Safety under the jacarandas
From Mr Andrew McGregor Sir: I live in a Johannesburg suburb called Saxonwold which borders Houghton, the suburb referred to by Simon Freeman in his article (`Guns, dogs, Aids — and house bar- gains', 19 August). Since purchasing my half-acre property just before the 1994 elec- tions, the value of it has more than dou- bled, according to more than one persistent local estate agent who, admittedly, is short of stock.
After work I run with my five-year-old son Matthew (on his bicycle) through the quiet, jacaranda-lined streets of Saxonwold and the neighbouring suburb of Parkwood. At the weekend I walk with Matthew and his two-and-a-half-year-old sister, Sabine, to the nearby Johannesburg zoo or the zoo's lake park, which is populated by pic- nicking families usually engaged in enthusi- astic games of football or cricket. Alterna- tively, I indulge in long walks with my mother along the Houghton and Westcliffe Ridges with their majestic views of north- ern Johannesburg, which are particularly spectacular in spring when the jacarandas are in bloom.
My place of work is a fully let building next to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, where the biggest point of contention is the exorbi- tant price of parking bays.
After relocating from Cape Town to Johannesburg 14 years ago, I do not own a gun, a dog or an electric fence.
Andrew McGregor
Saxonwold, Gauteng, South Africa
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