The famous Baseline live music venue first opened in Melville in '94, where Jo’Anna is now. Imagine the ghosts of Jazz legends at Thursday night Karaoke. Welcome to Melville Untold, your weekly dose of Melville love! 🤍

In this Week's Melville Untold,

• Bounty Hunters: A Melville Love Story 🐈

• Pet Winter Wear Final Week 🧣

• We're Hosting A Melville #JoziWalks Tour

Let’s go. 

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

The Digest

Bounty Hunters: A Melville Love Story 🐈

Like we promised in issue #43, we went back to Bounty Hunters to dig out the bountiful story we could feel lay beneath the surface when we popped in before. Bounty Hunters Charity Shop is part of our hood’s furniture, and I don't remember Melville without it!

Meet Gail: From Retail to Rescue

Gail Millard has always worked in care and retail, so the charity shop for cats is a destiny. Born on a farm in Limpopo, she then spent her early years in Cape Town, where she developed a passion for retail. Gail came through the Woolies ecosystem and says it's one of the best places she could have been trained. She was then transferred to a Joburg branch in the CBD before growing an interest in care work and spent some time with humanitarian organisations in child welfare.

From Shop to Sanctuary: The Journey

Gail opened her first store on 2nd Avenue in '96 without planning to become a halfway house for cats. An elderly customer moving to a retirement home that didn't allow pets needed to find a home for her 13-year-old cat. Gail swooped in, took the cat in, and found it a home within weeks. Just like that, she began taking in cats.

Growing Pains and Big Moves

2002: The store started getting lots of donations, so they moved to 4th Avenue above May's Pharmacy for a bigger space.

2013: After 11 years and facing space limitations again, they moved to the building opposite Bambanani, further up 4th Avenue.

2020: The harsh challenges COVID brought on forced them to close. Gail had to sell her home to keep the business afloat.

Present Day: Gail’s sister helped her buy a home on 4th Avenue, which she converted into the current store, and this is where they'll stay! Gail loves this location because she gets to live on the property, close to the cats, caring for them at any time of day. "It's a proper home for them now."

More Than Just a Shop: A Care Centre

As Bounty Hunters grew its reputation as a sanctuary for cats, the business model changed to become the best of both Gail's passions: care and retail. Being the first place people think of when there's a displaced cat, many come there needing help. There aren’t many adoptions – most stay on with Bounty Hunters, and money from selling donated items goes directly to caring for them.

The Adoption Challenge

There's a massive amount of cats there, at times up to 150 cats at once! The problem isn't a lack of demand; it's that there aren't enough qualified homes to care for them.

Gail's adoption process includes a short interview, and most who apply don't qualify. The ideal home must be able to afford vet fees, food, and preferably insurance. Students can't take cats to a res, and people who can't afford sterilisation or health upkeep can't adopt.

Beyond Cats: Community Support

Bounty Hunters spends considerable money supporting people who have cats and, in some cases, dogs, but are unable to care for them. They can't always take every animal in need, so they help with vet fees and food when possible.

Gail has built an incredible network of community supporters around the shop. Archie, a man from Westbury, comes by often, loves the cats, and helps load/unload vehicles when people come to donate and buy items. He's built a solid partnership with the shop, finding strays or in distress cats around Westbury and bringing them to Bounty Hunters for rehabilitation.

Justin, a local resident, drops by almost daily and has a special way of connecting with the cats. He helps skittish and scared cats to acclimate to the shop and start getting used to people.

Two young boys, like many other people from the neighbourhood, like Gino of the Tintanic, drop by regularly to play with the cats and help top up their daily dopamine dose. If you can’t donate, you’re more than welcome to come play and spend time with them.

The people around them have become part of the Bounty Hunters ecosystem, helping them remain sustainable and an integral part of the Melville community.

Weathering the Storm: COVID Impact

COVID was their biggest challenge. You can feel how much it shook Gail as she explains its impact on them. She was separated from the cats. Lockdown made it hard to check on them, until she eventually got her essential services pass. Donations dried up and sales dipped as well.

Gail says the community really helped get them through that tough period, and the cats did the same for them, too. “People were lonely,” and many needed the visit to the shop to engage with the cats or just help around.

Losing the shop near Bambanani was tough. They managed to get through by selling her house and, with her sister's help, securing this new property where she can stay on-site and keep the sanctuary running.

I Love Melville

"Melville was the only choice," Gail says. "It was the place to be at that time. Sandton and all these other places were dead or too posh. Everyone was in Melville."

