Welcome to Melville Untold, the newsletter that teaches you something new about our hood every week!

In today’s newsletter,

• Veganism Reimagined: A Plant Based Bakery Comes To Melville 🌱

• Let's Lodge More Council Issues 📲

• Tons of Live Music Events 🎶

Let’s go. 

— Aubrey Moloto, 

The Digest

On the border of Melville and Richmond, a new type of bakery joins our community fold. Siwe Ntombela and Forest Ramushwana have united two ideas, birthing an eclectic, ethnic vegan bakery "reimagining what it means to be a plant-based African."

This concept has grown to be more than just a bakery. It's a way of life, a philosophy bringing together like-minded people and creating a safe space for furthering one's understanding of holistic wellness, African history, culture and food sovereignty. Welcome to Zimtoti Bakery.

Backstory (eManzimtoti)

In the 2010s, Forest ran a vegan restaurant at 27 Boxes called Exotically Divine. ED frequented local markets, gaining a reputation for being one of the first black-owned vegan stalls in these spaces.

At the same time, on the other side of the country in Durban, Siwe was developing her passion for baking into a side hustle.

By the time Covid arrived, Siwe had moved to Jozi and taken her side hustle up a notch, turning it into a full-fledged business. She called it "Zimtoti" which means "it is sweet" in isiZulu.

During lockdown, Exotically Divine moved to Forest's home at the Drill Hall in town. They started focusing on catering, servicing private clients and functions. It was at one of these gigs where Siwe and Forest first met. Forest was called to cater at a Reimagined Learning event in Bertrams and Siwe was there as a guest.

As a vegetarian, Siwe loved what Forest and his team were doing. She expressed an interest in pivoting the bakery toward a more vegan and organic offering that better aligned with her values. They instantly hit it off, and the rest became history!

Humble Beginnings ("No. Yeah this is real!")

Siwe and Forest share many values and common interests within plant-based Afrocentric food, spirituality and pan-Africanism, providing a solid foundation for a phenomenal collaboration.

They define themselves as Italists - a Rastafarian philosophy based on a strictly plant-based diet that excludes refined and processed foods. Forest smiled saying, "Ital is vital - that's our slogan!"

Their first steps were about excluding eggs, milk, butter and cream and finding plant-based alternatives to deliver on indulgence and flavour. They use indigenous African grains and crops like sorghum, millet, cassava root, and sweet potatoes in all their offerings. This includes premixes, cookies and ready-made food.

Forest is passionate about Johannesburg, especially town. He has a wealth of knowledge and connections there, so he focused on logistics - sourcing, restocking, and nurturing relationships he had built over the years with local and migrant-owned shops selling organic African foods.

While Forest sources, Siwe focuses on what she does best - kitchen alchemy. They began by selling at markets and through their website. In a short time, they realised how many people were yearning for this kind of thing and business took off! Forest laughed saying, "There was this one particular month where we made like 10K just selling this food, man. We were like, 'No. Yeah, this is real!'" This signalled a turning point, confirming the demand and encouraging them to work even harder.

Growth - A Movement

The couple shifted into gear, with Forest handling operations expertly and Siwe working on the products and smashing it on social media! Before they knew it, they were moving into an apartment in Parktown North to expand the kitchen and be more accessible for people who weren't too comfy with picking up orders in town.

They started honing in on their ideas and equipping themselves with more knowledge on the healing aspects of food and homoeopathy. They began seeing Zimtoti as more of a mission than a capitalistic venture.

It evolved into much more than just a place that sells baked goods. They're becoming a brand that promotes and cultivates a conscious lifestyle, African heritage, wellness, education and community engagement. Some key aspects are:

• Promoting a Conscious Lifestyle: Zimtoti aims to create quality plant-based products for a conscious lifestyle centred around health, community, and joy.

• Championing Indigenous Ingredients and African Heritage: A core mission is celebrating and utilising indigenous grains and plants. They're passionate about using these ingredients to reconnect Africans to the land, which they believe promotes well-being. This Afrocentric approach extends to their recipes and their vision for defining a "plant-based African" (and not just for black Africans either).

• Wellness and Healing Advocates: Zimtoti views health as central to its mission, emphasising the nutritional power of indigenous African ingredients. They see their food as a means of "healing" people from the effects of processed and Western foods, promoting healthier "ethnic diets". Forest even mentioned that they now encounter customers with conditions like diabetes and cancer, playing a role in natural wellness.

