You can do it in Johannesburg too: bar hopping. In this highly unsafe South African city you will find 7th street – or 'Sewende laan' in Afrikaans – known for its diverse nightlife. People in their thirties and students from all races, cultures and nationalities visit the Melville district every week for the relaxed atmosphere and the great cocktails.
 
A guy with flashy sunglasses and car revs the engine of his BMW. It’s Friday evening in the green suburb of Melville and the South African wants to be noticed. But the audience has taken refuge in the many bars and restaurants 7th street has to offer. The only people in the street are the parking attendants who look after your car for less than a euro per evening. This winter it’s cold in South Africa. The terraces are empty, everybody is sitting inside.
 
Students and people in their thirties have assembled in the cafes to celebrate the beginning of the weekend. And while recent research has shown that a Friday afternoon drink is not popular in the Netherlands, South Africans seize the opportunity to have a drink. Melville is a district with bars, restaurants, second hand bookshops and fashionable boutiques.
 
Cocktail bar
Bar Six is a real hotspot on 7th street. There are 60 different cocktails on the menu. The owner, Ebrahim Aslam, opened the bar six years ago. 'I was the first black businessman in this street,’ he says. 'Melville was a liberal district, but still very white.'
 
The district became hip and trendy in the 1970s, when the state broadcaster SABC opened its premises nearby. There were even soaps based on a street that resembles Sewende Laan. During the apartheid era the state broadcaster and Melville were all-white concerns. And it took some time for this to change. But if you look around Six now, both blacks and whites, young and old drink mojitos together.

Elles van Gelder reports from Johannesburg for Newsline:

 
Expensive
At first Six attracted a more elderly clientele. But when two universities opened in the neighbourhood, the clientele became younger. However, the young people coming in for a drink are relatively wealthy. In Six a drink is more expensive than further down the street. You pay around three euro for a cocktail. Not exactly cheap for an average South African student.
 
Nevertheless, 21-year-old Lusandra Kori says she comes to the bar every week. ‘The atmosphere here is good. And they also play more old hits and not house music, like in many other places in the street.’ She takes a sip of her double whiskey mixed with a sweet local soft drink. 'And the diversity in this bar appeals to me. Look at our table. He is from Wales and there are my friends who are coloured and we are black. It is very diverse here. I don’t want to go to a bar with just black people.’

Networking
Sayinile Gregory is also 21 years old. She is here for the first time and is impressed by how easy it is to meet new people. ‘Everybody here wants to talk to you. It is a good place for networking. That may be useful when I have graduated and am looking for a job.’ The owner Ebrahim says he tries to encourage people to get to know each other. He likes to sit several groups of friends together at one table. ‘That way we can integrate even faster.’

Ebrahim is standing by the entrance of Six and looks round the room satisfied. He is positive about what he has achieved in six years. ‘It was always my aim to establish a mixed and relaxed bar. I think the hotspots in Johannesburg are an indicator for South Africa. If you look at the popular places, you get an idea of how our country is doing. In that regard I am very positive about the future.’