Happy Tuesday Melville fam! Welcome to the 27th issue of Melville Untold: Pet's edition.

In today’s newsletter,

• Introducing The Tail End: Melville's New Pet Community (+ Win Big in Our Winter Wear Pet Contest!) 🐾

• An International Artist Exhibits In Melville 🎨

• Melville Residents Association Monthly Community Meeting 🏡

Let’s go. 

— Aubrey Moloto,

The Digest

Introducing The Tail End: Melville's New Pet Community (+ Win Big in Our Winter Wear Pet Contest!)

After 27 issues of Melville Untold, we've realised we haven't been catering to a third of our community - Melville's animals. It's time to make amends.

If you're in Melville's social media groups, you've seen the constant stream of missing and found pet posts. We're adding a new section to help families reconnect with their animals, share important news from local vets and pet stores, and celebrate our furry family members.

Tag Links: QR Codes for Pet Safety

While researching how best to do this, we spoke to Cobi of Ziggy’s Pet Pamporium on 7th Street who helped us develop some excellent ideas. At her shop, an interesting product caught our attention – Taglinks!

Taglinks is a small business run by Paul Nogueira based in Emmarentia. It uses QR code technology to help pets find their way back home. Paul has always cared about reuniting pets with their owners, previously running a service using sms short code numbers on dog tags.

Two years ago, Paul discovered WhatsApp's feature where clicking a link opens a chat directly with a specific contact. He realised this could revolutionise his service and make returning lost pets much easier.

Paul created QR-coded tags and built a website database. When someone finds a pet with a Taglinks QR code, they can scan it to see the pet's registered picture and details. With a simple click, a WhatsApp chat with the owner opens automatically – voila! A reunited family.

Growing a Pet Safety Business

Customers register their animal on the website and pay a yearly R100 subscription fee. (The tag itself is free!)

Paul initially distributed tags through local vets in Melville and surrounding areas. The Parkhurst Residents Association even bought a batch for their residents and quickly brought Taglinks up to 400 users. This success encouraged Paul to expand further.

Paul met Cobi two years ago, and they got on like a house on fire! Cobi now sells the tags at Ziggy's Pet Pamporium. Tag Links currently has 1,017 users and has reunited many families!

Expanded Services

Tag Links continues to develop its pet safety services. They've now created a community group with Ziggy's Pet Pamporium specifically for sharing missing pet information in Melville. This is how it will work: When a pet is reported missing on the Whatsapp group, a notification of a lost pet is posted on the group which includes a URL link to the pet’s Taglinks profile. Any community member who spots the animal can simply tap the URL link to send the owner a WhatsApp message, perhaps share their current location or even make a Wi-Fi call to alert them. Suddenly, the entire community becomes a network of vigilant eyes, all working together to bring lost pets home!

Melville Untold Referral Reward

Melville Untold has grown tremendously through your referrals. We want to thank our top referrers by sponsoring a free one-year Taglinks subscription to anyone who refers 25 people to Melville Untold using their personal referral link.

Pet Winter Wear Contest

We're excited to announce our partnership with Ziggy's Pet Pamporium for a winter wear contest running from 1 May to 1 September 2025.

Contest rules:

1. Take a picture of your pet in its cutest winter outfit

2. Email the picture with pet and owner names to [email protected] or register in-store at Ziggy's

3. One entry per pet (owners can enter multiple pets)

4. Pictures will appear in our newsletter weekly, with readers voting via email or in-store at Ziggy's

5. Ziggy's is preparing an awesome prize to be announced before 1 May

6. Winners collect prizes at Ziggy's with a photo opportunity for our newsletter and social media

Join the Fun!

That's how you announce a newsletter section! We hope this new pet corner “The Tail End” makes the newsletter more fun and interactive while bringing positive energy to our little slice of Jozi. Let's make Melville fun again!

Reply to this email with your thoughts and ideas for the new section.

