In this piece, journalist Lucille Davie evaluates Johannesburg’s development by contrasting her 2015 Saturday Star column with an update from 2026. The original article captures an era of civic optimism and emerging creative districts. A decade later, the trajectory has shifted significantly.
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It is appropriate to begin with a declaration of interest: I contributed a chapter on Prynnsberg and supported the publication of this book. That proximity, however, also allows for a fuller appreciation of both its achievements and its limitations. Jackie Kalley, publishing under her Otterley Press
Blue Plaques
This is one of only two houses to escape the destruction of Sophiatown by the apartheid government in the late 1950s. It was built in 1934 for Dr. Alfred Bitini Xuma, a highly qualified medical practitioner, and named Empilweni. He lived here until 1959 together with his wife Madie Beatrice Hall, an African American social worker who served as President of the ANC Women’s League from 1943 until 1949.
