Yet I remain fiercely proud of this South African city and the resilient, industrious people who call it home. We’ve witnessed an undeniable deterioration of our beautiful city and neighbourhood in just seven months since our last visit for a neighbour’s wedding. Like every neighbourhood, Brixton has its own challenges. It was witnessing the steady erosion of our people’s dignity and the deprivation of water remains the hardest reality to accept. They are the basic obligations of a functioning city where residents can feel like their lives are worth living and dreams are worth chasing.