Slumification” is, we fear, a term which could become commonplace in Johannesburg, particularly in the years ahead, as the municipal authorities and the cops continue to turn a blind eye to various illegalities.
The word refers to “the process of physical deterioration, decline, and overcrowding of residential areas, transforming once-stable neighbourhoods or consolidated informal settlements into slums”.
An internet search adds: “It is characterised by declining housing quality, lack of basic services, and increased socioeconomic stress, often occurring when infrastructure deteriorates faster than it can be maintained.”
Ferndale residents living the nightmare
That sums up perfectly what has been happening to the hapless residents of Ferndale in Randburg, who have seen their dreams of a peaceful, safe suburban life crumbling around them as they are swallowed by a tsunami of crime and grime.
Houses have been abandoned and turned into drug dens and brothels, and some residents cannot leave their flats unattended for fear that burglars will clean them out. Litter and rubble clog once appealing open spaces and sidewalks.
Authorities accused of turning a blind eye
The horrifying aspect of all this is that residents have been trying for more than five years to get the municipality to do something, to enforce bylaws and move out those responsible for the crime.
Police seem to have no interest in following up complaints on drugs and prostitution, leading residents to wonder whether the supposed enforcers of the law are not themselves part of the criminal networks in the area.
What is happening in Ferndale mirrors what happened in the Joburg CBD, which has effectively become a no-go area for law and order and is, effectively, a piece of South Africa soiled, occupied and colonised by criminals, many of them foreigners.
Call to restore order
Joburg needs to get back to basics and follow the “broken windows” principle of cracking down on even minor offences.
Ferndale shows how quickly poison and filth can spread across an urban landscape.
