Questionmark Bistro was one of the first restaurants in Jozi to have tables out on the pavement, which started a big trend in Melville. Talk about a pavement special! Welcome to Melville Untold weekly.

In this week's newsletter:

• When Dining Out In Melville Cost Just 25 Cents! 🍴

• We Marched, The Mayor Responded – Now What? 🚰

• Cllr. Jacobs Updates on Key Issues At November MRA Meeting 🏡

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

The Digest

When Dining Out In Melville Cost Just 25 Cents!

It's history week once again! Let's take a quick sho't left down memory lane to indulge in a bit of nostalgia for our older community members, and maybe a chance for those who missed it to learn something new about our hood. And who better to drive the nostalgia tour bus than Melville's very own historian and OG tour guide, Ms Nel Redelinghuys?

My Unofficial Mentor

I've been lucky enough to spend time with Ms Nel, whom I've claimed as my unofficial mentor! She's been the source of many of our Melville fun facts, has graciously availed herself when a history piece needs fact-checking, and has offered advice for our JoziWalks tour .

When positivity is hard to come by, I listen to Nel's stories and sure enough, they give me that kick in the ar*e I need for a fresh injection of Melville spirit. Ms Nel has lived in Melville for over 60 years and saw the neighbourhood evolve from its very early days. Through the ups and downs, the many "golden eras", she's still here, still caring about our hood and hoping it can return to what she knows it's capable of.

A Blast from the Past

Here's a fun and witty article Ms Nel wrote for Suzanne Brenner's Melville Residents Association newsletter. We're guessing it was written in 2008 because of the reference to the Visa Long-Long Tables. The piece is about... wait for it... the first ever restaurant in Melville.

Many think it was Freddy's Tavern, which was one of the first proper restaurants in Melville. But The Royal Chef paved the way for Freddy's and Melville's restaurant golden era from the 70s to the late 80s. People were spoilt for choice of eateries, and fine dining was the norm. Enjoy.

Nel Redelinghuys, a tour guide & resident of Melville, reminisces about a royal era.

Think Melville, think restaurants! Our suburb has become synonymous with dining out. As darkness falls and the stars come out over Jozi, gastronomes descend on 7th Street and Main Road to enjoy Indian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Greek, Italian, Ethiopian and local food. The aroma of exotic dishes being eaten out in Melville has become so popular that it has culminated in Visa's long-long-long table event for the Starfish Greathearts Foundation - an event that has not only enhanced the status of dining out in Melville but has also firmly established us on the social map as the suburb of gastronomic decadence.

On Thursday, the 19th of October, about 1500 guests were wined and dined on the very best Melville has to offer. Seated amid the hustle and bustle of waiters bearing exquisitely presented plates of food. I thought back with nostalgia and quite frankly in amazement to the days when there was only ONE 'restaurant' in Melville. Way before even L'Escargot appeared on the scene. This first eatery, which unwittingly put Melville on the road to becoming a diner's paradise, went by the grand name of The Royal Chef.

This was in the late '60s at a time when the regal names of hotels, cafes and bioscopes were disappearing in acknowledgement of South Africa becoming a republic. This quaint remnant of the royal era was down in Main Road somewhere, though its exact location I cannot remember anymore.

The menu was standard, straightforward and non-negotiable. On offer were two veggies, rice, and a choice of meat - either a Russian or a Frankfurter - or a piece of fried fish. Indeed, it was one of those old-fashioned fish and chips shops that took the giant entrepreneurial step of putting in some tables covered in spotless oilcloths and - if my memory serves me correctly - there were even small vases with plastic flowers on each table. That's how the fish and chips shop became a restaurant. For the first time, one could dine out in Melville. Locals usually set aside the end of the month (payday) for this royal treat, as it sets you back all of 25 cents per person!

The only other place where one could eat out back then was the Melville Hotel, which offered Sunday lunches for families (prepared under the personal supervision of Mrs Moolman) and on weekdays, an à la carte menu for businessmen in the air-conditioned ladies' lounge — itself a first for Melville.

