The flight lands at Johannesburg, immigration over and done with, and I find a car from The New Age waiting for me outside. As I drive past the city, I am impressed. It resembles any European city, thanks to its quality infra-structure, enough of greenery, spaced out construction, wide roads bereft of any potholes, and, noticeably, not too densely populated. It’s quite a discernible change from the overcrowded Indian cities.
However, travelling past slum-areas of Alexandra and middle class congested areas of Soweto and Tembisia, the impressions do change a lot. And, the rich-poor divide is glaring. The crime rate, alcoholism, congestion and poor civic amenities in black-inhabited Alexandra put Dharavi to shame. Yes, RDP housing scheme of cheap government houses for the working class has been a commendable effort with uniform looking single storey houses lined up on the outskirts of Johannesburg. There are 11 languages in South Africa with different scripts. Whites speak English and Afrikaans, while the blacks speak Zulu mainly and Koza as well. English and Afrikaans are the medium of education and the man on the street is quite conversant in English.
The fifty-one million population of SA is less than that of Maharashtra, with a size more than half of India, and hence the population density is thankfully low. But not the tele-density of urban South Africa, which has four prominent telecom companies ruling the roost there: Vodocom, MTN, Celsie and 8ta. The wealthy Sandton region in Johannesburg, the smart air-conditioned local train Gautrain Railways, the pristine beauty on both sides of Johannesburg -Pretoria road and rail, the youth, cuisine and ambience of the central Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg: all give the image of an ambitious modern global city on the move.
“Our force, our pride,” the motto of SA Army, which stands for distinct, respected, and aloof from politics, is quite akin to the Indian Army.
The Indian impact is quite evident (most in Durban though). With Mac Maharaj as a key adviser to the South African President Jacob Zuma, India-SA Cricket craze and Bollywood concerts, Sahara stadiums in Durban and Cape Town, large number of doctors and teachers of Indian origin across the nation: the less than 2 million Indians are making a mark larger than their size.
Driving around greater Durban is a treat to the eyes. The water of the sea is calm and blue, the port is bustling with activity but clean, town is busy yet organized, and the International Convention Centre can put the best Western centres to shame.
Further, the food in the home of friends like Anith Maharaj and his erudite wife seems to be from any North Indian vegetarian home, the warmth of philanthropic Indian industrialists like Ranjith Ramnarain is so ennobling, the sight of Ramkrishna Mission led by my childhood school Principal Swami Vimokshananda is so majestic, Phoenix, where the Mahatma lived and worked as Mohandas Gandhi, the quest of ancestors of the last 150 years as seen in the Roopnarain family, the community journalism experiment so successfully implemented by Vijay Maharaj, the office and hospitality of Rita Abraham, et al, make one see another face of global India, distant from homeland India, but integrated well into the SA society.
SA is in transition, no doubt. From an apartheid era to a multi-ethnic democracy. From feudal economy to a free market one. From restricted education-health-employment regime to an accessible amenities regime. The strengths of Apartheid era: good infra-structure (ports, roads, airports, and power) and good urban planning are now coming to the fore in post-apartheid times as well. However, SA beyond Johannesburg -Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban, needs focus. The other and backward provinces need holistic growth plans focusing on civic amenities, infra-structure, human resources quality and social harmony in a big way. Urban South Africa is a model for most of Asia and Africa, but rural SA has a long way to go.
The dance-music-food loving South Africa trip has to end with the best of cuisine there. And, for me, it was khushkhush, Tunisian prawns, and Amarola: the African drink and the delicacy of the African elephants.
