Roxy's Rhythm Bar opened in 1984, single-handedly turning Melville from a fine-dining hub into a legendary clubbing node. If those Main Road walls could talk, we would probably have to arrest them! Welcome to Melville Untold, the place where our best local secrets never really die.

In this week’s newsletter,

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

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After an intense 3 weeks or so, we’re ready for a quiet week if you are!

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our Instagram page @snapson7th or our Melville Pulse event calendar

Word began circulating in the Melville community groups on Wednesday evening that Bambanani would be closing at the end of April. A SENS announcement released on 15 April by Africa Bitcoin Corporation — Bambanani's parent company, listed on the JSE and NSX — confirmed the closure, scheduled for 30 April 2026, and outlined a restructure plan including the temporary relocation of Bamba's Kitchen to the Melville premises from 1 May, and the launch of an e-commerce platform called Bambanani at Home.

The announcement said, in the company's own words, that the closure "is disappointing and that the path to this point was longer and more costly than expected."

The response in the community was immediate. "Noooooooo." "This is terribly, terribly, terribly sad news." For seventeen years, Bambanani was the answer to a question Melville does not always get asked: "Is this suburb child-friendly?" If you had children, you went to Bambanani. You knew it. You counted on it.

We are sharing what the public record says, and we are sharing what the neighbourhood feels. We have not yet spoken to the management, so we'll keep tabs on it, get more information and revisit it once our local one's official statements come out. There's a human story behind this, what it means for the team, for the families, for the future of that building. We hope for all the best for Carryn, the team and our hood. It's another sad moment.

If you have a Bambanani memory you want to share in the meantime, reply to this email. Seventeen years of "happy families" on 4th Avenue is worth remembering out loud.

Every Friday afternoon, between 14:00 and 14:30, Sewella Lageni, owner of Book Circle Capital at 27 Boxes, takes over a slot on SAFM's The Full Circle with Bridget Masinga to talk books. Not just any books. She curates a list each week spanning fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children's titles, with a particular focus on new releases and the extraordinary breadth of African literature being published right now.

In her words: "I think it's a wonderful way to get people to know the wealth in African literature, the amount of books that are coming out from authors locally.

The feature, called The Book Circle, has been running since last year and has quietly become a hit. Listeners call in. They enquire about titles. They come into the shop.

"It's a beautiful conversation about books," Sewella says of her chats with Bridget Masinga. "Because she's so knowledgeable about it herself."

If you want to tune in: SAFM, Fridays, 14:00. And if something catches your ear, you know where to find the shop.

Safe Streets initiative is moving forward, not quickly, but surely. On Saturday, 11 April, the MSI Safe Streets committee held a two-hour working session attended by roughly 50 residents. There were presentations from an application consultant firm and two security advisors, followed by something that felt, by all accounts, like actual progress: volunteers self-organised into four working groups covering the financial model, the aesthetics plan, the security and safety framework, and community communications.

Danny, the MSI spokesperson, summed up the mood afterwards:

"It looks like the project is starting to gain some momentum now in terms of what we can actually start looking at and achieving as a community. We are optimistically hoping for an end-of-the-year installation, but that is very, very lucid. It's like a high-road projection: what sort of time frame if everything goes in our favour and the city doesn't do anything and there are no objections that need to be addressed."

On the city process, Danny was characteristically honest: "It's really still so hard to give a time frame — as we know, their two weeks is equivalent to our six months."

The gate location remains confirmed as the general area of 1st Avenue and Main Road. Precise placement will only be finalised by the JRA during the formal wayleave process. In the meantime, those four work streams are doing real work. The next step is developing a visual picture of what the project will actually look like, something the suburb can see and respond to. That's coming.

For the full project overview, the Northcliff Melville Times ran a solid piece on 12 April

After sustained failures to get adequate responses from City Power, including a visit to the depot where the relevant staff were simply unavailable, Councillor Jacobs has written directly to both the General Manager of City Power and the Acting CEO, requesting their personal intervention.

His words: "It is unacceptable that residents are left without power for days, and that repairs are often not permanent or properly completed."

The letters are sent. We are watching for a response. We will keep you informed.

If you have outstanding municipal account queries, Saturday is your moment.

The City of Johannesburg is holding an Open Day at Ferndale Recreation Centre, 38 Harley Street, Ferndale, on Saturday 18 April, from 08:00 to 15:00.

Services on offer: account queries, pre-paid meter queries, Expanded Social Package (ESP), pensioner rebates, e-Joburg registration, and Debt Relief Programme applications.

Bring your reference numbers. If you are going on behalf of someone else, bring a proxy letter. It sounds like admin. It is admin. But it is the kind of admin that makes a real difference if your account has been a source of grief.

Last week we mentioned that the Melville Art Mile would be popping up at Jozi's pilot Main Street Sunday with a taste of the Mile. Well: it was epic.

The whole city is glowing after a phenomenal pilot event. The internet was briefly, beautifully cleansed — Jozi smiles and laughter everywhere on Monday morning. And we were there, representing Mellies, which is a privilege we do not take lightly.