The Melville Lost Pet Whatsapp Group is open to all Melville pet owners, who can join by registering their pets with Taglinks and adding the QR-coded tags to their collars.

They can do this by going to Ziggy’s Pet Pamporium on 7th Street and subscribing to the lost pet service. Once part of the WhatsApp community, they’ll have instant access to this powerful network created by Paul and Cobi.

Contact Paul for business enquiries - 082 499 3552

If you enjoyed today’s digest consider buying us a coffee. 

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

Seems like it's going to be a quiet week in the hood. Check in with our social media stories for events announced later in the week. Major change alert: Six Cocktail Bar have discontinued their Salsa Sunday events.

Melville Weather For The Week ☔️ 

Let's hope for a spell of dryness so CREASS can get some work done - the wet weather has been an enemy of community upliftment tasks!

Wednesday 

24° 🌡️ 11°  | 🌧️ |  🌧️ 85% | WNW 9 km/h 💨

Thursday  

25° 🌡️ 11° | ⛅️ | 🌧️ 1% | NW 9 km/h 💨

Friday 

24° 🌡️ 12° | 🌧️ |  🌧️ 67% | NNW 9 km/h 💨

Saturday 

23° 🌡️ 10° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 55% | NNW 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

24° 🌡️ 12° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 25% | SW 4 km/h 💨

Monday 

22° 🌡️ 10° | ⛅️ |  🌧️ 25% | WNW 7 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

23° 🌡️ 11° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 7% | NNW 13 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

Here are this week's music event offerings...

10/04 Thursday | 5.30 pm | Wild Jasmine Guesthouse | Dinner Soirée - A vegetarian dinner with in-season fruits and veggies & intimate live folk music by Gontse Makhene | R350 per seat, R150 meal pick-up | Bookings close 12pm on Wednesday | Bookings: Pearl - 065 664 9456

10/04 Thursday | 7.30 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | Early Autumn With Estelle Kokot | R180 

11/04 | Friday | 8 pm | Smoking Kills Bar | Raving In Johanneburg: Keke, Tanika Skye, Xissara, Hannah REM, NightCrawlerz | R100 

11/04 | Friday | 7 pm | Coca Restaurant Lounge | Open Mic Poetry Night | R50

12/04 | Saturday | 8 pm | Smoking Kills Bar | Emo Night: Happiness Is Taking Back Saturday

12/04 | Saturday | 8 pm | Coca Restaurant Lounge | Hip-Hop Games Night | Invite Only 

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our instagram page @snapson7th

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

Melville Residents Association Monthly Community Meeting

The MRA are inviting the community to their monthly meeting. Ward Councillor Kyle Jacobs will be there along with representatives from the Gauteng Liquor Board. This is a great opportunity for residents to engage with the city's key decision makers directly.

• Date: Tuesday, 8 April 2025

• Time: 6:00 PM

• Venue: 34 4th Avenue, Melville (Kribo Trading)

The Tail End 🐾

Missing Pets

Welcome to the Pet's section of Melville Untold! We'll try to keep it brief, focused and positive. Here's what's going on in animal news:

We spoke to the good people at Richmond Animal Hospital who wanted to make sure the community knows a few preventative measures and best practices to keep your pets from getting lost or finding them easier if they do:

• Microchips! They get too many animals brought to the animal hospital without microchips or with outdated information on their chips. Please ensure your info is updated and consider getting one if you haven't yet.

• Air Tags are a new tech solution worth considering. An Air Tag connects your pet's microchip to your iPhone making them trackable. While keeping your pets contained should be your first priority, if they do get out, an Air Tag is a savvy way of tracking their location quickly!

We researched Air Tags further and found some safety concerns pet owners should know about. Some animals have swallowed the battery in Air Tags, causing serious problems that may require surgery to resolve.

