i enjoyed reading that, but yeah man that place is pretty gritty (to say the least). i have a family friend who belongs to a white family from south africa. he spent the first 28 years of his life there, and all of the stories he told me were pretty similar. on the other side of the table, it seems like the city has been getting better in recent years. anthony bourdain went there for an episode of 'parts unknown' and they definitely portrayed it as a somewhat normal city.
edit: that british journalist is a true idiot. he speaks to these guys like they're retarded children.