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Jozi reimagined, as neighbourhoods come out from behind their walls and push back

Jozi reimagined, as neighbourhoods come out from behind their walls and push back
Solution session facilitated by Zukiswa Pikoli, left with microphone in hand (Photo: Heather Robertson)
Bridget Hilton-Barber
By Bridget Hilton-Barber
21 Mar 2025
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At the Human Rights Festival 2025, it is clear that Jozi residents are actively shaping the future of their own neighbourhoods. 

It’s the Human Rights Festival 2025 at Constitution Hill, and this century-old prison and former fort complex is buzzing with thousands of people from across the city. Appropriately, the air is filled with the sound of a thousand drums kicking off the festival.  

The three-day festival takes place across the precinct and features music, book stalls, stands for various community organisations and social movements, a craft market, a children’s area and Activism Row – where conversations are happening about reimagining Joburg from below. 

One of these is the Jozi My Jozi Solutions Sessions dealing with challenges in the city. “We are a coalition of the willing,” said Innocent Mabusela from Jozi My Jozi, who facilitated a panel called Reclaiming Control over our Communities. 

“What we are seeing is local citizen organisations in the city rising to reclaim their communities amidst a crisis of governance, infrastructure decay and social discontent,” he said. 

Julia Fish, from Joburg Community Action Networks (CAN), said that it is clear that “through conversation, collaboration, networking and mobilisation, Jozi residents are actively shaping the future of their own neighbourhoods. 

“Local residence associations are increasingly at the frontline of service delivery in communities and getting involved in things like fixing potholes, ensuring water delivery, fighting crime and demanding accountability from municipalities,” she said. “It is about getting people out from behind their walls and getting them to push back.”

‘Collaboration is key’


Bafikile Mkhize speaks on Human Rights Day Bafikile Mkhize from Ekhaya Neighbourhood, which is working to rid Hillbrow of criminals and drug dealers, and make the area liveable. She shared her experiences at the Jozi My Jozi Solution Sessions at the Human Rights Festival 2025 in Johannesburg. (Photo: Bridget Hilton-Barber)



Revellers at Human Rights Festival 2025) Thousands flocked to Constitution Hill for the Human Rights Festival 2025, where the air throbbed with the sound of 1,000 drums. (Photo: Bridget Hilton-Barber)



Navin Bachu, from Kensington Initiative Keep It Clean (Kick), agreed: “We came here, we upset the narrative and started making a positive difference in our communities.” From a handful of volunteers in one street, trying to deal with rubbish and litter, this community initiative now has nearly a thousand helpers spanning 13 increasingly clean suburbs. 

“Collaboration – with the community, the police, property owners, homeless organisations and the city – has been the key to beginning the revitalisation of Hillbrow,” said Bafikile Mkhize of the Ekhaya Neighbourhood, which is working to rid the area of criminals and drug dealers, and to clean pavements, alleyways and parks to make Hillbrow liveable.

How does one fix a broke city?

Panelists and participants attending the Jozi My Jozi Solution session facilitated by Maverick Citizen Managing Editor Zukiswa Pikoli tackled the big hairy question of how to fix a broken city.

Johannesburg has recorded billions in wasteful expenditure, yet residents must contend with unfixed reservoirs, broken streets, homelessness, hijacked buildings and the very real issue of corruption. 

“It’s easy to say roll up our sleeves, but the challenges are enormous, and we have to understand the monster that we are dealing with,” said Dr Ferial Adams from Water CAN. 

“We need leadership with a backbone and we also need people to become citizen activists. If you see a leak, sewerage or other, report it; if you see a truck dumping illegally, take a photo and report it, report it a hundred times.”

Solution session facilitated by Zukiswa Pikoli, left with microphone in hand (Photo: Heather Robertson)



“If we don’t get an ethical, competent city manager we’ll never get the city right,” said Yunus Chamda, of the Joburg Crisis Alliance, an organisation he said was created to hold the city accountable. “We also need alliances and collaboration between government, the city, civil society, activists. We need to reimagine Jozi from the bottom upwards, change needs to be driven by communities themselves.”

Stephen du Preez, from Local Abode, said: “When you get the partnerships right between the public and private sector, then you get results. The private sector is very solution-driven. “We’ve seen this cycle in the early 90s, the problems are not unfamiliar, we need to find workable solutions.”

Jozi My Jozi’s Mabusela said: “One of the things we need to be doing in Jozi My Jozi is to educate people, to encourage communities to take accountability for their own spaces. There is a lot of work to be done, but we can demonstrate to people that it is possible.”

While the crisis in Jozi is undeniable, with residents facing collapsing infrastructure, unsafe communities, prolonged water shortages and rampant corruption, what is clear is that the more people occupy third spaces, become citizen activists and take their power back, the more things will get done. 

The Human Rights Festival continues tomorrow. Solution Sessions  themesfocus on  "Unpacking homelessness "and "How to clean Jozi and create jobs". DM

Bridget Hilton-Barber is a freelance journalist who is employed by Jozi-My-Jozi

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