South Africans are building alternatives to public services

JOHANNESBURG CLAIMS to be the largest city in the world that is not built on a coast, river or lake. But geography is no concern for the couples steering pedalos or the toddlers zooming down slides at the “lagoon”, a 300m stretch of watery fun that opened in September at Steyn City, the largest private estate in South Africa. Situated in the north of Johannesburg, Steyn City has shops, a school, generators, a petrol station, golf, 50km of biking trails, fishing dams, 24-hour security and a dinosaur-themed playground. There is even a helipad; but residents need never leave.That, for some, is the point. The appeal of estates like Steyn City, which account for nearly one in five property transfers (a proxy for sales), is partly that they are fun. Yet they also represent a broader demand: for a sanctuary in a country where the state cannot seem to curb crime or provide decent services. And it is not just the rich who are fending for themselves. So, increasingly, is everyone else.