The Capetonians and the Johannesburgers

I wasn't born in Cape Town, I was born in Johannesburg. Up until the age of 13, all I knew was the City of Gold. The financial hub, the place were money is made and people are on the move, constantly. I have some amazing memories of a time that admittedly was a lot safer than today. The one thing I love about Johannesburg are the people. A population of friendly and approachable human beings. So when it was decided that we would be moving to Cape Town, I was unsure.....The common perception for a Johannesburger is that a Capetonian is lazy, laid back and most likely smokes weed and enjoys the "hippie" life of free love and the earth. There are also the snobbish kinds of Capetonians, the ones that enjoy their world renowned city status.

Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, there is a fair amount of a certain type of people that create these stereotypical judgments. So when we arrived, I was confronted by unfriendly people that made fun of my accent, if you've ever heard a Johannesburger speak, you'll know what I'm talking about. But after a while I realized that Capetonians weren't unfriendly, they are clicky. There are millions of groups of people, diverse groups from the hippie collection to society's elite and it wasn't an unfriendliness I was encountering, it was a trust issue I was facing as an outsider.

I know it may seem that I am Capetonian bashing and I could spend all day talking about the stereotypical traits of a Johannesburger and a Capetonian but after 10 years, I managed to get myself into many clicks. And develop lasting friendships. I have friends I can behave like a child with, I have friends I can talk to about my ambitions and scheme ways to become a millionaire before 30, I have friends who are mothers and I have friends who I can be very hoitty toitty with. It's the variety that is so amazing. This city is.... dare I say it.... a melting pot of people and cultures.

People still ask me where I'm from and I answer, "I'm originally from Johannesburg but I've been here for almost ten years, I think that officially makes me a Capetonian." It's the best of both worlds, a childhood in the City of Gold and an adulthood in the best city in the world. So enough with the rivalry, let's all have a good laugh at our stereotypes and enjoy the cities that make South Africa so unique.