We've come a long way from the days of the Royal Chef, but there are some things which progress can't replace. Dining out then was like having lunch with the family and neighbours. You always knew the people at the next table, and if you didn't, it was not unusual to introduce yourself and ask the 'strangers' where they were from and to tell them that today the fish portions were bigger or smaller than usual, that it looked like rain or that the Springboks were doing well... or maybe not.

Over to You

What brilliant penmanship! Were you there during the era of The Royal Chef? Have you heard the story, or are you just learning about it? Let us know! Reply to this email with all your nostalgia and thoughts about The Royal Chef.

If you enjoyed this week’s digest deep dive, consider giving us a tip. Buy us a coffee? Payshap id: 0605293425 (Standardbank) / SnapsScan

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

After a hectic Halloween weekend, here's what's on for the first week of November.

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

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

Melville Weather For The Week 🌸

Wednesday 

26° 🌡️ 14°  | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 25% | ENE 7 km/h 💨

Thursday  

25° 🌡️ 15° | 🌧️ | 🌧️ 60% | WNW 15 km/h 💨

Friday 

18° 🌡️ 11° | 🌧️ | 🌧️ 99% | NE 11 km/h 💨

Saturday 

9° 🌡️ 12° | 🌧️ |  🌧️ 91% | NNE 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

9° 🌡️ 13° | 🌧️ | 🌧️ 89% | NNE 7 km/h 💨

Monday 

21° 🌡️ 12° | 🌩️ |  🌧️ 64% | NNE 11 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

22° 🌡️ 12° | 🌧️ |  🌧️ 62% | NNW 6 km/h 💨

Civil Matters👷‍♀️

We Marched, The Mayor Responded – Now What?

The Joburg Water Forum's WaterJustice4All protest was huge. Residents, residents' associations, religious groups and media showed up from far and wide! This really goes to show that no one is happy. The water infrastructure issues are at a critical level and affect everyone. The placards, chants and speeches at the protest said it all (and probably made a few politicians sweat!).

So many great speakers voiced their community's pain, they didn't hesitate to hold the City and administration accountable. After the march, we spoke with one of the protest organisers again, JoburgCan manager and Melville resident Julia Fish, for feedback. How did it go? Were they happy with the turnout? What outcome or ripple effects do they expect to see? And what should our community know?

In case you missed our first interview, the protest sought to ensure that revenue for water gets ring-fenced, which is crucial for funding infrastructure projects. Projects like the Hurst Hill 2 reservoir or the Crosby pump station that have taken much longer than the projected timeframe to upgrade.

An immediate positive impact for us would be for these projects to be completed. It would massively reduce the number of outages and inconveniences we suffer. Something else that emerged from the protest, is a desire for expanded citizen oversight by RAs into local projects like these. The hope is that applied pressure would start getting more public accountability.

After the protest, Mayor Dada Morero became very active on social media. He did many media interviews and has been responding to people on X, showing that his department feels the pressure. His core message in this public response is that the City acknowledges the problem and is trying to show that they're handling it.

The protestors expect a written response to the memorandum they submitted two weeks ago from the mayor's office within 14 days. With the next local government elections looming, Julia feels it was important for ward councillors and other political parties at the protest to hear different communities' frustrations directly.

The immediate next step for the Joburg Water Forum was to attend a presidential working group for water and sanitation this past Monday night to keep up the pressure and build on the protest's momentum.

Besides being "constructive and cohesive", Julia hoped the event showed people that protest can be a source of hope.

Cllr. Jacobs Updates on Key Issues At November MRA Meeting 🏡

Councillor Jacobs made a big effort to attend last night's Melville Residents Association meeting. There was only a small turnout this month, but residents were grateful to have him and didn't hesitate to ask him hard questions. Here's a brief overview of issues he spoke about, their status and/or resolutions.

