And shopkeepers are moving back to the city. The retailing revival is evidence that central Johannesburg never exactly died, but rather changed. Medium and small black businesses have replaced large white-controlled companies and street hawkers now sell their wares where businessmen used to park their expensive cars. In short, downtown Johannesburg has become an African city. There's money to be made here, you just have to know your market.
Efforts are underway to entice more people to live in the central city.
We're trying to create a city that people want to live in. Or even visit. To encourage growth the city council, police and groups like Business Against Crime last month installed 12 surveillance cameras to monitor the city's streets. Efforts are also underway to create a series of official marketplaces for street hawkers and taxi ranks for the city's 18,000 minivan taxis. It's a slow process but we're getting there.