Her most memorable moment was when they were above May's Pharmacy, and someone donated an ostrich egg. One quiet day alone in the shop, Gail heard scratching sounds. She traced the sounds to the egg. Shocked about what they'd do with an ostrich in Melville, she saw a little hole in it, looked closer, and a frog appeared! The little frog was trapped inside the egg. These strange and wonderful moments at the shop stick out most for her. That's the one memory that always stays with her.

When asked what she loves about Melville? “The people!” The strong sense of community and friendly, non-judgemental atmosphere.

"I love Melville because we all know each other. We all talk. We all greet each other in the streets when we cross roads. It's very friendly," she says. When someone's in trouble and posts about it, everyone will help.

The Mission Continues

Gail finds stability in the shop. Regulars tell her never to "die or close down" because they consider Bounty Hunters “a mainstay in Melville after decades,” it's an important piece of the community and provides a much-needed service for not only Melville, but the world. Her mission to provide a home for stray and abandoned cats remains a driving force. She feels responsible to help, given that other animal welfare organisations are overrun.

The shop continues growing its customer base and charitable partnerships, with profits funding cat care, helping people with animals in need, and supporting other animal welfare initiatives. Bounty Hunters truly embodies the spirit of Melville. Community, care, and a little bit of beautiful chaos.

To donate or enquire, contact Gail at 076 279 6122 or visit the store at 71 4th Avenue, Melville.

And if you enjoyed this week’s digest about Bounty Hunters consider buying us a coffee.

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

No month-end plans? We’ve got you!

Check out the events calendar for regular events - The Melville Pulse Events Calendar 

Melville Weather For The Week 🌸

Woza spring!

Wednesday 

27° 🌡️ 11°  | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 1% | SSW 11 km/h 💨

Thursday  

28° 🌡️ 11° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 0% | ENE 13 km/h 💨

Friday 

27° 🌡️ 10° | ☀️ | 🌧️ 0% | ESE 17 km/h 💨

Saturday 

28° 🌡️ 12° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 0% | NE 11 km/h 💨

Sunday

29° 🌡️ 13° | ☀️ | 🌧️ 0% | N 9 km/h 💨

Monday 

28° 🌡️ 9° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 0% | N 6 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

23° 🌡️ 8° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 1% | SWS 9 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

Ready to shake that tail feather?

28/08 | Thursday | 6 pm | Ratz Bar | Vinyl Fever ft. Kapula, Bilal, Goef and DJ Melitia | Free

29/08 | Friday | 7 pm | Chiesa PAZZO LUPI | Umuthiomakhulu Ensemble ft. Solethu Madasa, Tumelo Mathabela, and Dalu Mqwathi | R180

30/08 | Postponed | 12.30 pm | IndoniArt House | Kgafela le Marabele Special show ft. SMK Drum Occherstra, King, Look My World, and Lefifi Tledi | Free

30/08 | Saturday | 7 pm | chiesa PAZZO LUPI | Sabu Jiyana’s Matimba Esemble | R180

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

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

Understanding Creass Community Services

Many people see issues in our suburb and ask, "Why do things like this happen if we have Creass?" This is a chance to understand who they are, what they do, and how they operate. Let's clear up misconceptions and help the community better understand why they can't tackle everything all the time. (Other than that, they don't own a Bat-Signal or have superpowers!)

Who Are Creass? 

Creass is a private community services company specialising in infrastructural upgrades and maintenance. They're contracted to service our community by the Melville Security Initiative (MSI) and the Melville Residents Association (MRA). They also work for the MBA and take jobs from other residents' associations in the surrounding areas. Being a Melville business that started here, they prioritise Melville, especially tasks from their contractors MSI and MRA and help the general public when they can.

How They Work 

We spoke to Danny to get clarity on their operations and what's stopping them from addressing some glaring issues we see daily (yes, we're talking about you, Main Road).

Regular Operations:

• Area audits: Every two months, they audit the whole area to identify parts needing attention and compile a task list

• Flash Team deployment: The MRA dispatches Creass' Flash Team to focus on specific areas with clusters of tasks, spending one or two days on each area every second month

• Litter collection: They service one "stretch of roadway" twice weekly, collecting only two wheelie bins of litter per go. Just enough to make a dent, but not enough to stop that one rogue chip packet from making a break for it.