1. A fragmented billing system where officials work in "silos", causing billing issues to take a very long time to resolve.

Resolution/Status: A billing open day was secured for Saturday, 8th November, at Marks Park (8.30am–3.30pm). This event brings the entire billing value chain together, allowing residents to get their issues resolved on the spot.

2. Reliable water supply issues, including significant delays in critical infrastructure projects like the Brixton reservoir and the Hurst Hill reservoirs.

Resolution/Status: The fight for reliable water supply is "massive and ongoing". This includes advocacy through social media, protests, council speeches, and requesting the Minister of Water and Sanitation to conduct an oversight visit. The Johannesburg Water MD and Executive Mayor were summoned to Parliament to account for fixing infrastructure and ring-fencing funds.

3. Hurst Hill 1 and 2 reservoirs are dysfunctional (HH1 is bypassed due to floor cracks; HH2 can only fill to 40%). Repairs are delayed.

Resolution/Status: HH1 repair was supposed to start in November (this year) and HH2 in October. Whilst site establishment has begun, the work on the actual reservoir itself has not started. The councillor has written to the MD asking for an urgent meeting.

4. Lack of transparency regarding the progress of critical infrastructure upgrades (Capex projects).

Resolution/Status: The councillor requested Joburg Water to implement a live dashboard that shows residents the progress, start/end dates and delays of these projects.

5. Financial mismanagement within the city, leading to funding issues for Johannesburg Water and project delays. Although Johannesburg Water is profitable, funds are taken away and spent elsewhere.

Resolution/Status: The councillor and colleagues are advocating for the ring-fencing of Johannesburg Water's budget in Parliament. The city's current cash flow problem means it must move money around, leading to late payments to contractors, which causes project delays.

6. Inconsistent by-law enforcement by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.

Resolution/Status: The councillor is taking the issue up with JMPD executive management. The reason he stated for the inconsistency is that the by-law enforcement unit is under-capacitated citywide. The request to reallocate resources from other regions to local hotspots was deemed impossible at this time.

Community Q&A

Those are the main things he spoke about. In his Q&A, the community engaged him on:

• Noise complaints

• Ward Inspector vacancy

• Applications (zoning/consent use) being misdirected to Bridget Steer instead of him

• Revised Commune Policy Proposal, which threatens to destroy several suburbs

• The effectiveness of the Section 79 committee in stopping irregular legislation or administration

This is only a quick overview; so much more was spoken of in the meeting by the councillor and the MRA portfolio holders. One big highlight from the MRA committee members was the MSI reporting the lowest crime stats we've had in a very long time, leading into the festive season. (Knock on wood, cross fingers, and maybe triple-check your alarm, just in case!)

Overall, it was a very productive and eye-opening November MRA meeting. A chance to hear from the councillor himself on the status of the many issues we, as well as many other suburbs in Jozi, face.

Koppies Check-In ⛰

Super Moon Viewing At Melville Koppies East

Another week, another way to interact with our urban oasis, the Melville Koppies. There's a Super Moon Viewing tonight, and just like with the recent solar eclipse, there'll be a little viewing party, marshalled by Danny (Creass) and Tam of the Koppies Committee. The group will meet this evening, Wednesday, 5th November, at the Melville Koppies East entrance on 9th Avenue. Who knows, you might just catch some Guy Fawkes fireworks too!

• 6pm – 8.30pm

• 9th Avenue, Melville Koppies East

• MSI Security present

• Contact 066 448 3248 for more info

• Donations welcome

A Dog Hike On MK West

Tail End readers, this one's for you too! Join the Melville Koppies West team this weekend on our Monthly Walk With Dogs hike for November. Bring your furry friends, or come alone if you don't have one (yet). All are welcome—we've even had a few toddlers!

