Wednesday was World Photography Day, and the day Bob Gosani started at Drum as a messenger and ended up photographing Mandela boxing on a Johannesburg rooftop in 1957, during the Treason Trial. He won the world's heart. We got 7de Laan, then named ourselves after it! Welcome to Melville Untold, the newsletter that let’s know who to copy on your next escalation email.

In this week’s newsletter,

— Aubrey Moloto, Caroline Koma

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Last June we ran a piece called "Meet Your Ward 87 Councillor." This is the other half of that story.

Kyle Jacobs never actually won a general election. He won a by-election on 28 August 2024, after Bridget Steer stepped down from a seat she'd held for eight years. Four candidates threw their hats in the ring. The DA's share of Ward 87 jumped from 65.2% in 2021 to 83.17% that day, an 18-point swing. Not bad for a guy who wasn't even on the original ballot.

So, here's the thing: his whole run is two years, not five. He was always finishing somebody else's term. He knew it going in, and he has been consistent about it.

The Scorecard

In June 2025, we asked what he would fix. The big answer was water. The small one he called low-hanging fruit: "the painting of the streets, the repairing of potholes, reinstatements, the cutting of grass and pruning of trees, the sweeping of the sidewalks, the repairing of street lights."

Hursthill 2

On the big one, the picture is split.

In November 2024, he and Ward 69's Cllr Genevieve Sherman walked Hursthill 1 and 2 and found both empty and bypassed. After a year of pushing, Johannesburg Water committed to repairs. Work started 1 December 2025, due to finish 9 April 2026, with 5,000 properties riding on it, inside a roughly R1 billion Commando System upgrade.

As of 12 August 2026, it’s 20% complete overall, 70% inside the reservoir, 55% on the bulk pipeline, and the contractor has walked. Johannesburg Water's Nombuso Shabalala: "The contractor is currently off-site due to delayed payments." The new completion date is 29 March 2027.

He got a dead project moving. He could not keep it moving.

Three Full-Time Jobs

None of this surprised him. In June 2025, eight months in, he already had the diagnosis.

"When you're a ward councillor, you have almost like three full-time jobs, and often residents only see one aspect of it."

"We get inundated with tons of escalations. Even escalations themselves are not working. You escalate an issue 10 times over, and it still doesn't get resolved."

"We have no administrative support at all."

By this month it had hardened into a sentence: "You're probably the most powerless elected official in the entire system. Yet the expectations of you are more than that of the president."

He also predicted in June 2025 that Melville would only have reliable water "by 2027". Johannesburg Water now says March 2027. It seems that being right is its own kind of loss.

Why He's Leaving

He wants to do something different and won't know exactly what until after the election. He answered it fourteen months ago, without being asked.

"I raised my hand, stepped up to make a contribution, and to see the term through until the end of the term for the next elections."

That is what he signed up for, and that is what he has done. As for what comes next, in June 2025 he said: "It's always been a hope and an aspiration to contribute to a national level. For me, my heart is really for the entire country."

His advice for 4 November has not changed: "Vote for a good ward councillor, but vote for the right party that's going to help your ward councillor."

Amanda, Bridget, Kyle, and Now JT

Ward 87 has done this before. Jonathan Thompson laid the chain out for us: "Amanda handed over to Bridget, Bridget did a handover to Kyle." Every one of them was already doing the work before anyone paid them to.

JT was announced as the DA's candidate on 14 August. By the DA's own account, six years ago he stood outside the Council Chamber and handed over a petition on the deteriorating water infrastructure in this community. Melville has just come out of seven days without water.

We asked him where he would start, and he promptly said “cable routes”. Melville used to have four back-feed points, routes that let City Power isolate a fault and supply from the other direction. Auckland Park, Melville, Greenside, Parkview, Parktown and Westcliff now run on a single supply, which is why a cable fault can take out five suburbs and why last year's outage lasted three days. "Obviously there won't be money to do cable replacement," he says, "but we can repair it so that if there's an area outage they can at least back feed."

Then the notice. Early this week, Johannesburg Water sent a message, two words: “no water,” days after the real outage ended. It was routine maintenance. "Even Kyle was like, I've never had so many calls just because of the words no water," JT says. He got it rewritten and reissued that morning, then went back to them: "Yo, why could you not be more thorough?"

What The Ward Made of It

Local community groups filled with congratulations within a few hours, along with one dry reminder that he is a candidate and nothing more until November. Earlier, during the outage, residents were already telling each other to log the fault on citypower.mobi and then message Jonathan to escalate it. He was on the escalation route before he was on a ballot.

