WE SLEPT IN AFRICA'S HIGHEST RESIDENTIAL BUILDING | Ponte Tower City Apartments
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2021
- Visiting Ponte Tower / City Apartments and its surrounding area of Hillbrow was a real eye-opener for us. We saw life as it is in Hillbrow, the struggles as well as the developments. We will no longer drive past just thinking how dangerous it is. Instead, we can empathize with the hardworking families trying to make ends meet, the people that are trying to uplift the community, and the progress it has made and continues to make. Ponte Tower is more than just a cylinder building once inhabited by gangsters and prostitutes, it’s home to 1000s of individuals. Thank you to Dlala Nje for making all of this possible. #Hillbrow #challengeyourperception // Travel vlog 6 | Johannesburg, South Africa (Gauteng) | Country #1/100 | Filmed May 2021
*ALL photo and clip references found here: docs.google.com/document/d/1I...
**Movies
Chappie Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver Robot Movie HD
CREDITS:
TM & © Sony (2015)
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, Jose Pablo Cantillo with Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Resident Evil The Final Chapter - Tower Zombie scene
CREDITS:
TM & © Sony (2016)
Cast: Ruby Rose, Milla Jovovich, William Levy, Ali Larter, Rola, Lee Joon Gi, Eoin Macken, Iain Glen, Siobhan Hodgson, Caroline Midgley, Fraser James, Aubrey Shelton, Milton Schorr
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Drake - Please Forgive Me
CREDITS:
DRAKE (2016)
Cast: Drake, Popcaan, Fanny Neguesha, Kyla Reid, Sonni Chidiebere, Bob Nameng
Director: Anthony Mandler
**ALL the music I use is from Epidemic Sound
The Thought of You - Snake City
Fires - Ballpoint
Feel about Us - Lu Ni
City of Mine - Snake City
Photosynthesis - Lagua Vesa
Fraudulent Business - Marten Moses
Turning Tide - Friends With Animals
Hangout - Isola James
Possum Popcorn - Guustavv
Today is a Good Day to Live - John T. Graham
Optimist at Heart - Jerry Lacey
**Sign up for a free trial and get cool tracks:
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
------------------
I am able to travel and work because of the wonderful opportunity of teaching English online to students via the Internet. Let me show you how you can also gain more flexibility in time and have money to do what you wish to do. Visit www.oneclassaway.co.za for more information.
------------------
INSTAGRAM: @lisachenvisser / lisachenvis. .
------------------
Born in Taiwan but lived in South Africa for most of my childhood, I met my South-African husband and we got married in 2018. We traveled to 2 countries together and I quickly fell in love with traveling. I kept thinking I will save up to travel one day BUT when our baby, Alex, was born, that's when I decided, one day is never going to come if I keep waiting. Although travelling internationally isn't a feasible option now, I make it a goal to travel to one new destination, try out one new thing every week. I'm starting this TH-cam channel because I really enjoy vlogging and sharing my experiences. Now I have a goal to travel to 100 countries and 300 cities before 2025! I am excited to share my journey with you :)
Never in a day did I imagine that place was still livable. Amazing.
Me too. It looks dilapidated even from a distance
Exactly, I Always looks so dirty when I drive by there
After seeing it on chappie movie I thought the same
A lof of skeletons still hidden there.
Came here to say this
I lived there in 1976. 19th floor. Me and my brother used to walk to school and back unaccompanied. It was great!
It would be great to hear more about your experience. I’ve always wondered how this building was back in its hey-day.
These guys need more recognition they really did a good job with this place
Totally agree, its a good start to improving the surrounding community
Pretty nice apartment!
So much potential to become a world class city.
But the government does not allow that unfortunately 😕
@@NS-gk3zw
It's so sad 😥
How I would love to walk and live in our beautiful city.
#SomeDay
It was a world class city. It will never be a world class city again. It’s a total dump, a slum and ghetto now. This building was the height of Arrival once. It has been systematically destroyed by an undeserving Element. This video is a sad last minute desperation to save the tower. The concrete is rotting from the lack of proper maintenance. Watch this is absolutely disgusting. Ya, don’t take pictures because they can’t stand the truth. ITS A TOTAL DUMP.
