Downtown Johannesburg became a case study in decay in the 1990s as a crime wave terrorised the city. But an effort has been made to halt the decline.

The Johannesburg Development Agency goes where private property developers fear to tread -- and then make those areas irresistible to investors.

Bertrams, a run-down suburb adjacent to Ellis Park, has been set for a facelift from the day that South Africa was awarded the football World Cup.

The embattled South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suffered yet another blow on Tuesday with the resignation of its CEO, Zakes Myeza. Myeza was touted as the saviour of the CAA when he took office in February last year, becoming the first permanent appointee to the post in years -- at least since the debacle surrounding Trevor Abrahams.

The naming and renaming of streets and public places in Johannesburg should be after flora and fauna and not people, according to the city's new naming policy released on Monday. Anyone who wants a place named after a person will have to provide a detailed motivation, including a profile of the person.

The tallest apartment block in Africa, which has long symbolised Johannesburg's inner-city decay, is shedding its image as a no-go zone in a radical makeover aimed at young urban professionals. The team behind a R200-million makeover believe apartments will soon be regarded as hot property, especially in the build-up the Soccer World Cup.

Ponte City, one of Johannesburg's most famous landmarks -- and a notorious slum -- is getting a facelift, boosting urban renewal efforts in one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Gray and drab, the cylindrical concrete apartment block towers 173m above the flatlands of Hillbrow.