RISE Mzansi is the other party doing real work here, the visible alternative to DA blue. They came through Bambanani on 1 May, after two journalists asked PBC's Belinda Belseck in. PBC found something bigger: "There's a set of businesses who are all trying to reignite Melville." PBC brought Gauteng economic development MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa to meet Caryn and Jovana. Mayoral candidate Lukhona Mnguni was at The Green Fork on 4 August, with 27 Boxes weighed for his launch. Ward candidate Malik Dasoo answers Kyle: "You don't need to have a majority in city council to make a difference."

Before you vote: election day is Tuesday 4 November. Registration closed on 7 August; you can no longer change your voting station, and special votes open for application around September.

I Love Melville

We asked Cllr Kyle the same question in June 2025 and again this month, and got the same answer both times.

Then: "It's really such a beautiful suburb, and it's just got this look and this feel that's like no other community there is. Despite the struggles and the battles and the issues, the community is still standing strong."

JT, on the other side of the handover: "I love all of Ward 87, I do." He grew up in different parts of the Ward and has a special connection to its suburbs, especially Melville. 

Who’s best for Ward 87? Who should we be voting for? Hit reply..

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This Week in Melville: 20 to 27 August, the once-offs worth planning around. View full calendar for the recurring events.

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

Don’t see your event? Submit it here. Need content coverage? Request a quote. Here’s our work.

The Art Mile isn't just a one-night event; it's an ongoing movement that keeps us connected and reminds the city what Melville is about. With over seventy artists spread across the mile last time out, the idea is to arrive, park your car, scan your tickets and get a map, then walk or shuttle to every gallery, exhibition, performance, activity or market stall.

This time, we usher in Spring with a Heritage Month celebration.

On Tuesday, we were invited to see how the big boys do it. We joined the Contra Media launch, and if you thought the Melville Art Mile had the monopoly on shuttle rides and art circuits, think again. It started at 223 Gallery with a moving exhibition that featured Franz Thoga and Thato Thlati kicking things off. The art explored various themes from encounters of a vigil and what it means to be a woman, expressed through the lens of pleasure and the female form. 

We then hopped on the shuttle and off to Vic Yards, where Primal Spirits Distillery was hosting something special. Sound familiar yet?

Contra Joburg's 5th birthday called for a competition, and they approached the Primal team to put together an art comp dubbed "Share a Primal Moment." The brief: artists had to depict what moving to Jozi or living here felt like. They had to highlight the importance of community and uplifting local, small artists, ’cause in Africa, rising tides lift all boats, even if the water's been off for a bit…

The META Foundation partnered to make it all possible, and of course it couldn't be a competition without winners. In third place, we had Avela Swana. In second place, Robyn Zanine, our very own poster artist featured in Issue 88, whose design delved into the stillness of Jo’burg, which must be hard in a city that never stops!

Avela also headlined at Resource in our Ladies First, first Thursday event; her work is still up at Melville Mansions and will be up again at ERF/350 for next first Thursday. In first place, Arthur Mahlangu, whose piece depicts the experience behind living in Johannesburg.

A Visit to Usha Seejarim's Studio

Our final shuttle ride took us to Usha Seejarim's studio, where we got to know more about her journey. She‘s off to Germany soon to install work that shines a light on police brutality in Bremen, Germany. Her work also addresses over-consumption and works to eradicate it, tackling big themes and starting even bigger conversations.

For those waiting for the next Melville Art Mile, there's plenty on ‘til then. Nick Walsh's Looking Up. Again. runs at Gallery 1903 to 25 August, featuring charcoal drawings of downtown Joburg that capture the city in ways you've never seen. Resource is hanging new work by Wavu Trex and Avela Lindiwe Swana. The "What Is Jazz" group exhibition at ERF350 Studios opens the same night as the Melville Art Mile, in memory of the incredibly talented Thokozani Madonsela. 

The art never stops, and neither should you stop searching. On 3 September, we gather in Melville.

The Melville Art Mile is not a Snaps On Seventh product. It’s for the people of Melville, the art, for creating safe, walkable streets once a month, and to bring the precinct's economy back. The Melville Art Mile Association is how we hand it over. 

Be on the lookout for official Melville Art Mile Association membership rolling out soon. We want anyone who cares about these causes to become a member and take ownership of the event. 

For now, participation applications are open, and tickets are live. Hop on the tour to hang out with us for the night. Come enjoy your hood once a month, safely, in a shuttle. It's spring now, so walking is also on if you need to get those steps in.

Anyone wanting to partner up or collaborate, just visit our website and fill in the form: www.melvilleartmile.co.za

See you on the 3rd. Bring your walking shoes. Bring your curiosity. Bring a friend who loves Melville.

The water came back. Then the lights went out. Then the water went out again. Because the thing that pumps the water needs the lights, and apparently every service needed a break. 

Welcome to Melville’s new favourite game show: “What’s not working today?” proudly sponsored by despair. 