I pray the Chinese will save SA from this sorry excuse for a populous. It’s an ugly building regardless of its disgraceful lack of maintenance.
@@NS-gk3zw The politics of the country want to keep people in the struggle!
The struggle has changed now, its no longer apartheid its all about living and surviving.
economy always tanks every once in a while.
🤦🏽♂️
You seem like such a sweet family. I loved watching this and it was really nice to see! I learned a lot from this too :) 🖤
Wow Lisa. This was a serious throwback for me. We grew up in our very young years in Tigerberg which is next to Ponte. This was our playground. We loved going to Ponte. I'm glad to see it's back to its previous glory though.
😊Thanks to the community and Dlala Nje. Goes to show that small acts of kindness can really go a long way
I lived in Hillbrow in the early 70's and it was so, so, beautiful. Look at it now.
Yeah, things have changed quite a bit.
When my grandmother was young around the time this building was new, Hillbrow was *the* place to go shopping. Kind of like Wynberg in Cape Town.
It's true when they say reputation precedes reality. Some people still have a bad perception of this building even though they have never visited.
Sounds like the world view of Africa as well
Reddit sent me. Thank you for this! I definitely learnt some stuff I never knew before. Good job!
Thank you for watching the video and thanks for the support :D
The little guy in the cookie monster onesie is so precious.
Very much enjoyed watching this. Thank you so much for taking your time to give us an insight of the building. I find it very enticing as I live about 2km away from it. Definitely going to check it out soon. :)
This is absolutely beautiful and informative I definitely liked it and especially your little beautiful family!! May god bless you❤️
Changed my perspective about Ponte. Great video.
This is so amazing. Love it!
This video is quite insightful...enjoyed the bloops 👌
This building has wondered me for years! Thanks for sharing x
I lived in Berea at the Metropolitan building and i saw that building every day as i came out of my door,o was there working at my brother's store from 1992 until 2000 when i left South Africa for good. Unfortunately my brother passed away last year from COVID,i miss you Peter,i wish time could go back when we drove around the streets of Hillbrow
Great video guys keep it up thank you!
Im from Angola i lived in South África, in late 90s, and lady who showed me the building, said it was a suicide building, after that i never wanted to go near this building.... But my next trip to Jozi, i will visit this place... Thanks.
If you're going, definitely go with Dlala Nje. They run the tours and activities in Ponte and most of their proceeds go to keeping the youth center alive. A super awesome cause. And the sunset view is really spectacular🌻
Really enjoyed the video, it's shot and edited well and has that VOX quality. You guys deserve a lot more followers.
Thank you, that means a lot to us
Amazing. I used to work there at the paging station for taxis etc as a student from 1984 Those days we had pagers. I
worked at tour center travel agency in the city and at steers as manager. I was a production assistant for Sky film company at a young age and with them I became Anneline Kriels /kerzner/driver in Hillbrow too “a reason to die” with Arnold Vosloo and Wings Hauser before I moved to The Netherlands . I loved working everywhere I used to work with Milton(1984/5 I remember his name) Omg I got so many stories also about the races whom you won’t believe it’s true.
Your video gave me an idea to do something different for mine and my wife's birthdays. We're staying there tonight. So excited!
Loved this! 😍🔥🔥
Thank you 😊
Geez, I’d never go there knowing certain things. My uncle worked for SAPS and he had the craziest stories about Ponte Tower in 2000/2001 (when it was still a hijacked building). He said the amount of drug use, death, and prostitution rings (some involving children) was ridiculous. SAPS hated going there. He called it the Tower of Hell. He talked about all the suicides, people jumping into the middle and that his police colleagues had no choice but to tuck bodies away into the rubbish, as they would randomly be shot at by gangsters from the upper floors. My uncle claims there are still skeletons in the building sub-sewage units that have been filled (one near the reception wing) and at the bottom of the 6 elevator shafts (probably long removed now). The craziest story was one he told of how gangsters competed for certain floors and would put severed heads on the stairwells to deter other competing gangs/criminals to stay out.
wow so interesting and scary
glad to see how good the place is again.
