On Friday afternoons the Johannesburg CBD is abuzz as people leave their offices in a rush to have sundowners at their favourite watering holes.

While some head for the suburbs, the Johannesburg CBD resurgence created many bustling bars and restaurants , and it seems people are warming to the idea of having fun in the inner city.

Cappello Restaurant on Main Street is a hot spot frequented by the young, hip crowd. Manager Berry Oldworth says that apart from Friday nights, most of the clientele are day patrons.

“People love the vibe in the city. It’s the start of a new era. More people are trusting the city more and believe they can happily live in the CBD,” Oldworth says.

Shivava Cafe on Ghandi Square has staked its claim to a substantial clientele in the six months it’ s been open. But manager Ntsako Mahawani says that customers head home before public transport leaving the city stops.

“We are always busy until 8pm when the buses no longer run. People love the place. The only problem is the transport issue.

“There is a fast-growing culture of people who enjoy being here after work, ” Mahawani says.

Other inner-city hot spots include the Market Theatre, Marung, a restaurant billed as being “at the Top of Africa” as it is situated on the 50th floor of the Carlton Centre, while Ninos, in Bank City, in the vicinity of major bank headquarters, seems to scoop up the Sauer Street crowd.

The inner city has always been something of a home base for musicians, thespians and artists.

On Saturday evenings traffic on the usually bustling Commissioner Street thins to nothing more than a few cars. At the Worldart gallery a small crowd chats with wine glasses in hand, outside a brightly lit white-walled gallery. Worldart, which opened two years ago, is one of a few independent gallery spaces that have sprung up near the CBD in the wake of the inner-city redevelopment drive.

The man some call Mr Joburg, Neil Fraser, a director of the Johannesburg Development Agency, says art can go a long way in helping to rejuvenate the city.

“As we’ve seen with the street art that has been erected, artworks humanise the city — shifting people’s focus to something other than themselves. We want to encourage that because it changes the way people look at the city,” he says.

Worldart gallery owner Charl Bezuidenhout says he wants to help establish the Joburg inner city as a destination.

He says independent inner city galleries cater for a younger crowd and having exhibition openings draws people who would normally not venture into the heart of town.

“If you walk past a great painting it elevates your sense of perception. The presence of art in any environment satisfies a different level in a person,” Bezuidenhout says.

The 18th floor and the roof of the Lister building on Bree Street with its mix of art exhibitions and music performances is a hub of Johannesburg nightlife.

Gavin Rooke, owner of the distinctive Rooke Gallery in Newtown, says lessons learnt in cities such as New York and London informed his decision to buy the gallery space.

“Artists have an appetite for taking risks and are usually the first to move into spaces as areas become gentrified ,” he says.

Rooke also says that opening a gallery in town affords him the opportunity to control the perception of the area it is located.

Sammy Mafu, Johannesburg Development Agency spokesman, said the agency would encourage more art galleries to open their doors in the Inner City.

“We want these independent galleries to be sustainable so they can attract more people who normally would not come into town,” he said.

He says the art industry and artists have a valuable role to play in the rejuvenation of the inner city. “Art adds character and heritage to the city. Seven years ago Newtown was a slum. Now it is a cultural hub.”

Tumelo Sedibe, a call-centre consultant who lives in the inner city, says that though he loves the after- work cocktails, safety is a concern when it is time to go home.

“I love the night life in the CBD and it is mostly secure around the restaurants, but I walk a couple of streets to get home and it gets dark and quiet. Anything could happen to me at that time,” he says.