At 11 this morning, Britain goes quiet for two minutes. The silence started in Cape Town in 1918, and Sir Percy FitzPatrick took it to the King. Same guy whose animals at Zoo Lake became the Joburg Zoo's first. Welcome to Melville Untold, the newsletter that shows you who's who in the... never mind, let's get on with it. Happy belated Diwali, Mellies!

In this week’s newsletter,

• Meet Our Official Ward 87 Councillor 🗳️
• U-turn's New Area Manager Has Big Plans ☕
• Stokvel's Last Show, This Weekend 🎨

— Aubrey Moloto, Caroline Koma

Sponsored:

It's official. Jonathan Thompson is our Ward 87 councillor, and the DA held the ward with close to 61% of the vote. We covered him taking over from Kyle Jacobs back in August, so this week we walked down 7th Street with him to see what happens now.

The strongest support came from our side of the ward, starting at Melpark Primary. "Melpark Primary did very well. The support there was phenomenal. I think it was just over 70%," he told us. Holy Family College in Forest Town came in at around 70% as well, and Parktown High School for Girls (which covers Parkview, Parktown West and Westcliff) was strong too. The one tight spot was Hope Church in Auckland Park, where, as JT put it, other parties had the edge from "having students from UJ", and their ward candidates got more votes than he did. The full station-by-station numbers are on the IEC results dashboard.

He also gave the IEC credit. In the 2024 national elections, Hope Church ran on a single working voter management device, and residents queued five to six hours. "This time around they had the manpower," he said. "They managed to clear the queue out very, very quickly, and the rest of the day was smooth sailing."

Straight Into The Storms

There was no victory lap. JT's first week as councillor was storm week. Old overhead lines blew together and shorted along 4th Street, 6th Avenue and parts of 7th and 8th Avenues, and a car took out the lines on the corner of 4th Street and 9th Avenue.

His first official email asked City Power to replace the bare overhead lines on 4th Avenue (7th Street to 9th Street) and 4th Street (5th Avenue to 9th Avenue) with insulated aerial bundled cable, "so if there's wind or rain, it won't short and take the power out." Those are, in his words, "the most problematic streets that we have currently in Melville."

Meanwhile, water meters keep disappearing. "I think Joburg Water's kind of battling to keep up with the amount of escalations I'm sending," he said with a chuckle.

The First 100 Days

We asked for three priorities. He gave four:

1. Street lights, because they're a safety issue.

2. Back-feed cables, so that when one cable fails, power can be fed from another part of the suburb. One fault recently left Melville dark for two to three days, and the other side of the ward for six. "I know there's no money to replace those cables that are old, but surely we can make a plan," is the message he's taking to City Power.

3. Water leaks, starting with the worst ones on his list, like the valve in Auckland Park that residents say has been leaking for six or seven years.

4. Bylaw enforcement. "If there's no bylaw enforcement, then you have chaos and anarchy."

He tracks every escalation on a notepad split by City Power, Joburg Water and the rest, and ticks each one off when it's sent. A reminder to follow up pops up seven days later.

Hursthill 2: Seeing Is Believing

The Hursthill 2 reservoir closed for repairs in December 2025. It was meant to be back by April 2026, then September, and now, after payment delays stalled the work, April or June 2027, depending on who you ask.

Joburg Water says the work is 30% done. Cllr Thompson has asked the project manager for an oversight visit and wants to bring media, like us, along "just so that we can try and get exposure on it." Whether they'll be allowed in is another matter. He's promised to keep everyone posted; yes, we're definitely tagging along!

What A Hung Council Means For Mellies

Ward 87 is DA, but the big decisions (where the money goes, the bylaws, who oversees City Power and Joburg Water) are made by whoever governs Jozi. With no party holding a majority, coalition talks have until about 25 November. If it goes the other way, JT warned, "it's really going to put the city under pressure." Either way, "I will keep fighting for the ward and for Melville."