Damn this exactly what happened to us black Americans....wow the history is so so similar
The first time I went to Hilbrow my phone was stolen. I wasn't warned that some parts of the city are dangerous.
Liberals want to pretend it’s ok
Great video👌🏽 It's amazing when people really come together and make something work. That building looks amazing now! Brought back so many memories. I lived just around the corner when I was a child.
Thank you, and couldn't agree more. So good to see the building going in a positive direction
The most interesting video with insights about that tower, thank you!
Thank you :)
Didn't know it's was cleaned up last time I saw this building was a mess.
Great video❤
Wow! Would to see it one day. As child always was intrigued by this round building Ponte city.
This is such a cool video
Nice content I really enjoyed every minute of the video I never thought Ponte is a nice place
Thank you. Yeah, I guess the phrase "never judge a book by its cover" runs true for Ponte
Good job Guys!!👍🏾
Iconic Ponte Tower
Hillbrow is indeed the kind of place you wouldn't want to go of your own volition.
Wow, i live here in Johannesburg and i never knew that those apartments could look this good! this is amazing tour of the very city i live in, woow it makes me want to consider even someday buying one of the apartments at ponte.
Brief History: when my dad came to South Africa he stayed at Ponte! but those were in the 19's before the Dark times Era😅 in the 2002's
Yeah, outside it looks like the conditions are bad and terrible, i guess that's just how peoples judgements are! but the interiors definitely needed a facelift! and this is very very important! especially for the longevity of the building.
Thanks so much this video was a really nice insight of the tour i really appreciated this wonderful tour.
it takes alot of courage to tour a city like this where we are constantly living in fear and threats of all kinds of crime and violence etc...
Were do I book that Tour including staying at Ponte Tower like you did, please?
The partments r nice actually glad they turned it around
Stay in hillbrow jo berg many years ago, now been taken over gangsters overlords the building owners could not carryout out repairs or collect rents so ended up as slums.
Love this building how its built and the apartments are very big on i side up higher
Nice video, you deserve more viewers!
Thank you😊
Great vid
I thought the drone purchase was gonna mean a sweet drone shot of the building.. ☹
24:15
Nothing wrong with that.
Having guests stay anonymously for an indefinite amount of time is what lead to pontes demise.
Why do u think people moved out? The neighbours had their whole family staying for the rent of 1 person.
You raise a very valid point. I guess from a landlords point of view, that would be the most logical thing to do. Thanks for sharing your insight.
Man that's a amazing trio team 🦾🦾 absolutely love the videos 😄
Wow this was cool ... keep it up
Thank you 😊
Wooow I thought that building was abandoned long time ago
Back in the day (circa 1995) I knew a girl who lived on the 44th floor. We used to hang out there some nights after Bella Napoli which was a nightclub not far from here. That was when the center of the building was filled with trash and it was a popular suicide spot. We used to have to present ID and leave it with the 'concierge' to get in even when we were with the resident.
It was a drug infested den back then but, I'm guessing it still is now.
Thank you for sharing your story. I love hearing different people's experiences of Ponte. The security is super tight there today and the residents feel safe living in the building. In terms of the drugs, I actually never thought to enquire. Would be interested to know more about that. Thanks for watching :)
I remember been out in Jhb one night in 1996 and watched a woman do a header from one of the windows a little more than mid way up, "Suicides" were a common occurrence from Ponte back then...
I live in Jozi and this was informative for me
Thanks for watching :D
That “Gumtree” system being a rustic analog equivalent to eBay is fascinating.
Well we started in the building and then for some reason we went shopping. Quick plug for the apple store later and then a twee little ode addressed to a drone !?!?
You raise a very good point. This is bad storytelling and we still have lots of room for improvement. I think we've gotten better since this video was posted last year😃, and well keep trying to deliver the best content we know how🙂. Thanks for your honest feedback
I wonder how many servant rooms they had to take down in order to make one of the hotel rooms. I wonder what the floorplan was beforehand
This video looks like a scene in a scary movie rated 18V
I live there 1970 /72 and it was a good area to live and very upmarket. What happened ?
