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Maharishi Invincibility Institute is building an Education Town
The city needs a new future, and it can't be based on what worked in the past. At a networking event we attended for the educational non-profit, the Maharishi Invincibility Institute (MII) in February 2025, founder Taddy Blecher spoke plainly and to the point about the amazing work the Institute is doing to profoundly shift the trajectory of young people in South Africa – and change the shape of Joburg's City Centre. MII has seen to the education and job placement of nearly 24,000 graduates to date, with the goal of reaching 100,000 financially disadvantaged youth.
Despite these great strides, the Institute remains relatively under the radar. However, the vision for an Education Town that will transform part of Joburg's City Centre into a world-class university college town capable of supporting up to 40,000 students per year is bound to shift this. And this is already underway. MII owns a growing number of buildings to this aim, including the iconic 45 Main Street building that was donated to them by Anglo American.
Part of MII's campus expansion in Marshalltown recently saw the opening of Maharishi Park (March 2025), a sports and leisure centre featuring a modern clubhouse and multi-purpose fields for basketball and soccer. This ties in with MII's inspiring and holistic approach. A glimpse into the student's daily schedule goes some way towards conveying this, which begins with yoga, breathing, meditation, and time for rest. MII is built upon the philosophy that healing is foundational to excelling and that every individual matters. There are no shortcuts to impressive metrics but slow, intentional work that is truly transformative.
Visit maharishiinstitute.org to find out more and follow @maharishi.institute on Instagram to stay in the loop.
Who wants to buy Ponte City?
Ponte City has come a long way from its initial rise in 1976 and dramatic fall to one of the city's most notorious buildings, when it was declared a "vertical urban slum" in 2002. Today it's an example of what's possible in the inner city – a stable residential complex with an innovative community centre that has become a landmark tourist attraction. An iconic silhouette on Joburg's skyline, Ponte has had more than 30,000 visitors since Dlala Nje, started in 2012 after journalist Nickolaus Bauer went to write a story about the collapse of the inner city and came back with a lease. Together with Mikal Luptak, Dlala Nje (which means Let's Play, in Zulu) has become a tour company that funds the community centre at Ponte and works to transform and enrich the lives of children in Hillbrow while bringing visitors into the space. Dlala Nje has been headquartered in Ponte ever since, helping to shape a new narrative around Joburg's City Centre and provide meaningful opportunities for the city's youth.
This 51-storey residential block is now up for sale and it begs the question: is this the real-estate deal of a decade or a gamble? And what might become of the building itself? A conversation about the sale, featuring Bauer, unpacks this – listen here. We are pleased to hear that regardless of what happens in Ponte's next era, Dlala Nje is there to stay.
Johannesburg City Library partially reopens after five years
The aftermath of Covid-19 saw a prolonged closure of the Johannesburg City Library, initially brought on by lockdown restrictions and then issues around repairs and maintenance work needed. This has meant that from March 2020 the city has been without its first and largest public library – an invaluable and much-needed resource. After many frustrating years without answers, organisations such as Bridge Books and the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation became increasingly vocal and active in this space – even staging a protest, together with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, outside the library in May 2024.
A date was eventually set for the partial reopening of the library, and it was met. On Fri, Mar 21, 2025 the ground floor and children's section of the library opened to the public for the first time in nearly five years. A full reopening is anticipated for later in 2025, and we sincerely hope that's going to be the case. It's something we have added our voice to from the start. Read the statement by City of Joburg here.
Walking Joburg's literary district with Bridge Books
With Griffin Shea at the helm, Bridge Books has been working to champion what they have dubbed Joburg's Literary District. Now, with the partial reopening of the Johannesburg City Library, it adds a major site onto the map that's been missing all along. When the Lit District was originally plotted, the precinct was demarcated by the start of the library. Now our collab map, showing more than 70 booksellers in the city, gains a new dimension.
All the while, Bridge Books has enlisted close to 100 people who have been brought in on a stipend to clean the area mapped out – and keep it that way. Of course, larger infrastructural issues remain in the city's hands. But what we saw on a walk there in February 2025 was remarkable and truly spotless. This is in support of the reading culture that's already in the city. For more on this, we recommend Bridge Books' underground bookseller's tour (which can be booked just about every day) that illuminates a route through the city. The tour leaves from the historic Barbican building, the new HQ of Bridge Books.
