Moving to Joburg a big and pricey adjustment
MOVING to Joburg to be with her husband of one year, Durban resident Tresha Govender still yearns for the familiar warmth of the life she once had.
The 26-year-old teacher said many people moved to Johannesburg for a better life and, while the city had its advantages, there was a long list of drawbacks that went along with it.
Govender married Tylo, 28, a chartered accountant, in a garden ceremony in Durban in April last year. Although Tylo had to move to Gauteng immediately for work, Tresha was unable to relocate until five months later.
The Grade 6 Randburg teacher, formerly from Riverdene in Newlands West, said it was a bit of a “Catch 22” situation when she finally moved to the City of Gold.
“While I wanted to be with my husband, I loved my life in Durban because my family and friends are there. I cannot express how much I miss my family.
“Life without them has been incredibly difficult and a huge adjustment for me,” she said.
City of Traffic
A year later and Tresha says life in Joburg is tiresome and expensive, and she has not got used to the traffic.
“I’m always tired. All I want to do is sleep. The traffic is insane. I literally have to leave an hour earlier in the mornings just to avoid the traffic madness.
“Even on weekends the roads are super busy.
“And, yes, while Durban does have its fair share of traffic, nothing compares to the backlog in this city.”
Tresha listed meat and toilet paper as the two most expensive items on her grocery list.
“I often find myself picking out groceries from my mum’s cupboard when I come down to Durban.
“Toilet paper is really overpriced here. You would think they made it from gold,” she joked.
The couple live in a two-bedroom flat in Fourways, but Tresha says that, without a joint salary, they would have financial difficulties.
“Thankfully my husband earns much more here than he did in Durban.
“This has allowed us to purchase our own flat. But we would probably have been able to afford a four-bedroom free-standing house in Durban with the same money we paid (for the flat) here.”
Asked about her favourite place for leisure, Tresha answered: “It has to be Montecasino hands down.
“It’s a one-stop entertainment hub. It has everything in one place. Great food, live entertainment, movies, games – you name it, they’ve got it.
“Also, the atmosphere is always amazing.”
But a proper mutton bunny, she says, is the one thing you will never find in Joburg.
“I must have searched the entire city, tasting any and every bunny I could get my hands on, but I have yet to find a great one and I doubt I ever will.”
While Joburg is her new home, she says Durban will always hold a very special place in her heart.