If you do use an Air Tag:

• Always use sturdy accessories that don't dangle

• Look for chew-resistant outer casings

• Inspect the tag regularly for any damage

• Consider pet-specific tracking devices designed with safety in mind

Always prioritise your pet's safety when using any tracking technology!

You can start sending emails to [email protected] with lost pet information and posters. This is an extra platform that can help reunite animals with their families. Let’s use it.

Start preparing for our Winter Wear competition - get those cute little outfits ready!

Activities 

This coming Saturday the 12th of April, we'll be doing the monthly Walk With Dogs hike on Melville Koppies West. Bring your doggies out for some socialising and a bit of a run out.

It's R40 per person. We meet at 7:50 am for an 8 am start at the cul-de-sac on the top of Arundel Road in Westdene.

Koppies Check-In 🏔 

Woolies Shoppers Can Support The Koppies

On the 1st of April 2025, Woolworths replaced WReward and Myschool cards with an app called MyDifference. The Koppies Committee are asking for your support by adding them to your 'causes' on the MyDifference App if you shop at Woolies. It costs you nothing and helps the Koppies with much-needed conservation funds. All you have to do is:

1. Download the MyDifference app by Woolworths

2. Click on "causes"

3. Add 'Friends Of Melville Koppies'

This will benefit the Melville Koppies every time you shop at Woolies.

Also at the koppies this weekend:

• Merle Grace's Storytelling on Koppies Central

• The walk with dogs at Koppies West

• A work Party led by Elsje on Koppies Central

• The usual Sunday morning free roam: hiking, exploration, bird watching, photography and meditation

Contact Wendy for more information or to book a private event: 079 532 0083

Icing On The Cake 🧁

International Artist Exhibits In Melville

Malcolm-Emilio has partnered with Melvillain Nkululeko Mabe to bring a powerful, spiritual celebration of Africa to Melville through the Alkebulan Again art exhibition - a celebration of ancient Africa.

We had a brief chat with Malcolm-Emilio, a half-Chilean half-Barbadian artist who has been “circumnavigating the planet for about 15 years doing my work and personal study on the coexistence of humanity and natural resources.” Malcolm-Emilio has been to 35 countries fulfilling this calling through his art and has come to South Africa having been invited to visit Credo Mutwa Cultural Village in Soweto.

After a powerful spiritual moment while paying his respect to the great African healer and writer, Melville played the part of a conduit between his ethereal experience and its physical manifestation, bringing it alive and into the world through the Alkebulan Again opening.

He partnered with South African Artist Naledi Modupi who contributed a few pieces of her own. The exhibition opened on Thursday the 3rd of April and runs till the 10th of April at the pink building on 7th Street - Melville Mansions.

Nkululeko together with Melville Mansions present this opening as a new art corner that serves as the initial effort “to bring back an artistic experience back to Melville and activate the First Thursdays culture on the strip. Of course"I LOVE MELVILLE” says Nkululeko. 

Anna Stroud's Winning Streak Continues!

Anna is becoming a celebrated artist in her own right. In a space of just 6 months, this Melville resident has blazed the stage with a starring role in a play at the Franklin Players Theatre, become a cast member on BBC's "Come Dine With Me SA", and has now won a Humanities and Social Sciences Award for "Who Looks Inside" - a critically acclaimed book she wrote and launched in May 2024 at Love Books. You can get the book at our local bookstores - Love Books and Book Circle Capital. 

Congratulations Anna, keep giving them hell!

Ant Café Is Back!

Remember the iconic Ant Café with legendary pizzas? Well, they're back! No physical location as yet, but the owner is running a dark kitchen from his home and delivering locally. To get a taste of old Melville, place your order at 068 645 1944 - they're available on WhatsApp and Uber Eats as well!

Thank you! 🙏

Thank you for tuning into a continuously improving Melville Untold. What do you think of our new section?

If you enjoyed the read, consider buying us a coffee.

Til next Tuesday,

Keep your pets safe, keep loving them and keep them warm throughout winter!

O dabọ ✌️