Melville’s grid is simple: Streets run North-South, Avenues East-West. Yet your delivery driver will still end up on 4th Street instead of 4th Avenue, staring at the Koppies with your cold pizza. Welcome to Melville Untold.

In this week’s newsletter:

• Meet the City’s Referee: Our sit-down with the Ombudsman 👨‍💼

• Post-Protest Clarity with JoburgCAN’s Julia Fish 🚱

• A World Record Holder at Mimosa Pre-Primary 🤹‍♀️

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

The Digest

Meet Our Ombudsman: The Human Bridge in a Broken City

I first met Advocate Sdu Gumede on the Melville Koppies. He wasn't wearing a sharp suit, nor was he flanked by city officials. He was just a dad on a reconnaissance mission, walking the trails to see if it was safe enough to bring his family on a weekend hike.

That alone tells you something crucial. How many City officials do you know who actually spend their weekends testing the safety of our public third spaces before committing their own kids to them? Gumede, the Ombudsman for the City of Johannesburg, is a man whose relationship with Jozi runs deep. He walked these streets as a student at Wits, and today, he is still walking them, whether he’s checking the safety of the Koppies or spending a Saturday with his family pulling weeds and lifting tombstones alongside the Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries.

Let’s be brutally honest for a second: it is incredibly hard to feel hopeful about Johannesburg right now. We have just endured over 20 days without water. We’ve had to take to the streets in protest to remind the powers that be that we are still here, and we are desperately thirsty. The decline of the city’s infrastructure feels so vast, so systemic, that it’s easy to believe no one in government actually cares about the people on the ground.

But sitting across from Advocate Gumede in his boardroom, you get the distinct sense that he cares.

Facing the sheer scale of Joburg's municipal decay is terrifying. Anyone stepping into that ring right now might look a little out of their depth. We get the sense, too, when speaking with Julia Fish at the forefront of the fight, the rot is just that deep. But Gumede possesses a genuinely good energy and an earnestness that makes you root for him. He is one of the many weapons in our civic toolkit, and frankly, we need him to succeed.

The "Equality of Arms"

So, what does he actually do? When you've fought Joburg Water or City Power, logged your tickets, waited the 30 days, and hit a bureaucratic brick wall, his office is your next port of call.

“Council felt that there was a disconnect between itself and the residents,” he explained. The City is a monolith, and the resident is small. His office exists to create an "equality of arms." If you are being billed for water you haven't received, Gumede is the man who can summon the Managing Director of Joburg Water into his boardroom and demand they defend every single cent on that invoice.

The Diplomat's Tightrope.

Gumede is emotional intelligent: he knows that you cannot fix a broken city by screaming at the people holding the spanners.

“There is great hostility between the public and government... we must destroy the 'us and them',” he says. He understands that to drive actual results for us, he cannot constantly antagonise his peers in the City’s entities. Instead, he acts as a mediator, demanding accountability while fostering collaboration. He acknowledges the brutal realities the City faces—like the billions needed to replace the 1960s asbestos pipes beneath our feet—but refuses to let residents be bullied in the meantime.

A Vision of Success: Dreaming Together.

As our conversation drew to a close, we shifted away from the immediate trauma of dry taps and broken bills. I asked him what his vision of success looks like for a city so battered.

His answer was surprisingly tender for a man in the legal profession. He wants to move us past a relationship based purely on conflict. At the moment, we only talk to the City when things are broken, when we are angry, reactive, and tired.

“I would like us to create a platform where we dream together,” he shared softly. “This is our city. Let’s co-create a vision... If you find people in Melville who are interested in building Melville, let's build those partnerships. What does Melville want to look like? And how can we help Melville become the Melville that it wants to be?”

We are in the thick of it right now, fighting for basic human rights like water. But it helps to know that when we escalate our fights, there is a Wits alum sitting in the Ombudsman's chair who understands the assignment, who walks our parks, and who is quietly, diplomatically fighting to help us build a city we can dream in again.

(You can lodge a dispute or find out more about his office at www.joburgombudsman.org.z or contact: 010 288 2800 / 081 365 0225

If you’re happy to know what an ombudsman is, consider buying us a coffee.