Friday 14 August, 7:00, corner of Main and 4th Avenue. In the cold, because nothing really says community spirit like standing on a street corner at sunrise, wondering if the city knows you exist.

The Melville Protest Steering Committee organised the protest. Residents of Melville, Westdene, Brixton and Sophiatown arrived with empty bottles and hectic signs. The message: this didn't have to happen.

“We’re not angry about the contractors,” said Josh Nel, one of the organisers. “We also wouldn't work if we hadn't been paid for months. We’re angry at the fact that this had to happen at all.” 

The underlying issue was a payment dispute that led contractors at the Crosby Pump Station to down tools, with the City withholding funds owed to Joburg Water; the protest was about making it clear that the community is watching. 

“The residents of Melville are angry, exhausted and deeply disillusioned,” the MRA stated. “Families cannot wash, cook, clean or maintain basic sanitation. The elderly and vulnerable residents are forced to carry heavy containers of water”

By Friday morning, some residents had been without water for over a week. That's a lot of people eyeing their swimming pools, wondering if chlorine is really that bad for you. The answer is yes, by the way. Let's not get too creative.

Kirsty Jurgens, one of the residents, has had enough of the bank-breaking situation. “It's costing me thousands to fill water tanks so we can run our business. It's disgraceful.”

The Hope, The Crash And The Cycle

Paul Mills, a resident, stated that when the protest ended, the water was restored in most areas and roughly 80% of the pressure returned by Saturday 15 August. Like magic. People showered and dared to believe. 

Then things fell apart again. 

Hursthill fuse failure, which also feeds the pump station, dropped Crosby and Brixton tower levels by a lot on Sunday 16 August. According to MSI reports, the power was restored at 15:00. A brief reprieve from the dark ages, except it was a little too late. The pattern was set. The water returns, then the lights, then no water. Like an endless game of service Wack-A-Mole.

“The water and power take turns every day,” said Augustine Mwakawoka of the Hotel Hope interiors. Which is lovely. Very democratic. Pure cinema. 

The outage killed a book launch. Love Books cancelled 185: The Janine van Wyk Story on 11 August, citing no power since the previous night, plus extreme cold. The irony: a book about resilience. Cancelled because the city couldn't keep the lights on.

The Survival Kit

Marna Enslin discovered what every Jo’burger eventually learns the hard way: emailing the city is like shouting into the void. So she skipped ahead and emailed the person in charge directly. The MD of Johannesburg Water (JW), Ntshavheni Mukwevho. She made sure to copy the relevant people in the email, which landed her a meeting with JW on Friday 14 August.

By Saturday 15 August, a team led by a very helpful official named Lindiwe was on her property doing a formal assessment. While other residents were being fobbed off with standard disputes, Marna got action. Proof that the secret to fixing Joburg's water crisis isn't patience; it's knowing the right channels.

Paul Mills doesn't claim to be an expert. He knows a broken system when he sees one. His issue isn't just the backlog; it's the structure. “The only issue I think is unacceptable in our modern municipal system is the creation of municipal-owned companies made to act as contractors for the supply of services which in effect should be done by departments within the municipality.”

In his view, it's a mechanism that serves two purposes: “firstly, empowering connected people within overpaid jobs and secondly, providing a buffer for the mayoral executive groups to distance themselves from the responsibility.”

Darryl from the Melville Residents Association cleared something up: residents are already double-taxed because none of the services work. The MRA has a physical environment portfolio that tries its best with cleanups and what little resources they have, but they simply do not have the funds to replace the city's functions. 

"We cannot replace the functions of the city unless we have access to the same rates that the city is being paid by every single household," he said.

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We usually mention the dog hikes in the Koppies section, but it’s also a goodie for the Tail-enders. This past Saturday, we led a hike for dogs up Melville Koppies West. Small turnout, but so pretty! If you’re a morning person, it’s such a tranquil way to reset after a bustling week. And also a good social run-out for the fur balls. 

We’re part of a group that walks the Melville Koppies West with dogs, usually on mid-month Saturdays; the invitation's open. If you want to join, reply to this email [email protected] with your number, and we’ll get Tony to add you to the WhatsApp group.

The pet winter contest is in its final month. Think of this as the home stretch. Can we actually get a competition going? If not for us, then do it for the cold doggies that could use a blankie at the shelters! 

Enter via [email protected] or in person at the deli. We’re also collecting blankies at Ziggy’s Pet Pamporium.

Here’s our winner so far! The stylish Coco Chanel.

There's a new business opening this month at the Joburg Artist Market at 27 Boxes, and we caught up with owner and founder Arnold Sibanda to hear what you can expect from his creative hub.

"My name is Arnold Sibanda. I'm a cultural producer," he told us. "In a nutshell, cultural producer, man."

Arnold runs Jazz is Dad through his agency Plex Culture, which he describes as a cultural and creative agency. "We create experiences around music, literature, tourism," he said.

