The pink clematopsis on the Melville Koppies has entered its fluffy seed dispersal mode, it’s  nature's way of saying autumn has arrived and the plants are ducking out for winter! Welcome to Melville Untold. Someone's got to keep track of this place.

No digest today, if we’re gonna bring you a story, we have to do it right. Check back next week for an interesting and informative read about a current community initiative thats about to change Melville forever, but for now, here’s a weekly neighbourhood check-in. Oh, and Happy Friday the 13th. 👻

In this week’s newsletter,

• No Digest, Just Vibes: What’s On In Melville This week?

• Melville Art Mile Aftermath: April Ticket’s Are Live

• Paws & Pints: Navigating The Neighbourhood With Your Dog

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

Our online calendar got a facelift; it's now easier than ever to figure out where you should be this weekend. The new Melville Pulse Calendar is live!

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

Melville Weather For The Week ☔️

Friday 

22° 🌡️ 15° | 🌩️ | 🌧️ 55% | E 11 km/h 💨

Saturday 

23° 🌡️ 15° | 🌩️ |  🌧️ 90% | ESE 7 km/h 💨

Sunday

23° 🌡️ 141° | 🌩️ | 🌧️ 79% | NNE 7 km/h 💨

Monday 

24° 🌡️ 14° | 🌥️ | 🌧️ 55% | NNW 6 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

25° 🌡️ 14° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 55% | N 6 km/h 💨

Wednesday

23° 🌡️ 15° | 🌥️ |  🌧️ 55% | w 4 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events 🎸

Jazz at one spot, indie rock at another, a DJ set somewhere else. Melville's music scene refuses to pick a lane, and honestly? We wouldn't have it any other way!

Biz Bites 📂

A Fresh Brew on Main Road

There is a new reason to perk up during your morning commute! Melville Coffee Stop has officially opened on Main Road, offering "a premium caffeine experience tailored for the busy local".

Managed by a lovely lady named Ruth, who also manages the building on on behalf the owners on the corner of Main and Fourth. The shop introduces a clever "coffee stop" concept rather than a traditional drive-thru. Customers can scan a QR code that links directly to their WhatsApp page, allowing you to order your brew on the way to work. You can choose to have your coffee delivered directly to your car or collect it from the counter.

The technical side of the brew is just as impressive. Using a brand-new Italian machine, baristas like Mikon (who brings years of "on the block" experience) are currently serving a premium dark roast Arabica. As Mikon puts it, it’s not just about making coffee; it’s about pouring "heart, love, and commitment" into every cup.

Catch Coffee Stop diagonally opposite May's Chemist on Main Road. 060200670

Melville Art Mile 🎨

March Art Mile: Rain, Resilience, and Route Lessons

The March edition of the Melville Art Mile proved that even the weather can't kill our vibe. Despite the rain on 5 March, the event pulled strong foot traffic, cementing the "First Thursday" concept as a reliable monthly fixture.

Route guides and marshalls were praised for their warmth and guidance, acting as brand ambassadors for Melville on the day. Late-night activations at non-traditional venues (like De Baba hosting a games night) successfully held the crowd and drove that secondary spending. Community interest is expanding beyond galleries, with groups like the Richmond German Old Age Home wanting to participate and exhibit their residents' art with us next month, too.

Paid ticket logistics crack-down. Guests who purchased the R150 ticket (which explicitly included tuk-tuk transport) reported that they were left stranded at the Bamboo Centre for over an hour. Route dilution was also flagged, with some guests feeling the spread between venues was too wide, creating dead zones.

The Melville Art Mile Association (MAMA) is implementing strict curation going forward; we're capping the route to the top 20 best activations. We're keeping the same Marshall at each location so they really get to know the lay of the land. And the same goes for the drivers. Same guys each time.

Just like with the guests, the staff also understand the circuit more each month. We are also urging participating venues to clearly disclose additional costs for workshops and activations. This way, guests can arrive prepared to spend, rather than feeling ambushed, and there will be a clearer distinction between who pays for what and who doesn't.

We are building this vision step by step, and we want you, our guests and our community to grow right alongside us. Your continued support is the heartbeat of this project. Next month’s first Thursday tickets are live.

Get your April tickets now! Want to participate? Applications for April are open, apply here. 

What You Can Still Catch This Month

Several exhibitions from the March Art Mile are still running, Stokvel Gallery opened "A Juxtaposition: 2 Women & 2 Artists" exhibition last night that will be running all weekend long.

For full April Melville Art Mile details and local art gallery exhibitions and events, including the curated "Top 20" route, keep an eye on MAM's social channels or reply to this email for more info.

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

MRA March Meeting Minutes Published

The Melville Residents Association has published their full March meeting minutes, covering updates on problem properties, land use matters, the Melville Art Mile, and a detailed discussion with the MSI on the Safe Streets project.

You can read the full minutes here: melvilleresidentsassociation.co.za/news/mra-march-2026-meeting-minutes

The Happening Returns

Mark your calendars: The Happening Festival is back on Saturday, 28 March, and that means road closures on 7th Street. Here's what you need to know:

Soft closures are in place on 8th Street, 5th Street and 6th Street along 2nd, 3rd and 4th Avenues. Residents and business owners can enter and drive up to the hard closure points.

Hard closures are on 7th Street at 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue, 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue at the nearest driveway or service entrance. No vehicles may cross the hard closure points.