• An Educational Hub: Zimtoti offers baking workshops to teach skills in cake decorating and bread making, aiming to empower individuals in their own kitchens. They educate people about the benefits of indigenous foods, healthy eating, and Zimtoti philosophies to foster self-sufficiency.

• A Philosophical and Social Movement: Zimtoti operates with a strong Afrocentric and Pan-Africanist philosophy, looking beyond racial categories to focus on ethnicity, environment, and a shared African identity. They aim to redefine poverty narratives around African food and culture, shifting from idolising Western cuisines and cultural influences.

• A Recipe Development and Knowledge Centre: A big part of their work involves developing recipes with indigenous ingredients and promoting healthy eating. They want to make this knowledge accessible to others, encouraging home baking and community-based food systems.

Back To The Ville

They stopped going to markets looking for people who might be interested and started holding space for people with similar beliefs, ideals and philosophies. This moved them from a bakery that cares about these things to become the central hub for people to grow within the space and become part of a community.

Being in Parktown in a small apartment on the 3rd floor made it hard to connect with customers coming to collect. So they found a place at the top of Chatou Road in Richmond, right on the border of Melville.

Forest says they came to Melville because it's central and expands their access. They also want to be in a community of eclectic people, artists and "hippies". The couple reminded us of Melville in the 2000s, where eclectic people of different beliefs would meet, chat for hours and leave with a wealth of knowledge and respectful, valid challenges on their own ideas.

Vision For The Future

Having just moved here and opened its doors 4 weeks ago, Zimtoti aims to have more workshops, and cooking and baking classes welcoming people into their new space.

They want their customers to connect, immerse and engage in the space. They had a flatbread-making class this Sunday, where I met a daughter, mother and grandmother who travelled from Soweto to take part.

They want to continue developing recipes with these ingredients to encourage farmers all over Africa to keep working with indigenous crops and even grow in variety, they want to build a bigger market for them.

In the long term, they want to spread this knowledge and empower others to learn these methods and start indigenous food businesses of their own. They hope to see a bakery with home recipes in each house and want to get more of their indigenous organic grains and premixes in retail stores that share similar values.

Zimtoti also look to grow in their sustainability efforts, currently urging customers to reuse their packages. They have been experimenting with biodegradable packaging that can be used to replant seeds from some of their products.

Overall, they care more about building this movement and deepening their social impact rather than becoming an enormous enterprise that mass produces.

I Love Melville

Siwe and Forest feel like Melville through and through! Smart, genuine, open-minded and independent thinkers. I could have sat with Forest and talked forever. It didn't feel too different from our chat with Martin and Rae last week. I left with an enormous mental shift, a renewed sense of pride in being African and a huge pang of nostalgia longing for those random deep chats from back in the day.

Forest's most memorable moment in Melville was the Open Street Festival in 2019 "With bands like the Brother Moves On performing, a lot of people, there were artworks all over, kids full in 27 Boxes with activities." He also mentioned his first day coming to cook in Melville: "I had to hustle taxi money to come here, and another brother of mine had to use a skateboard to come, it was so memorable." Siya Billy Dukes helped him by pointing him in the right direction of the place he was supposed to cook at - a friend's new shop.

What he loves the most about Melville is "the energy that the people carry and the energy of the place too. "I also love how it's close to everything that I need."

Get In Touch

To book a private event, find out about their classes and upcoming events, or join Zimtoti Bakery for their weekend brunches and breakfasts contact them at: 071 341 6596.

Or visit their website to learn more and see their product catalogue: www.zimtoti.co.za

If you enjoyed today’s in-depth read consider buying us a coffee. 

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

A good mix of events on this week, including a couple of unusual ones too. 👀 For all the activities that happen every week, check out our last newsletter with the full weekly gig guide.

