Resurrecting a city is not an easy task. But careful planning, lots of imagination and dollops of persuasion have certainly worked for Neil Fraser, the mastermind behind the rejuvenation of Johannesburg.
Fraser heads up the Central Johannesburg Partnership, a company that specialises in creating sound property investments in the city for those that have an eye for the future and a flair for entrepreneurship.
“Residential values of property in the inner city have rocketed into seven digit territory, and a small apartment in a good, secure location can fetch as much as R1,2-million now, while the investor may have only paid between R600 000 and R800 000 just under a year ago,” he says.
And that is just the shell. “If you’re going to do it properly, then you’ll obviously get an interior decorator to design the interior, buy the best furniture, fittings and appliances that you can possibly afford, but it’s well worth it if you enjoy the vibrancy and beauty of Johannesburg,” Fraser says.
The inner city of Johannesburg is slowly starting to return to its former glory, thanks to less crime and cleaner streets. However, it still has its bad days as about 800 000 people traverse through it daily.
The commercial area of Johannesburg is larger than that of Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town combined. The probability of a large residential population living side by side with business in the future is becoming very real.
Although mildly spoken, Fraser is far from being conservative, and his free spirit is evident in his early motoring days and choice of cars.
He passed his driver’s test at first attempt, and was privileged to own a Morris Minor boasting side valves and a slightly modified engine. Fraser’s over-enthusiastic right foot would frequently damage the small motor, especially when getting the old duck past the grand speed of 80kph. He secured a spare motor, and Fraser and his friends got engine replacement down to a record time of 90 minutes. His freedom was seldom compromised.
A Morris 16 proved the most frugal a few years later, and “could be driven around for week on two shillings”, while a Valiant, much the craze in the 1970s became Fraser’s pride and joy. Probably the most fun Fraser had was in a Mercedes 2.0L 190E, while a 525i BMW and Nissan Sani has also served him well. However, the Sani failed to excite him — it simply got the job done.
Accidents and traffic violations are few and far between if you flip through his log-book.
Although speed was an all-important issue as a young man, Fraser has matured through the years, and simply wants an affordable, reliable vehicle.
His next car is likely to be a Volvo S40. “It’s probably one of the nicest, most complete cars on the market, while its safety is legendary” he explains as we near the conclusion of our meeting.
In the future, Fraser would like to see Johannesburg equipped with a traffic information system linked to the global positioning satellite navigation system.
Such systems are relatively new overseas, but save motorists valuable time thanks to their ability to re-route you when roads are closed for maintenance or there are nasty traffic snarls. Air pollution is reduced too, thanks to less time being spent on the road.
When he finds some spare time to follow the grand prix circuit, he normally aims an odd murmur of encouragement at Jenson Button — who has come of age and currently occupies third place in the world championship.