A lot happened. The rich moved towards more suburban areas (due to politics and other complex reasons), the buildings were not maintained as the owners did not see a need to maintain the building for their tenants that were non-white, hence property prices went down and attracted people from different income brackets and then attracted drug lords and prostitution controlled by drug lords. Basically a lot happened. But Ponte is taking a positive turn but of course change takes time
The ANC happened that's what.
Democracy
Much better than it was , but still a way to go !
So who owns and manages the tower now?
Lol I go to university like next to that building everyday but I had no idea of its history or the face that it's the tallest in Africa.
This is Amazing! Really enjoyed it. Also, my Wife would love to Babysit
So happy you enjoyed it :)
I’d be so scared walking in there. Y’all are brave 😳. Okay much better from 4:00
😄It was a truly unique experience. Worth a visit with Dlala Nje tour group. There's also the amazing sundowners experience. Totally worth it
some of us are born in Jozi, so were our parents and grandparents but we've never been near ponte for obvious reasons 😂 need to go check it out up close and personal...
Joburg including the ponte looks surprisingly clean in this video.
I like to tour there
I lived there in 1977
Is paint expensive? A few coat of paints will change the look of a few of those dark looking places.
I want to go up all the way to the top by using just the stairs!
They actually have an event where you race to the top once a month :D
Isn't The Leonardo the tallest residential building in Africa?
Residential buildings are traditionally defined for normal residential purposes like longer dwellings, dormitory, apartments, etc and because The Leonardo is a hotel, it's slightly different in that sense
That baby is too cute 😍
I'm from sa but scared to go anywhere near that place
You're definitely not alone on that thought. Many South Africans and even Joburgers have this perception of Ponte
Great vid haven’t been or seen detailed footage of Ponte since the 80s when I used to play tenpin bowling 🎳 there as a kid till now ,. Awesome 👏
i am from jozi and always see that tower but i tought its a nice building
Us too. We also thought it was a nice building
Ok the kids dragonball Z outfit is awesome
8:33 what did she say?
I'm surprised it's still standing
They did say that only the welathy people lived at the top floors
Who the fuck did ever think that building would be a good idea. It screams urban ghetto
I stay infront of that broken building which they asked you not to take pictures of
That's interesting, would you like to do an interview?
Парень, рисковый вы, с семьей да в такие трущобны:)))
Technically, Ponte is in Doornfontein
Thanks for the correction :)
You passed by my flat
this comment is 4 the foundas of"dlala nje"I honestly dnt get y a Nigerian is giving a tour of the Ponte tower those ppl have done too much damage n 2 correct the Nigerian guy cos clearly he doesn't even know what his saying"VIMBA" means "stop them/him/her/it " not "catch them"🚮
Cars left behind from the 1900s? What?
Yeah it's quite mind-blowing
That place is an absolute hole, you can't get near the front door without being accosted by crack dealers or police wanting to search you
If you drive in, its actually not too bad. To get into the building, you actually have to present your ID and be guided by a tour guide unless you are a resident
Hillbrow was belong to 1. world before 1994. Now it's belong to 333. world.
Cryptic
You guys have guts I must say, the last time I was in Hillbrow and Ponte was when I was hooking up with shit💉💉💉
Dlala Nje tour group really made us feel at ease
South african
I still think it`s funny that when it was nothing but a big Crack Den that there was a blinking Coca-Cola sign on the roof...😆😆😆
That's a really good point 😆
Great video 👍
0:01
You are crazy its so dangrus
Je ne regarde pas un documentaire pour voir des images de bébés pendant un quart de la présentation LOL
Hayi bo its high point wena
You think there's justice in town 🤣
Can I get a free bakkie there?
😂I doubt it
this ain't no place for no babies lol wtf
In all the places in mzansi you had to show that one shame on you what are trying to achieve
We think it is a building of great history and heritage. It shows not only the struggles of South Africans but also the resilience and diversity. However, we do appreciate you pointing it out as we are in the process of visiting and documenting more building in Johannesburg :D. Keep watching this space for more interesting history of Joburg and SA 😀
Why wear masks outside? Makes no sense…
Potty Tower