Not another rainy week. Don't forget your brollies, Mellies! 🌂

Melville Weather For The Week ☔️ 

Wednesday 

28° 🌡️ 15°  | ⛈️ | 🌧️ 70% | NW 9 km/h 💨

Thursday  

24° 🌡️ 14° | 🌩️ | 🌧️ 77% | N 13 km/h 💨

Friday 

20° 🌡️ 13° | ☁️ | 🌧️ 70% | N 9 km/h 💨

Saturday 

24° 🌡️ 13° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 40% | NW 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

26° 🌡️ 13° |  🌤️ |  🌧️ 25% | WSW 4 km/h 💨

Monday 

24° 🌡️ 13° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 40% | N 9 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

22° 🌡️ 11° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 63% | NNW 9 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

A busy weekend ahead as far as music goes - get your party hats on! 🥳 

27/03 Thursday | 6 pm | Coca Restaurant & Lounge | Foot On Their Necks Tour - ITS ADN, Yoyouno, Trusted SLK, UYIHLO, J-style, Phanadic, Pretty Girl Yongz, Sweet November | R80

27/03 Thursday | 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | MX Blouse | Tickets R180

28/03 Friday | 7.30 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | Sazi Ne Skokiana | R180

29/03 Saturday | 12 pm | Anti-Social Social Club | Hip Hop Kraal Tour | Free

29/03 Saturday | 7.30 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | Androgenius | R180

29/03 Saturday | 7 pm | Smoking Kills Bar | Grift EP Release Show with Die Gemeente, Mad God and Zondo Commission | R80, R120 door

30/03 Sunday | 3 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | Phila Dlozi Unplugged | R190

30/03 Sunday | 5 pm | Coca Restaurant & Lounge | Emotion & the USE’d Band | Free

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

Civil Matters👷‍♀️ 

Let's Lodge More Council Issues!

We checked in with Danny, and found that the community isn't logging council issues enough with relevant municipal departments. If we all log every issue we see, we can really affect visible change in our neighbourhood's upkeep. So this week seems like a good time to remind you about the relevant places for logging civil issues.

Joburg Water - has launched a new, super easy to use platform for logging water issues, burst pipes, overflowing sewage, leaks, fire hydrants and unfilled manholes (not naturally formed potholes).

• Visit Joburg Water Portal - https://customer.forcelink.net/joburg_water/login

• Call: 086 562 874 (option 2) or 011 375 5555 (also option 2)

• Email: [email protected]

• Twitter: @CityPowerJHB

City Power - Here you can log many power related issues like outages (yours and the area), trimming trees from power lines, prepaid/smart metering issues, street and traffic lights, poles that have come down and more.

• Use the same portal as JW: https://customer.forcelink.net/joburg_water/login or https://citypower.mobi

• Call 0860 562 874 or 011 375 5555

• Download the free "My City Power" app from your phone's App Store

• Twitter: @CityPowerJhb

Johannesburg Road Agency - handles potholes, storm water drains, road markings and signs, traffic signals, pavements and overgrown weeds on road edges and pavements.

• Call 0800 002 587 or 0860 562 874 (option 5)

• Email [email protected]

• Twitter: @MyJra

City Parks - works on pruning trees, cutting grass, municipal swimming pools, the zoo, libraries, recreation centres, Joburg open spaces and city-owned parks.

• Call 0860 562 874 (option 0)

• Email [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]

• For fallen trees call 011 712 6600 or email [email protected]

Pikitup - handles refuse removal, clearing public bins and illegal dumping.

• Call 0860 562 874 (option 4)

• For illegal dumping emergencies WhatsApp 082 779 1361

Let's log, log, log and see if we can keep our neighbourhood pristine!

MRA Calls On Resident Objection For Rezoning Applications

There's an application for Erf 792 Auckland Park/Melville (52 Auckland Avenue) to "remove restrictions on subdivision, relax the building line" and rezone the property to a Residential 4 zone to develop 50 flats for student accommodation.

Residents have until the 2nd of April 2025 to object to this application. You can submit your objection by emailing the city with the subject line "Objection Rezoning Application for Erf 792 Auckland Park." You must also send a copy of your objection to the MRA so they can consolidate all objections and build a stronger case.

City email: [email protected]
MRA email: [email protected]

Make sure to include your full name, contact details (email and phone), residential address and reasons for objecting.

Thank you! 🙏

Thanks to everyone who took part in our survey! We had many eye-opening responses that give us clarity about how we need to grow. The most interesting insight was that the majority love the newsletter just the way it is - we love that!

We now know your content preferences, which sections to double down on and which to pull back on slightly. We'll start slowly implementing these minor changes and keep optimising for a newsletter we all enjoy and can be proud of.

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Til next Tuesday,

Stay vibrant, stay vocal and value our urban village! 🤍

Peace! ✌️