MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

M2 Armed Robbery

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M2 Armed Robbery:

GAUTENG – One suspect was shot and killed and four suspects managed to evade arrest following an armed robbery on the M2 Highway yesterday, 7 October 2024 at 10:30.

A white Ford Ranger bakkie blocked a grey SUV Mercedes Benz driven by a 66-year-old year male. Five suspects alighted from the bakkie and used a hammer to break the window. The suspects robbed the man of cash, cellphone, and a bag with a laptop.

Members of the Johannesburg Central SAPS Motor Bike Squad witnessed the suspects jumping into a white Ford Ranger with no registration plates and gave chase. The suspects opened fire on police who retaliated. One suspect was fatally wounded whilst the remaining suspects evaded arrest. One firearm and laptop were recovered inside the vehicle.

– MyZA

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Ponte City: Transformation

As the “white flight” of the 1980s and 90s drained the inner city of capital, Ponte City underwent a dramatic and terrifying transformation. By the late 1990s, the building had become a “vertical slum” and a symbol of urban decay. It was famously “hijacked” by gangs; the retail levels were stripped, and the building became a fortress for drug dealing and human trafficking. The most haunting image from this era was the central core. Originally designed to be a light-filled courtyard, it became a literal trash heap. Residents on the upper floors would throw their refuse into the center of the building rather than taking it down. At its worst point, the trash in the core reached five stories high—a mountain of rotting debris, discarded furniture, and even, legend has it, the remains of those who had fallen or jumped.

During this period, the reputation of Ponte was so toxic that there was a serious proposal in 1998 to turn the entire skyscraper into a vertical prison. The plan was eventually scrapped, but the building remained a “no-go zone” for nearly a decade. The turnaround began in the mid-2000s when developers New Metro Property Group and later Dlala Nje began a massive, painstaking refurbishment. They cleared out the tons of trash from the core, restored the lifts (which had often been out of order, forcing residents to climb 50 flights of stairs), and implemented strict security protocols.