Louis Theroux – Law And Disorder: Johannesburg
Louis Theroux travels to Johannesburg, where the residents find themselves increasingly besieged by crime, as he concludes his look at the issue of law and disorder in two volatile and crime-ridden cities (the other being Philadelphia).
Despairing of the capability of the police and the courts to protect them, many have turned to an industry of private security offering protection for a price. Are the sometimes brutal methods of these private police really a solution, or just another part of the problem?
The first stop for Louis is a meeting with William Mayangoni, the local co-ordinator for a security firm known as Mapogo. Based on the outskirts of Diepsloot, one of the squatter camps that rings Johannesburg, William investigates thefts for his mainly white clients. When he catches a suspect, he gives them “medicine”: the alleged offender is beaten with a leather whip known as a sjambok.
Although his clients seem to support what they see as “an African solution to an African problem”, William’s methods alienate the people of Diepsloot. Finally, their patience snaps, and William has to call out the real police in order to protect himself from the vicious threat of the mob.
In the centre of Johannesburg, a security company called Bad Boyz works in an area called Hillbrow, notorious for its high crime rate. Louis meets company director Hendrik De Klerk, who explains that much of their activity involves reclaiming and securing buildings that have been taken over – or hijacked – by criminal gangs who illegally take rent from tenants. Louis watches dramatic evictions unfold, in which the police and security companies aren’t afraid to use force to kick out the protesting residents, and progress often involves turfing families out onto the streets.
While on patrol, Bad Boyz introduce Louis to an unseen Johannesburg underworld. Here, he meets the gang boss known only as “The Chairman” and is escorted into a hijacked skyscraper to meet residents who have lived for years without electricity or water. As he watches Bad Boyz protect their buildings and tenants, Louis begins to wonder about their readiness to use violence, and witnesses the compromises that are made to keep order in a violent city.
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I knew Hillbrow 20 years ago and things are tough and terrible now.
Absolute shame. I find Louis ‘wet behind the ears’ approach amazing. What was he trying to prove? He would never take his family and rent out a room in Hillbrow, so why ask so many stupid questions. African solution for African problem.
Hillbrow has always been bad, didn’t go near when I was last in Jo’burg nearly 9 years ago now. I think Louis is a terrible journalist, his deliberate naivety and patronising attitude is disrespectful, not to mention pathetic! You have to examine the cause and effect behind these terrible before you can truly understand and pass comment/judgement.
This program smacks of simplistic, sensationalist journalism, to the effect of here are a bunch of africans robbing and killing each other, how terrible! Louis is no stranger to SA, yet he appears or perhaps chooses not to try to understand what has happened in SA that has created such terrible poverty and crime. His arguing with William at the end was plain childish – what that guy does is wrong but he has a point – what else can be done if there aren’t enough police to patrol that township? Louis’ only retort was build higher fences and make sure they’re electric – eish these are people living in shacks we’re talking about here, not rich families in Houghton!
It amazed me that amount of tripe and ridiculous questions that came out of Louis’ mouth. Not only was he treating the people around him like children but also the viewer, jeez even Ross Kemp’s dumbed down docs at least going into a bit more depth and you don’t have to cringe at the site of a sneering, arrogant Louis Theroux who thinks he’s superior to everyone else around him! The worst piece of journalism I’ve ever seen!
Well Louis you really “riled” up a lot of us Saffas living here in London.Firstly now people can see what a state South Africa is in nowadays.Secondly I find you a reporter who is of higher education making silly comments like “build higher fences,secure the property better” If people want to steal then they steal. Somehow I just find your comments to be pretty ignorant.It seems you did not really do your homework.
It is easy to visit a place and find the worst in a place. As a white englishman living in johannesburg for the last two years I find it annoying to see a program focussing in the WORST part of a fabulous city.
Lets us visit Handsworth in Birmingham and Brixton in London and see what vision you portray of those areas.
KEEP IT REAL OR DO NOT REPORT IRRESPONSIBLY