LOOKING BACK

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 50 YEARS AGO

The Government will not impose petrol rationing in the near future — but South Africans face the prospect of not being able to refuel during weekends or at night during the week. I understand that restrictions on the sale of petrol will be imposed almost immediately. Speed limits will probably be reduced by proclamation to cut down fuel consumption. The expected speed limit is 80 kilometres per hour. The expected restrictions are: on weekdays, no petrol sales between 6pm and 6am; on weekends, no petrol sales from 6pm on Friday to 5am on Monday. It was learnt in Pretoria yesterday that the Government printing works staff have been working overtime to produce petrol rationing coupons. — November 11 1973

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 25 YEARS AGO

Skyscrapers that once stood as monuments to mining empires are now mothballed, their owners having fled the “crime-infested hellhole” of Johannesburg city. Once fashionable addresses, have become slums where law enforcement officers and city officials fear to tread. On the streets of Hillbrow mattresses can be rented by the hour, while many residents live in flats that have not had water or electricity for nearly a year. Scenes of decay, dirty streets, dilapidated buildings and crumbling pavements seem more appropriate to Maputo than a city with a R7-million budget — larger than that of some of South Africa’s provinces. As crime and grime threaten to overrun Johannesburg, the future of its four million people hangs in the balance. — November 8 1998