Upliftment Team Services: The MSI dispatches their Upliftment Team twice monthly for Melville, once for Auckland Park and Richmond. Using one vehicle and equipment, they address 10-20 tasks, including:

• Roadway maintenance and repairs to verges

• Clearing illegal dumping

• Repairs to the Koppies fence (Melville side)

• Emergency work, such as accident scene clean-ups, fallen trees, or power lines

Community Projects: The MBA uses Creass services when the budget allows and as issues arise. For the community, they run crowd-funded projects; the MRA is setting up a sponsorship page for community contributions to these.

Reporting Issues 

When individuals spot problems, they can message or call Danny. Emergency work can be sent to MSI's number: 066 448 3249

Why Some Issues Take Time

• Emergency work is prioritised and always goes to the top of the list

• Tasks are handled in area groupings, so an issue you see may be scheduled for when they reach that area

• The weather can limit daily task completion

Working with COJ 

Creass helps individuals log issues with the City of Johannesburg, but they stress this won't replace residents logging issues themselves. They also assist COJ departments like City Parks, City Power, and Johannesburg Road Agency by providing extra hands, helping with downed trees, reporting dumping to Pikitup, and assisting Joburg Water with site safety and cleaning.

How You Can Help Creass 

Practice responsible waste disposal. Basically, let's not make their job harder than it already is:

• Use reputable waste collection services

• Don't leave bulk waste items roadside

Contact: Danny on the MSI line at 066 448 3249 to get involved.

Koppies Check-In ⛰

Sponsor The Trail Fund Project

A new Trail Fund Project initiative kicks off in October, launching at the Melville Koppies. They're supporting the Koppies and other local parks by raising funds through virtual running and hiking events. 60c from every rand in ticket sales goes toward volunteers who maintain the selected park.

The Run:

• The Trail Fund team creates a Melville Koppies route on Strava (a mobile app) that competitors must run or walk

• Strava records times that get shared to the Trail Fund team

• Participants can come solo or in groups over three Sundays in October during Koppies' open times (8am - 11:30am)

• Runners can combine this with another trail in the competition

• Winners get rewards!

• Entrance fee: R125

Sponsorship Opportunities 

Trail Fund Project seeks local partners to sponsor prizes. Benefits include:

• Brand exposure on digital channels (Instagram & Strava)

• Logo placement on the event website and tickets

• Association with conservation and community wellbeing

Contact: Alex at [email protected] or 072 014 4668 for this fun, interactive way to support Melville Koppies

September Happenings

Let's peek ahead to what's happening at the Koppies in our first month of spring!

8km Guided Hike 

Join the monthly guided hike on the last Sunday of the month (this Sunday!). It's a super chill walk with people of different fitness levels all making it to the end.

It's the kind of hike where you can still hold a conversation without sounding like you've just run a marathon. Lots to learn and see, but most importantly, you'll meet amazing people!

Melville Koppies West Walk With Dogs 

Bring your furry family for a fun walk, socialising with other dogs and people. It's a quick 3.5km walk or so, just over an hour with informal security. There’s different city views and challenges from the beautifully maintained Koppies Central trails, a bit more Jock of the Bushveld! The next one is on Saturday the 6th of September.

Storytelling with Merle 

Second Sunday of the month: Merle Grace, a Parkview school teacher, tells children's stories in the most compelling way, even parents get hooked! These happen at the lecture hut at Melville Koppies Central and are brilliant for kids. Parents enjoy it too and get to socialise with other nature-loving families.

Melville Koppies AGM 

You know the year's winding down when AGMs start popping up! On 27 September, the Koppies Committee holds their annual general meeting, inviting the whole community. They promise it'll be "fast and snappy!" No death-by-PowerPoint. 

Enter through Kafoue Road, Emmarentia entrance. Starts at 2pm Saturday. Right afterwards, Anthony Paton gives a talk about Koppies birds. All welcome, including children!

Contacts:

Wendy: 079 532 0083 | Jenny: 072 348 0578 | Tony (Walk With Dogs): 082 850 4720

Prices:

Koppies Central Hike & Storytelling: R100 adults, R50 under 18s, free under 5s (AGM is free)

Koppies West Walk With Dogs: R40 per person

AGM: Free

The fees help volunteers carry on the amazing work up there!

The Tail End 🐾 

Pet Winter Wear Competition Is Ending

Goodbye winter and hello spring! As much as we're all sick of the chilly season, we're sad to see the winter wear competition ending on the 1st of September. It's time for our furry friends to trade their puffer jackets for... well, just their fur?

It's been lovely having our community's adorable doggies in the spotlight each week, but all good things must come to an end. Speaking of good things ending, great things are coming for our winners!