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

Here’s what there is to do this week in our hood. (Because you can only stare at your empty water taps for so long before it becomes weird).

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

Melville Weather For The Week ☔️

Wednesday  

25° 🌡️ 15° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 25% | WNW 9 km/h 💨

Thursday  

29° 🌡️ 16° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 1% | NW 9 km/h 💨

Friday 

28° 🌡️ 16° | 🌦 | 🌧️ 25% | N 11 km/h 💨

Saturday 

26° 🌡️ 16° | 🌦 |  🌧️ 60% | N 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

25° 🌡️ 16° | 25 | 🌤 25% | NNW 9 km/h 💨

Monday 

25° 🌡️ 16° | ☁️ |  🌧️ 25% | NNW 15 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

26° 🌡️ 16° | 🌦 |  🌧️ 58% | NNW 6 km/h 💨

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

The Water Crisis: The Fight Continues

We’ve been covering the water crisis only briefly since returning from the festive break, and man, it’s been a constant! Every week, there’s a new development for the worse.

Last week, on Wednesday, Melville, along with neighbouring suburbs displayed a united show of force against the slow deterioration of Joburg’s water infrastructure. Like the last Jozi water outcry, we caught up with Julia Fish, Melville’s very own civic warrior and the manager of JoburgCAN, who put things into perspective for us.

"I definitely call it solidarity and frustration rather than anger," Julia explained, pointing out that Melville residents have spent years attending town halls and installing community tanks to buffer themselves. "But nobody can last a 25-day outage. That's just inhumane."

The immediate issue is the Commando System bypass, which is supposed to be ready in April but has been pushed back to September. "And looking at Brixton, that's already two years overdue," Julia noted, adding that residents are terrified this level of outage is going to become the new normal. (We think they already do!)

Julia stressed that the problem goes far beyond a few broken pumps. It's a massive, systemic failure of city planning.

"There's no ramifications for illegal land use, illegal building, or over-densification without proper plans," she explained. In areas feeding off the same systems as us, we are seeing an influx of multi-tenanted homes and communes.

"It's mass densification without any consolidated planning... without any major investment in the infrastructure that now has to double its capacity for the amount of people living in that area."

She places the blame squarely not just on Joburg Water, but on entities like JRA (who aren't doing reinstatements) and the City's Development Planning departments for failing to enforce building by-laws. "Unless we fix that," Julia warns, "we're going to be stuck in the same cycle over and over again."

Follow the fight against Jozi’s decline: Water Protest, Whatsapp Group, JoburgCan, Water Can

MRA Alert: Motorcycle Workshop Zoning Objection

The MRA have flagged a new Land Use Application that residents need to be aware of. An application for Consent Use has been submitted for 35 Third Avenue (ERF 316) to operate a motorcycle repair workshop on a residential property.

The MRA Land Use Committee is urging residents to carefully consider lodging an objection, citing concerns over noise (engine revving and testing), a lack of off-street parking, and the environmental impact of oils and fuels in a Residential 1 zone. Remember: objections must be unique and submitted directly to the City to be valid. Head to the MRA website (www.melvilleresidentsassociation.co.za) to read the full brief and find out how to submit your objection.

Objection link: https://www.melvilleresidentsassociation.co.za/news/object-to-the-proposed-motorcycle-repair-shop-on-3rd-avenue

Melville Art Mile 🎨 

Keep the Momentum Going

We might be between first Thursdays, but the art doesn't stop. Here are the current exhibitions and art events you can catch in the neighbourhood while you wait for the next official Melville Art Mile:

• Hotel Hope Interiors (The 50% Art Sale): They are currently running a massive 50% off sale on all art in the store, and 100% of the net proceeds go directly to benefiting the children at Hotel Hope. Even local art heavyweight Gordon Froud chimed in on this one during the week: “Got some great work there at good prices! Go look.”

• The Trov: The brilliant Sound Harvest exhibition is still running. If you haven't popped your head in yet, make a plan to view it this week.

• Café Picobella Trattoria: Theo Bunge’s fantastic 7th Street photo exhibition is still up on the walls. It is the perfect visual pairing while you enjoy your pasta.