• 7.50am for 8am

• Cul-de-sac on 3rd Street, top of Arundel Road, Westdene

• R40

Storytelling With Merle Grace At Central

The Melville Koppies festivities wrap up on Sunday at MK Central with storytelling by Merle Grace. Yes, you heard that right; it's a Melville Koppies trifecta! A brilliant opportunity to visit the East, West, and Central in one week.

If you have small children or just need a change of pace, Merle's storytelling at the lecture hut is the place to be! She's mesmerising with her well-chosen tales and performances that suck you in like a movie. Almost like a one-woman play. It's Netflix, but with better scenery and no buffering!

Merle invites you to "Connect with nature, with self, with the child within."

Catch Story Telling With Merle at Melville Koppies Nature Reserve (Central)

• 8.30am for 9am

• Marks Park entrance on Judith Road

• R100 adults, R50 kids, under-5s free

Free Roam Sunday

MK Central will also be open for a free roam, hike, heritage and history, meditation or nature photowalk.

• Open 8.30am–11.30am

• R100 adults, R50 kids, under-5s free

The Tail End 🐾

Guy Fawkes Safety: Protect Your Pets Tonight

Today is Guy Fawkes Day, so expect some fireworks. Keep all your pets inside and put some music on or the telly. You can get Calmettes or Nurexan tablets to help calm your dog's nerves if things get out of hand.

Days like this remind us how important it is to get our pets microchipped, because many run away in terror. So heads up, Beagle Watch is hosting another subsidised microchipping event in preparation for the holidays soon.

Today's Tail End tip is courtesy of Sonja Kruger from Beagle Watch K9 Department. Sonja is on standby during the fireworks tonight with Calmettes and Nurexan on hand.

You can contact her at 069 518 0125 if it's an emergency only.

Microchipping Event Details

• Saturday, 15th November

• 9 am–2 pm

• Total Car Wash, Cnr Wilgerood & Ouklip Road, Helderkruin

Extra Sprinkles 🧁

Jozi My Jozi Strikes Again: Dignity Day Success

This past Thursday, 30 October, JMJ, together with our very own U-turn Homeless Ministries, hosted a unique event called Dignity Day, featuring a panel discussion and a Dignity Boutique at Con Hill.

The day was about:

• Commemorating World Homeless Day

• Restoring dignity to Jozi's homeless population

• Mobilising public and corporate participation in long-term solutions to addressing homelessness.

The Dignity Boutique Activation was the central feature, designed to provide essential services and goods to people experiencing homelessness whilst treating them with respect and giving them hope.

More Than Just a Handout

The activation brought critical forms of support to the people. They offered haircuts, ID support, clothing and meals on the day. The focus was on clothing and grooming, giving the homeless confidence and courage to seek employment.

It was a "boutique", not a handout. They designed it as a dignified shopping experience where people could choose their own clothing from displays organised by size and style. They used fitting rooms for privacy, and volunteers treated each person with respect.

The ID Crisis

The organisations requested financial support through donations to help fund IDs. Losing an ID can have a horrible effect on a homeless person's life, stopping them from accessing jobs, opening accounts, applying for housing, social grants or healthcare. The overall campaign's theme was "Restore Dignity, Bring Hope Home".

Get Involved

Jozi My Jozi, U-turn and partners invite residents, corporates and civic organisations to join the movement through volunteering or donating.

Thank you! 🙏

Thank you for reading this week's Melville Untold. Enjoyed it? Why not give us a tip? Buy us a coffee. Payshap id: 0605293425 (Standardbank)

You can now tip us with SnapScan too! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated before, especially those who have done so more than once! Your support is appreciated, and makes those tough-tough week’s a little easier to cope with.

Is your office getting ready for a year-end function? Is someone you know graduating? Book our photography services to capture these special moments professionally. (We promise to get your good side, even after a few glasses of bubbly.)

Read something interesting? Forward this email to someone who loves Melville. 🤍

Till next Wednesday,

Stay reminiscent, stay ravishing and keep rocking!

Alweda ✌️