He isn't new to this stretch of 4th Avenue. He was one of the original tenants in a men's clothing brand at 27 Boxes when the space first opened, years before it became what it is today, and that’s part of why he came back. Asked what brought him to Melville this time, his answer was blunt: "Market research. We're doing work on urban spaces, and how they can be used to build community."

He's watched the space change over the years, and he wants Jazz is Dad to be part of the next chapter. "It has gone through changes over the years," he said. "But I think it's got the potential to build community again. A community for creatives and artists. Cultural exchange."

Jazz is Dad introduces itself with a little kick. Living Archive at 27 Boxes is hosting the launch: a meet-and-greet on Saturday 5 September with award-winning saxophonist and composer Linda Tshabalala. If you love jazz, love Linda Tshabalala's playing, or just want a Saturday afternoon in the company of good music and good people, this is where it's at.

Free entry, 13:00 to 14:30. RSVP through Quicket.

IT Corner Melville has become a bit of a local institution, and their weekly specials are the sort of thing we should all be setting reminders for. Chicken cordon bleu on Mondays, hake and chips on Tuesdays, and Wednesday delivers two chicken burgers for a klipa (a hundred bucks!), which sounds like theft. 

Thursday is quarter chicken and wings, Friday is lamb chops, and the weekend brings two pizzas for 2 clips. Early birds can catch daily deals from 07:00 to 11:00 starting at R60, because breakfast shouldn’t break the bank.

The kitchen is halal, and you can reach them on 011 482 6090 or drop an email to [email protected].

Die Pienk Kerk’s Thursday Lunch Special 

Die Pienk Kerk has low-key been running one of the best lunch deals in the hood, and now everyone gets to enjoy it. 

Their Thursday lunch special is fish and chips paired with a glass of wine for R99, available from 12:00 to 15:00. It’s now open to everyone, not just members, which means you no longer need a secret handshake to enjoy a good meal in this beautiful space. 

Die Pienk Kerk has become one of the most interesting places to eat, drink and look at art in the suburb. Three birds, one stone.

Service Station Cafe: The Communal Table

If you have ever wanted to feel like you are dining with friends you have not met yet, Service Station Cafe's communal table is bookable and comes with charging points. It’s a small touch that makes a difference. The restaurant has been feeding this suburb for so long, and still looks for ways to make people feel welcome.

Controlled Burn And Fire Breaks

Fire breaks were burned at the bottom of 8th Avenue opposite the garage on 6 August, and now a controlled burn is happening soon. The committee plans to send a note out to residents so they don't call the fire brigade when they see the smoke.

Every year, Wits environmental studies students come to watch the burn. Before the fire, they measure the wind speed, grass load, soil moisture and other factors that affect the heat of the fire. Afterwards, they go back and measure everything again. "Tomorrow there will be lots of smoke in the afternoon," she said.

Wheelchair Access Upgrades

The team is also widening the path to make the Koppies wheelchair accessible from Kafue Road. We’ve just started and have received donations of pavers from generous residents in Melville, Greenside and Kafue to get the work started and definitely need more help. So, if you’re lucky enough to be in a position to donate and/or deeply care about this cause, please reach out.

Trail Fund Run, the AGM & Museum Africa

The 10km Trail Fund Project dates are confirmed for 13 and 20 September. The Koppies AGM is on 19 September; all are welcome. And then, soon after, we’ll be launching the Augmented Reality Basotho/Batswana Smelter experience that’s at the Melville Koppies Central at Museum Africa on Heritage Day, creating a stronger link between the two sites.

The Northcliff Melville Times covered the water protest on 14 August, naming Josh Nel and Kirsty Jurgens as residents who've had enough. Time Out Johannesburg called Melville Koppies "a place that makes people smile," which we strongly second.

The Citizen went deeper, exploring what the rocks have been waiting billions of years to tell us. Turns out, quite a lot. The Koppies was nominated in two categories for the 2026 Best of Joburg list.

What's Brewing

The Barbican restoration is shaping up to be a story a year in the making. Nick Walsh is drawing it, photographers are shooting from its balcony, and Derek Smith reckons the revamp of the Barbican, Die Pienk Kerk, Gallery 1903 and Nick's Art is worth keeping an eye on. 

My Melville Memories 

In celebration of World Photography Day, we ask for your My Melville memories for the Melville 130 portal. Those old quirky photos of your family and friends enjoying the community and vibrancy of Melville. Let your memories live a fresh new life through the eyes of everyone who loves this suburb and those who are getting into the vibe.

 That's us for the week. If you got something out of this one, you can tip us on SnapScan. It's coffee money, and it goes straight back into reporting.

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' Til next time, Melville,

Stay together, stay trying, stay terrific.

Kha vha sale zwavhudi. ✌️