How To Reach Him (And Get Results)

JT asks that every complaint goes to him in the escalation format: your name, number and address, the City Power or Joburg Water reference number, and what the problem is. "This is what entities require from us," he said, and it lets him follow up even when your number isn't saved on his phone.

Log first with City Power or Joburg Water, then send him the reference. He's moving to WhatsApp Business and is putting together a frequently asked questions sheet on how to log things and how long each fix should take, like the one Bridget Steer made when she was councillor. His working day ends around 8 pm, so be kind.

Get On The Ward Committee

Once the new mayor and council are in place, there are 120 days to set up the ward committee: ten residents, each holding a portfolio such as environment, infrastructure and service delivery. They're the go-between for residents and the councillor. You need to be a registered voter in the ward, and this time the committee election will run through a formal process with the IEC. JT has promised to share the guidelines, and we'll run them here when he does. If you know your way around a substation or a water main, think about putting your hand up.

I Love Melville

Cllr Thompson has known Melville all his life. His parents worked at the SABC and had friends in many streets of Auckland Park and Melville. After church on Sundays, his dad would buy a newspaper at the iconic "Greek-owned" cafe on the corner of First and Seventh where Circle On 7th now is (Spilt Milk); a young JT would get his Turkish delight. Years later, he recognised Danny from MSI as the guy who used to serve his dad at the bottle store. "It took him a year to remember," he laughed. Now our local superhero is one of his best friends!

Got a question for JT? Email [email protected] or call +27 65 808 6245

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On 5 November the Melville Art Mile turned the streets into a creative hangout. Neighbours and visitors walked the route, browsing the stalls and taking in the art.

"The Art Mile went well for me. I felt there was a really friendly vibe between vendors and customers. You would never think that most of us were meeting each other for the first time. Just so chilled and relaxed," said vendor Tamsin Lorian.

Cathy Dell noticed the crowd: "I thought it was very good. There were a lot of people this time. Made it interesting for us."

The last Mile of 2026 is on Thursday 3 December, 4pm to 9pm. Walk the route for free at your own pace, or pick a ticket: R150 self-guided gets you unlimited shuttle rides, a free activity and priority on complimentary drinks, and the R450 VIP guided tour adds a guide, drinks and a light meal at Café Picobella. Tickets are on Quicket.

Until then, catch Stokvel Gallery while it's still here. A studio group of women artists is showing "Can't Keep The Paint In The Tube!", the gallery's final exhibition. The preview is at 6pm on Friday 13 November, the opening at 11am on Saturday 14 November, and Sunday 15 November is the last show day.

Anni Wakerley, one of the exhibiting artists, feels the bittersweet end: "I think it's really sad; Gordon has been amazing. I think that's why we wanted to use the gallery, because it's a gallery run by an artist, an artist for artists, and he does so much to promote young and upcoming artists."

Pikitup is back but still behind. Cllr Thompson told us on Monday that the trucks are catching up on two to three weeks of collections, so they fill up faster and queue longer at the landfills, where "almost half of Joburg is there at that time".

Fleet shortages aren't helping: a depot can plan nine trucks for nine rounds, then get five or six trucks on the day. Pikitup said they want to be caught up by the end of this week, and on Tuesday they sent nine trucks out for the backlog, with two loads left in Melville. Leave your bins out late. "So let's see what happens," our new councillor said. He's watching each area's schedule.

On water, the Commando system is "looking much healthier". Crosby reservoir was at 59% on Monday morning, "it hasn't been that high in months". It's still fragile until Hursthill 2 is fixed. "It can at any time change without notice," he said, so fill a few bottles while it's flowing. You never know with these guys!

Storm week hit 5th Avenue hardest. "5th ave between 6th and 10th Street was without power for about 4 days," said Danny Nunes. A City Power contractor had to replace 50m of LV feeder cable, then another 5m where the cable joins the busbars. The terminations burnt out on the first try, and the power finally came back on 6 November. Then a second windstorm hit on Sunday night. By Wednesday morning parts of 9th Street, 2nd Avenue and 4th Street were going into day five without power. The City Power truck allocated to Melville and Auckland Park broke down on Tuesday afternoon, and JT has been back to the Hursthill depot to chase a replacement.