• Stokvel Gallery: They have a busy few weeks ahead. This weekend, they are opening their doors for a UJ Student Show, a great opportunity to spot and support emerging local talent. Following that, look out for Linda Hanekom’s exhibition, which will wrap up their calendar as the last show of the month.

• SIX Cocktail Bar (19 Feb): Looking for something a little more interactive? SIX is hosting a 'Sip & Paint a Candle' evening this Thursday, the 19th. Grab a drink and get your hands dirty.

If you are a local business, artist or gallery looking to participate in the next Melville Art Mile, fill this form in and submit by 23 February: https://forms.gle/o6zjGT21PZtb2YG38

Koppies Check-In ⛰

Storytelling with Merle Turns 1!

On Sunday, 8 March, the magic of 'Storytelling on the Koppies' officially turns one year old.

Come and celebrate this beautiful milestone with our resident storyteller, Merle Grace. There is something incredibly grounding about sitting in our ancient heritage site and being transported by a well-told tale. She will be sharing two new stories guaranteed to delight listeners of all ages.

• When: Sunday, 8 March, 8.30 am

• Cost: Adults - R100 | U18 - R50 | U5 - Free

• Where: Melville Koppies Central 

Markets Watch 🎪

Vendor Spotlight: Zinhle Mabaso & The Organic Pivot

As we creep closer toward the month-end, we have to highlight some incredible makers and grafters who set up shop in our hood!

This week, we were at the Melville Artisanal Market on Carlow Road with Zinhle Mabaso, a Business Administration student who has brought a refreshing health kick to the market. If you’ve been looking for organic, healthy juices, hers is the stall you need to visit.

Interestingly, Zinhle didn't start out with a health stall, it’s a new year pivot. "I actually started off with sweets, if you can remember," she laughs. "But then 2026 hit, and I was like: new goals and new ventures."

The pivot came from her own personal wellness journey. "I've been struggling with losing weight, so I've just been trying out new organic stuff and healthy juices to try and manage that. Then I decided, you know what? Let me also take it to the market and see how it does."

So, with so many markets popping up in Joburg, why did she choose our suburb? Zinhle says she was researching markets, found Melville, and reached out to one of the organisers. The community did the rest.

"The moment I came here on the first day, the people were so nice," she explains. "Like literally, right now I can walk around and talk to anyone. People are so nice that I was like, 'You know what? Let me just stay in this market.'"

Make sure you stop by Zinhle's stall at the next Melville Market to grab a fresh organic juice and support a brilliant local student entrepreneur!

Saturdays, 9 am - 2 pm cnr Carlow & Rustenberg Roads

Icing On The Cake 🎂 

A World Record Holder at Mimosa Pre-Primary

Who says the school week has to be strictly routine? We went down to Mimosa Pre-Primary yesterday morning, where the kids were treated to a unique experience: a performance by Sophia “Sophia Hooping” Seidl, a world-record-holding international hula hooper!

Sophia, who hails from Totnes in the UK, was visiting her sister in Melville, South Africa and decided to put on a show for her niece's school. "I love hooping, and I think it's great for so many different things," Sophia told us. "It's good for creativity, exercise, and I just think it's a lot of fun. And it's also something that's very accessible. As a kid, all I needed was a hula hoop in my back garden, and that is what got me to where I am today."

Teacher Mary Kazembe was thrilled with the impact the visit had on the Grade R class. "We are used to watching this during the Olympics on TV. Now to finally see it in person... it is so special," she said.

But it wasn't just about entertainment; it was about development. Teacher Mary pointed out the massive benefits for the kids' spatial perception, body awareness, balance, and coordination. More importantly, it sparked curiosity. "She started at 7... she took it up as an interest," Mary noted, hoping the performance might inspire the kids. "This is how skills develop. You never know, maybe the next world record holder is right here."

For the parents who missed it? You missed out on the deafening cheers of a playground full of newly inspired future circus performers!

Thank you! 🙏

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’Til next Wednesday, Melville,

Stay proper, stay proactive, stay principled.

Addiju. ✌️