Johannesburg: Gold, Jacarandas, and...Data?
Johannesburg, or Joburg as the locals call it, is known as Egoli, "the city of gold" in Zulu. That’s according to NPR (2025). But that's a historical artifact. Gold built the city, sure, but does it define it now?
St Mary’s Waverley, Joburg’s oldest school, was founded in 1888, during the height of the gold rush. The Bishop of Pretoria wanted to educate the daughters of Johannesburg’s elite. (Side note: I wonder what the male-to-female ratio was in those early boomtown days?). Today, St. Mary’s boasts impressive academic results, averaging over four distinctions per matriculant. That's an average of 4.2 distinctions, to be exact, in 2024. Impressive. But does academic achievement define a city? I don’t think so.
Spring in Joburg brings the jacaranda blooms, turning the city purple. NPR describes it as a "sea of violet blooms," an "amethyst city." 50,000 jacarandas, descendants of Brazilian imports, paint the avenues purple. Okay, it sounds pretty. But beauty is subjective. We need numbers.
The Real Numbers?
Operation Dudula is making waves. They are appealing a Johannesburg High Court ruling that prevents them from blocking "undocumented immigrants" from accessing public healthcare. The court said this was unlawful and unconstitutional. Operation Dudula claims they are defending the rights of South Africans. Okay, this is interesting.
Judge Adams stated that only immigration officials can demand ID. He wants the government to implement the National Action Plan to combat racism and xenophobia. The African Diaspora Forum is calling for an urgent migrant Indaba.
This is where things get interesting. "The fact that an individual is undocumented or a non-citizen does not mean that his or her human rights can be violated without consequence," the judge stated. That's the crux of it, isn't it?
Here's the methodological critique: "Undocumented" is a nebulous term. How do you quantify "undocumented"? How many people are we talking about? What's the percentage of the population? What is the percentage of people who are not receiving the healthcare they need? The available data feels… insufficient.
Operation Dudula's leader, Zandile Dubula, says they will comply with the court order while appealing. She claims their work is defending South Africans whose rights are not being prioritized. You can read more about the Operation Dudula to appeal Johannesburg High Court ruling on undocumented immigrants in iol.co.za.
I've looked at hundreds of these types of statements, and they always boil down to resource allocation. Healthcare, housing, jobs… it’s a zero-sum game in their eyes. What percentage of South Africans agree with Operation Dudula? What percentage disagree? We need polling data.
The African Diaspora Forum condemns migrants involved in illegal activities. That’s a start. But what are the actual numbers of migrants involved in criminal activity vs. those who are not? The lack of precise data is deafening.
Data Deficit Disorder
So, what defines Johannesburg? Not gold mines from the 1880s. Not jacaranda trees. Not even academic performance. It's a city grappling with immigration, resource allocation, and the messy reality of human rights. But without reliable data, all we have are anecdotes and pronouncements. And that's not enough to define anything.