to the architects converting light industrial buildings and office blocks into loft apartments, rooftop bars and street cafes in the area.

The hallmark of Maboneng, and the other developers colonizing the area, is the openness and intimacy with the street and its celebration of the city’s skyline. Its more subtle aesthetic is making obsolete the architecture of fear, such as security gates, razor wire and burglar bars, in favor of a 24/7 legion of well-equipped private security guards. The police keep a low profile and are usually only spotted lunching at a local shisha nyama – a restaurant that specializes in barbequed meat.