Hillbrow is the highest point in Johannesburg. Built on the ridge of a hill, it measures only about one square mile. It is a vibrant, multi-cultural melting pot of decaying high-rise blocks that are home to more than a million people including South Africans, Zambians, Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Angolans, Mozambicans and Congolese amongst many others.

Hillbrow is also a haven to gangsters, drug lords, illegal immigrants and prostitutes home Between 1990 and 2001, a staggering 59,000 crimes were recorded in Hillbrow, including 640 murders, 988 rapes, 7,521 assaults, 6,775 robberies with firearms, 7,689 other robberies, 3,523 hijackings and stolen vehicles, 18,7171 other thefts as well as 1,347 drug related crimes. But it was not always like this.

In the 1970s Hillbrow was the place to go with the best cafes, clubs, bars, live music, etc. It was always the first place new immigrants to South Africa stopped, before they moved on. This gave the place a cosmopolitan feeling, and the high-rise architecture gave it the excitement of a big city.