Access for deliveries, business owners, waste management and event setup vehicles: You can access 7th Street via 5th Avenue between 06:00 and 09:00. From 09:00 onwards, only event-based vehicles (JMPD, emergency medical services, or event logistics) will be permitted until 18:00.

Passes will be distributed to those affected by soft closures prior to the event. The pass allows you to enter and exit at either 8th or 5th Street, respectively, but not cross over 7th Street.

Koppies Check-In ⛰

 The Westdene Spruit Scrub-Down Party

Pulling trash out of a river on a weekend might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but thankfully, Melville's a community of people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Siphelele Mbangata and the team from Hlanzekile recently led a massive clean-up of the Melville Koppies stream (Westdene Spruit), and the results speak for themselves.

The crew successfully dragged 172kg of waste out of the water, physically stopping it from flowing downstream and choking up the system further. It is a massive win, but it's only the beginning. Their next critical target is removing 350kg of waste from the spruit.

This is not just about picking up plastic; it is about data-driven conservation. This Saturday, the team conducts a miniSASS health quality score of the stream. By examining the local macro invertebrates (water bugs, to the rest of us) and correlating that with their water quality data, they will be able to accurately measure the true impact of urban pollution on the reserve's ecosystem. Their goal is to bring the science directly to the community so we actually understand what is happening in our own backyard.

The ultimate vision is the full rehabilitation of the Westdene Spruit. They're talking about the return of aquatic life, the installation of physical river plastic barriers, and actively upcycling the collected waste into usable products like desks and pens. Siphelele and the Hlanzekile team are building a legacy of environmental vigilance that goes to show that even streams inside protected nature reserves are not immune to our urban runoff.

To scale up these operations, they need funding, awareness, and most importantly, willing hands. Here is how you can back the vision:

• Volunteer: Sign up directly at www.hlanzekile.org, follow the journey on Instagram (@hlanzekile.za or the Melville Koppies page), or drop them a WhatsApp on 073 351 1325.

• Donate: Hit the donation link in the @hlanzekile.za Instagram bio to help them fund the next phase.

• Take a Hike: You can also support the Melville Koppies directly by joining the Sunday hike; every cent of the income generated goes straight back into maintaining and conserving the reserve.

New Bird-Watching Guide Launches Sunday

The Melville Koppies is officially launching a comprehensive new bird-watching guide on Sunday, 15 March. Despite being in the middle of the concrete jungle, more than 185 bird species have been spotted in or flying over our little nature reserve.

Our grasslands, forested areas and rocky ridges attract a variety of different types of birds, whilst our links to green belts in Emmarentia down to Delta Park provide safe corridors for the birds to travel through.

The new guide, lovingly designed and illustrated by a young girl in Emmarentia; Ashley Campbell, recommends which trails to take to see what kinds of birds. Bring your hat, water, a snack and your binos. Park at Marks Park, Judith Road.

March Hike With The Doggos

Our March "Walk With Dogs" hike at Melville Koppies West is happening this Saturday, 14 March at 8am sharp. Whether you have a dog or not, you're welcome to join.

We meet at 7.50am in 3rd Avenue Westdene at the Arundel Road cul-de-sac. Bring R40 per person.

Tail End 🐾

Paws & Pints: The Ultimate Dog-Friendly Venue Guide

Calling all dog parents! Here's your definitive guide to taking your pup for a pint (or a coffee) in the hood:

7th Street Guesthouse welcomes pets.

Chopstix is super happy for pets to come along with their parents. They have a treats jar for doggies and offer a water bowl as needed.

Cuppa Café is very dog friendly, Vince and Snowy have been going there for years, Snowy even gets his own chair!

Good Omens is very pet-friendly. They sell yummy dog treats at their kiosk, supplied by Ziggy's Pet Pamporium.

Joanna's welcomes dogs.

Picobella is dog-friendly and always has biscuits for the doggies (also supplied by Ziggy's).

Reserved Cafe is pet-friendly.

SIX Cocktails allows dogs in their outside area.

Topdose Roasters is dog-friendly and keeps biscuits on hand.

Ratz unfortunately cannot welcome pets inside, but they invite you to pull up to the hatch for a cold beverage for you and your pooches!

Xai Xai is dog-friendly. For big dogs, just ensure they're on a leash for customers who aren't dog-friendly.

So whether you're grabbing a cappuccino, a cocktail, or a full meal, your four-legged friend is welcome to join. Just remember to keep them on a lead, bring water for places that don’t provide, and make sure they're comfortable in social settings.

Extra Sprinkles 🧁 

Melville Makes Time Out's List

Time Out Johannesburg published a gorgeous neighbourhood guide to Melville, and it's giving us all the feels. The article dives into what makes our suburb special, from the strip to the Koppies, the art scene to the food.

If you've ever struggled to explain to out-of-towners why Melville is worth the trip, just send them this link: timeout.com/johannesburg/things-to-do/neighbourhood-diaries-melville

It's a love letter to the hood, and we're here for it.

Thank you! 🙏

And that's that, former, future and current citizens of the Ville! we hope the newsletter came in time to guide you through the weekend.

Enjoyed the read? Buy us a coffee. you can now tip us on SnapScan.

Got the scoop we missed? Reply to this email.

Forward this to someone who loves Melville.

Stay kind, stay keen, stay connected.

Moce. ✌️