Not too long ago, the phrases ”leafy suburb” and ”dusty streets” were synonymous with white and black areas respectively.
Whether a community was represented by a ratepayers’ association or a civic organisation was directly linked to race, level of affluence and the number of dust particles in the air they breathed.
So when Steen, my friend who lives in Protea North, Soweto, boasted about how his area was often ”windy”, unlike older Soweto townships that were ”dusty”, it was an indication of how things are changing.
Early this year a government spokesperson who described himself as a ”retired journalist” bemoaned the standard of journalism in South Africa and said reporters should be asking protesters marching for ”service delivery” if they knew they were marching on roads tarred by local government.
It is a valid point except that the demand is normally for ”basic” service delivery such as free water and free electricity.
Merely fixing streets lights and bringing water to taps is not enough. Remember, this government came to power on the promise of a ”better life for all”.
It is the presence of trees and tarred streets that indicate whether the kind of change that is promised by local government politicians has taken place.
Macroeconomics and other fundamentals might be in place, but what is important is whether the area I live in is characterised by wind or dust. It is these factors that determine whether I, as a Soweto resident, am included among the ”all” mentioned in the promise for a better life.
I have come to accept that it is the private sector that creates jobs and that governments merely make it conducive for entrepreneurs to operate and, thus, create employment and, its offspring, wealth. But I hold the government responsible for how it responds to our symbols of poverty and our aspirations.
As for aspirations, the theatre of dreams for boys born before Playstation, was Orlando stadium, which is now being refurbished. Which means that artists capturing these aspirations will no longer be able to rely on the stereotype of Sowetan children kicking a ball in a dusty street — precisely because the dusty streets have been tarred over.
It has also changed how one gives directions. It is no longer sufficient to say: ”You take a short left and proceed on a tarred road.” Yes, one can still point to a big house, but a tarred street is becoming far too commonplace to be used as a landmark.