Lost power? Log it at citypower.mobi or call 011 375 5555, then send your reference number to JT in escalation format.

U-turn's charity shop on the corner of 4th Avenue and 7th Street has someone new keeping an eye on it. Bianca Rabaney, one of the organisation's success stories, has been working at U-turn for ten years, going on eleven. As retail area manager, she's responsible for nine stores in Cape Town, and now the three in Joburg and one in Pretoria.

Her plan for Melville: more feet through the door and, in her words, "a little coffee shop in the patio section". Cape Town already has one in U-Coffee. The shop also serves as a training ground. The people on U-turn's rehabilitation programme, whom Bianca calls "champs", learn the ropes behind the counter, with occupational therapists alongside them. There are about 24 on the programme in Joburg right now.

U-turn Homeless Organisation has been in Cape Town for 30 years and in Joburg for about four. "With Joburg, we are still in the labour stages," she told us. Her ask is simple: before you hand R5 out of the car window, think about a Mi-change voucher instead. A pack of four costs R50, and each one buys a meal, a shower, clothing or a safe bed for the night at a U-turn or MES service centre. "Every person that's living on the streets, there is a story behind that," she said.

For your wallet: everything in store is 20% off from 10 to 20 November, with a 50% sale to follow.

The week has changed at SIX Cocktail Bar. Monday comedy is gone, and so are the Friday and Saturday sessions. What's left: the iconic live jazz on Wednesdays, the charity night 1000 Drawings on Thursdays (details on their Instagram), and Soccer Sundays with a Black Label draft special. Every day from 4pm to 7pm, it's three 350ml Castle Lite or Black Label drafts for R90, on top of the usual cocktail happy hour. Order any burger and a glass of red or white house wine comes with it. Refer to the Melville Pulse Calendar; these specials and events are live!

The Melville Artisanal Market at the tennis courts had a quieter Saturday on 7 November, with the big rugby match pulling the regular crowd away, but the day still went well overall.

Laurel says markets like this lean on steady local support, which is why a big match can shift the weekend routine.

Two weeks ago we wished the Robokids luck. The Grade 4s from Bryanston Parallel Medium School, who studied invasive plants on Melville Koppies for the FIRST LEGO League, are through to Nationals. They were one of 11 teams picked at the Gauteng South regional competition, and on 4 and 5 December they take on around 60 to 70 of the best teams from South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Their pamphlet on the invasives to pull out of your garden is ready for Koppies visitors, and the website is live.

"Qualifying for the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Nationals is a tremendous achievement! It means the BioGlow team has demonstrated excellence not only in robotics but also in innovation, teamwork and the FIRST Core Values," said Robokids teacher Juanita van der Merwe.

Between now and December, the team polishes its robot design, innovation project and core values presentation.

Charney Van Aardt Giovanelli's cat Jiji featured in Pet Share Friday on 6 November. Jiji grew up alongside a very special dog, Odin, who helped raise her from just a few days old. Sadly, Charney's soul dog had to be put down because of severe hip dysplasia. The big boy was just over four years old and weighed 70kg, a Great Dane and Ridgeback cross with a beautiful ridge down his back and the rest of him all Great Dane. He was loved all across Melville, and he'll be missed.

• Northcliff Melville Times: A flood of questions and a trickle of answers over Melville's leaking water valve (6 November 2026).

• Melville Residents Association: MRA Community Meeting, November 2026 updates and key developments (6 November 2026).

• Northcliff Melville Times: DA leads preliminary race across key Joburg wards (5 November 2026).

Thank you for reading, Mellies. If issue #103 came in clutch, why not buy us a coffee? It keeps us awake to new news!

The Art Mile is gearing up for a massive season grand finale on Thursday 3 December. Tickets are live; if you haven't before, get on the tour and experience your hood with one of your own!

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'til next week,

Listen loud, linger longer, love local.

Viszlát! ✌️