5 Things a Joburger Living in Cape Town Misses About Home

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Like expats, Joburgers who have moved to Cape Town know that there are trade-offs. One Joburger-turned-Capetonian shares the things they’ll always miss about their first home—Jozi!

South Africa (28 July 2024) — There’s nothing quite like finding a fellow Joburger who, like you, might call Cape Town home these days but still has their unmistakable Jozi grit.

We’re a unique group of South Africans, us Joburg-Capetonian ‘pavement specials’. While we all have our own reasons for having made the trip West (and many of us adore living where we do now) our moves hardly means that there aren’t a lot of things about home that we sorely miss no matter how long we’ve spent assimilating to the Cape (and hardly hesitate to bond over with Joburg Capetonians like ourselves).

I recently took a trip back home for the longest stretch of time in ages, writes Good Things Guy’s Ashleigh. It was insightful in the way that reuniting with an old friend is and highlighted so many of the things us Joburg-Capetonians confide in each other about when we talk about home.

So, I thought I’d share some of them for anyone thinking about moving, for anyone who has moved and wonders if they’re the only one who misses certain aspects of home, or anyone who simply needs a reminder that there are a lot of things to love about Johannesburg!

5 Things Joburgers Living in Cape Town Tend to Miss About Home

1. Hang Outs That Don’t Break the Bank

Think about how often you’re invited to a friend’s home in Joburg as opposed to when you’re in Cape Town.

One of the biggest draw cards for moving to the Mother City is the idea that there is more to do here. Few would dispute that Capetonians are spoiled for choice when it comes to activities (from cultural events to hikes, beaches and a new coffee shop popping up almost every week in the City Bowl and along the Atlantic Seaboard), but there is something to be said about the impact of all this on one’s purse.

In Joburg, gatherings are not centred around the activity as much as they are in Cape Town, which makes for a slightly less financially stressful feel to socialising.

2. Spectacular Space

From apartments to quaint and tiny restaurants and of course, the roads—most commonly frequented spaces in Cape Town tend to be much, much smaller. In much of Johannesburg, the roads might have more potholes but they do at least offer a lot more space so you don’t feel as if you and the car in the oncoming lane might have to fight to see who will pass first. And when it comes to parking (especially in summer) you better hope you can navigate your vehicle like a cat squeezing into impossible places. If you’re going to the beach, you had better get there at the crack of dawn.

3. Treasured Weather

When people dream about Cape Town, they tend to forget that summer Cape Town and winter Cape Town are two very different beasts. Joburg is famous for its Goldilocks weather in a way that locals can only really appreciate enough when they’ve spent a flooded, windy winter elsewhere to learn that their version of winter is vastly different to the rest of the country.

4. Smoother Socialising

In the case of those who have moved from another province (especially very sociable ones like Gauteng) the so-called ‘cliquey’ nature of Cape Town has always been a hot topic. In Cape Town’s defence, the culture is different for a myriad of reasons—people have a lot more to do with their City and its natural offerings and thus don’t need to rely on socialising with others quite as much. But, it can be difficult for new-comers to integrate into the culture in a way that isn’t as challenging as it is when integrating into Joburg culture.

5. A Culture of Appreciation

Joburgers go through a lot in terms of poorly run infrastructure. But, popularly to contrary belief, many parts of Cape Town actually do too—especially outside of the city centre. For those who only know the tourist spots of Cape Town however, it can certainly appear like the Mother City has it all figured out. The question however, is how much can those who live there appreciate it all?

Appreciating the little things is often relative to how much you feel you have to complain about. With that being said, oftentimes, Joburgers have a knack for appreciating the little things—at least more outwardly. When the robot is fixed, the praise is loud. When the water’s back on, the community sings in joy. It’s bitter-sweet, but appreciating the little things is a quality and energy that transmits throughout a lot of Jozi. Of course, the other side of the coin is that when something is going wrong, a Joburger won’t hesitate to be the loudest about it (Joburgers are very expressive).

Indeed, both Joburg and Cape Town have their own beats and rhythms. And, as it is with any move to any new place, there will always be trade-offs. But this hardly means we need to bash one place to love another.

I happen to love both my homes dearly and proudly and mostly because even if they are different flavours, they are still inherently South African.