The poem “City Johannesburg” is about the relationship between the speaker, an African man who worked in the urban area during the apartheid era, and the city, Johannesburg. It highlights the oppression and dehumanization caused by the apartheid system in the past. The urban area appears vast and controlling, a place of anxiety and pain for man. The poem also addresses some similarities and differences between rural and urban areas. The title of the poem, "City Johannesburg", refers to the setting, namely Johannesburg, and also refers to a deeper meaning characterizing the oppressive nature of apartheid in the bygone period. Likewise, there is currently still tension between different races in the country. After the apartheid era, the country remained socioeconomically divided by race. As a “born free”, this pushed me to try to eliminate the traces of oppression and deep racism still visible today because there still seems to be a clear division between “us” and “them”, even after 20 years of democracy. At the beginning of the poem, the poet talks about his life, “By my pace, my life” (Serote, W. 2002: 4) and towards the end he talks about his death, “My dongas, my dust, my people, my death” (Serote, W. 2002: 32). These lines are contrasting and compare the pass that allows him to live in a township and work in the city, to his death. The speaker's daily movement between the district and the city emphasizes the lives of workers in the past and present. Images such as "robot streets", "thick iron breath" and "neon flowers" (Serote, W. 2002: 20-25) describe various aspects of the city. These examples reveal the controlling effects of industry in the city and also the artificial beauty of the city in the darkness. ... in the center of the card ... was said to be a symbol of success and pride. “We used to brag about the Carlton: it was said to be the largest concrete building in the world.” (Hope, C. 2002: 134) It had once been the tallest tower and richest hotel in Johannesburg. The building once proudly reminded Johannesburg residents that their hospitality was among the best in the world. “The Carlton, like downtown Johannesburg, is a place where no one walks.” Now the building is seen as a symbol of defeat and decay. I consider the Carlton Center to be a profitable project that paid off well into the 1990s. Although the complex is slowly re-emerging into commerce, many people, including myself, see it as the failure of the city's business tycoons. Referring to the opinion article, Johannesburg has made me more aware of my safety at my university due to the currently high crime rates.