Prize Giving Details: The two winners (1st and 2nd prize) will be announced in next week's newsletter on 3 September, with prize-giving the following weekend.

Competitors, please make yourselves and your pets available! We'll snap some photos as the Ziggy's team presents awards and have a mini photo session with our fashionable winners. We'll need their 'paw-tographs', of course.

The exact date and time will be announced in next week's newsletter.

Last Call for Votes! 

This is the last week to cast your votes, so give one final push to your favourite winter swag contestant! Latest scores show Bumpy still in the lead with Ripley and Hicks close behind in second place.

Art in Melville 🖼

InDoni Arts & Entertainment Chiming In

Melville's newest art gallery has something to say! After a vibrant weekend at the Joburg Artist Market, InDoni Arts saved their best for the month-end weekend. The Altered Perception Exhibition ends with a bang; a special live music show by Khafel le Marabele presented by InDoni Art House and Ndofaya Street Jam.

Featuring:

• SMK Drum Orchestra

• King

• Look My World

Details: POSTPONED

Contact: 079 440 7076

See you there?

Icing On The Cake 🧁 

We're Hosting #JoziWalks!

We don't mean to keep making things about us, but we have more good news! We covered the #JoziWalks initiative by Jozi My Jozi, Johannesburg In Your Pocket, and Johannesburg Tourism Authority a couple of issues back. They're seeking local champions in select suburbs to host walking tours over tourism weekend.

Well, out of 50 submissions, we were one of 14 chosen to host a walk! We're excited to bring this incredible initiative home and hope it contributes to this new wind of resurgence in the Ville.

Our walk will happen Saturday, 27 September 2025

Featured Local Businesses and People:

• Danyle Nunes (Creass & MSI) - Security and secondary guide

• Malome Shepard (Bead and wire vendor on 7th Street) - Souvenirs

• The Resource Gallery, Gourmet Gimba and The Sourcery (specifically Billy Dukes Coffee) - African sip and paint style experience with breakfast

• Kruisgemeente Church and Melville Market - History and shopping

• Melville Koppies and Wendy Carstens - Talk on Melville and Koppies' history

• Estelle Lötter and Melville Artisanal Market - Refreshments and shopping

• Agterplaas Guest House - South African heritage snacks and architectural segment

We've included important community points, balancing history with current events, immersive elements, and architecture. We wish we could have included everyone, but don’t worry if your business wasn’t included; this is just the beginning!

We hope it'll be an incredible taste of the Ville and a launch pad for monthly tours for everyone!

The Happening

Submit Your Offerings for 2025!

We'll keep drumming-on. urging people to submit offerings for The Happening 2025! Don't procrastinate. Bring whatever talents, showcases, or experiences you can to this year's event. Whether you can juggle, make world-class koesisters, or have an avant-garde performance piece about our water woes, now's your time to shine! 

There'll be tons of space as all empty boxes at Joburg Artist Market will be available, plus spaces for stalls and stands from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Avenues and 7th Street. It's going to be massive and they need you, not only to enjoy but contribute to the festivities!

Apply to occupy a space by filling in the relevant form:

• For the general public with an idea to do something: https://forms.gle/u8zPa2SrSCTgEM8M9

• For Artists wanting to perform or showcase: https://forms.gle/u8zPa2SrSCTgEM8M9

• For Vendors wanting to sell: https://forms.gle/xdufvPZN67JGTABM6

For more about the event, visit: www.thehappening.co.za. If you have questions, contact Melissa at [email protected].

Dominique's Angel Shack Is Back!

Just as we were wallowing about places shutting down some months ago, the residency returns in a flash! Along with new businesses occupying spaces on the strip and in the Boxes, Dom has returned, bringing back our favourite esoteric store.

The store returns with a makeover; a new "boho deco" feel and wider product range alongside the items we know and love. Welcome back, Dominique's Angel Shack!

Ratz has reopened under new management too! Their first event is happening this Thursday, check the gig guide for deets.

The Melville resurgence is real!

Thank you! 🙏

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Enjoyed the read? Why don’t you give us a tip, buy us a coffee?

It's been a fantastic month for us at Snaps, and we're grateful for the support the hood has shown. Everyone who called and messaged congratulating us on Jozi Walks, those looking for ways to support us, and all the accommodations that purchased the Melville Pocket Companion brochure.

Every bit of support helps us focus on improving the newsletter and magnifying all the good Melville has to offer. You are appreciated!

'Til next Wednesday, Melville.

Stay sassy, stay supportive, and stay sensational!

Adeus ✌️