The most extraordinary moment in three years of running Snaps On Seventh happened at that stall. The Melville community rushed us, showered us with love and support, and then took an iconic group photo together. We are not entirely sure we have recovered. Thank you, Jozi My Jozi and thank you Jozi. You made us fall in love with you all over again.

If you missed it, Main Street Sundays should be back. And so will we! Standard Bank Gallery's Homecoming exhibition is also on until September; works by Picasso, Monet, Hockney, Warhol, and Lichtenstein, drawn from the Joburg Art Gallery's collection. Worth the trip into town on its own.

Don’t miss the chance to be a part of the Melville Art Mile, apply to be on the official map and program! Or get your tickets while its still early.

The Joburg Artist Market at 27 Boxes is hosting the Collectors Dinner this Friday 17 April 2026, in partnership with the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM) and Joburg Child Welfare (JCW).

The exhibition features works donated by the MTN Foundation, including the Commemorating Sophiatown portfolio, with pieces by Nelson Makamo alongside works by other acclaimed artists. All proceeds support IHOM's trauma healing and psychosocial support programmes, and JCW's child protection services.

Tickets: quicket.co.za/events/368347-collectors-dinner

An upcoming mono-printing on clay workshop with international printmaker @rabbit_productions. Mono-printing on clay is a technique where coloured slip or underglaze is transferred from a surface onto leather-hard clay, producing detailed, painterly imagery. If that sentence just made you curious, check the Mudroom's socials for more details.

If your dog or cat is overdue for shots, George Hay Park in Parkview has you sorted this Saturday. Short drive. Very worth it.

Prices: Yearly vaccination R250 / Rabies injection R90 / Deworming R60 / Nail clippings R50 / Microchipping R150.

Lionel's Choice will also be at the event. And there will be dogs available for adoption, for anyone whose home is currently missing a very important resident.

Ziggy the cat, he of Ziggy's Pet Pamporium, regular patrol of the 7th and 4th Avenue area, and considerable local reputation, has not come home. He is microchipped and wearing a green collar. He is described as very social but does not like being picked up (a distinction worth noting before you try).

Please call 076 909 3857 or 076 091

The next Melville Art Mile is looming, and the hood has missed our local monthly Market at the church, but fear not! 51 4th Art is back! Ernest Korkie has confirmed 11 artists will be showing at the church this Melville Art Mile so far. There will be wine. There will be food stalls, specifically to make sure nobody is drinking on an empty stomach, which is a public service. Coffee will also be available.

Opening speaker, vendor line-up and the full programme at 51 4th Art's Melville Art Mile market will be announced closer to the date.

What is confirmed: 11 artists, great art, incredible vibe, the church hall. You can visit the the Melville Market twice this May!

If you need a reason to be outside on Saturday afternoon, here is a very good one.

Melville Koppies is hosting Sketch, Paint, Print with endemic grasses on Saturday 18 April, from 14:00 to 16:30. Entrance next to 1 Kafue Road, Emmarentia.

Expect an introduction to the autumn grasses themselves, facilitated techniques for sketching and printing with plants, and that particular golden light the Koppies does in April that makes everything look like a painting. Proceeds support conservation work on the reserve.

Pricing: Adults R100 / Under-18s R50 / Under-5s free. Card preferred. Enquiries: 082 448 9929.

Monthly hikes on the Koppies continue every last Sunday of the month. The next one is 26 April. No reason needed to show up for that one.

Three Saturdays in. Twenty-plus people. One dog. Several teenagers who were not expecting to enjoy themselves and absolutely did.

The Melville Social Run Crew has quietly become one of the nicest things happening on a Saturday morning in the hood. It started three weeks ago with eight people at The Green Fork. Last Saturday it drew more than twenty. The route takes runners through Melville's streets, past the vegetation, the street gardens, the kerb-side planting that residents have put in over the years. At 06:30, before the suburb has fully woken up, it is a different city.

Oliver Quambusch, owner of Hotel Hope and a first-time participant last Saturday, brought his entire family and the dog. In his words:

"It is so fantastic. It really is exactly what we've always wanted for Melville — a wonderful way of exploring the streets, and you know, safety in numbers of running together. It was completely uneventful, which is wonderful. And it was also just so nice to run, but also to see all the vegetation and the street gardens that people have planted. Super, really really enjoyable. A perfect way to start a Saturday morning."

His teenagers have already asked if they are running again this Saturday. Which, to be fair, says everything.

A well-earned shoutout to Lauren, who looked after the kids during the run so parents could actually focus on the running part.

The MSRC is family-friendly and deliberately so. Route markings for faster runners are coming. Dogs, apparently, are already sorted.

Next Saturday. 06:30. The Green Fork. Warm-up from 06:30, run starts at 07:00 sharp.

For parents in Auckland Park and the surrounding suburbs, Mimosa School is hosting an Open Day on 18 April from 10:00 to 12:00. Reggio Emilia-inspired early learning, for children from 18 months through to Grade 3, with integrated isiZulu and a child-led approach. Contact Theresa on 083 305 7904 or visit mimosaschool.org.za.

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Stay radical, stay radiant stay rocking!

Alu a e. ✌️