BAPS opens the largest Hindu temple in the southern hemisphere
While construction is still underway on parts of the site, we were invited to a media tour of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir and Cultural Complex in Northriding. It's one thing reading about it and watching the video footage online, and another thing entirely to witness firsthand. The enormous property has been designated for this project for many years, bought back when the surrounding area was mostly farmlands, while the groundwork began three years ago. Now, as Joburg's urban crawl has spread ever-outwards, it'd be difficult to find open land of this size within relative proximity to the city. It's easily accessible from two major thoroughfares: Malibongwe and Witkoppen.
In the Hindu religion, the murtis are embodied images of the divine, while the mandirs (temples) which house them are revered. India alone is believed to have over two million Hindu temples, ranging from small local shrines to impossibly elaborate structures, while thousands more dot the globe. Destined to become a South African landmark, a 12-day Festival of Hope and Unity marked the opening of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in February 2025 – though it must be noted that the temple itself is still under construction. It is the cultural complex that is the focus for now. This speaks to an important point: Hindu mandirs are not only places of worship but also social institutions. Given its location in diverse Johannesburg, the BAPS mandir is envisioned as a centre for multicultural exchange and inter-religious dialogue. It is this ethos that stood out on our visit, which was made special not because of the scale of the structure and project but the warmth and welcome of the people behind it.
Much of what you see at the BAPS Hindu Mandir and Cultural Complex has been brought forth by countless hours of work by volunteers, doing every conceivable job from painting to polishing to carving. We met a young woman who spoke glowingly about spending her matric holiday volunteering on the site with her friends. A true community effort. It was fascinating to watch saffron-robed sannyasis (religious ascetics) walking casually around what's very much still an active construction site. The style of the building is based on Indian Haveli architecture, which was developed for monuments.
As a global socio-spiritual organisation, BAPS has more than 1,300 mandirs and 5,000 centres worldwide. The Northriding property spans 14 acres and will serve as the base for BAPS in South Africa. The central point of the cultural complex is a hall for weekly assemblies and events that can accommodate up to 4,000 people. Other facilities include a Shayona's – a pure sattvic (yoga) vegetarian restaurant – and a sports complex, as well as ample space for youth development, language, and music classes. Follow @bapssouthafrica on Instagram for updates.
What the G20 Summit means for Joburg – and promising developments
In December 2024, South Africa assumed the year-long presidency of the G20. Just five years from the United Nations' deadline to meet several development goals, this puts South Africa in a position to truly make a difference on an international scale. The annual G20 Summit will be held in Johannesburg over two days on Sat, Nov 22 and Sun, Nov 23, 2025. As this will be the first time that this summit comes to Africa, it's a historic occasion. But what is the G20, and, the question on everybody's lips, what does this presidency mean for the City of Joburg? While the world of politics can often seem synonymous with empty promises, hopeful signals are being sent out regarding Johannesburg as the 2025 host city for the G20 Summit and how this could benefit us as residents. We delve into a few of these here.
LOOKING TO NEWTOWN
Since we published our G20 primer piece, we've gotten wind of some exciting developments. There's a big tourism strategy unfolding in the inner city in preparation of the G20 Summit South Africa, with Newtown earmarked for some of the summit's cultural and creative activities. The line of thinking we had hoped for is proving true, with G20 sites being chosen with the idea that efforts will be poured into them so they can get a much-needed upgrade.
THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL COMES TO JOBURG
We've also heard that around the time of the G20 Summit, Johannesburg will play host to the International Public Art Festival (IPAF). This is Africa's largest annual street art festival, typically hosted in Cape Town. However, as all eyes will be on Joburg during this time, it makes perfect sense to relocate and let the city's vibrant art scene shine.
A PRINTED CITY GUIDE FOR G20 DELEGATES
We are excited to announce that we are working on a printed city guide, Johannesburg In Your Pocket's first edition since 2020, that will present the inner city to G20 delegates. Sponsored by Nando's, we are looking forward to bringing this project to life.
Dear Mr. President: Our letter to Cyril Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s shock at the state of Johannesburg, witnessed during his cabinet oversight visit in Gauteng in May 2025, actually came as a shock to us – begging the question: how did senior government officials not notice this stark reality? It also had us asking now that our President is shedding his rose-tinted glasses, what else is it imperative he sees? From all corners of the city, there are individuals, communities, and organisations who are working tirelessly to improve Johannesburg, creating hope through their efforts. We’ve identified three important catalysts and causes we’d convey to our leader, if we gained a few moments of his time:
1. JOHANNESBURG'S CREATIVE HUBS ARE THRIVING – LET'S BACK THEM
Researcher and artist Mariapaola McGurk says, "I’m not sure that many other creative cities are seeing this scale of development. Currently, there are 19 creative hubs across [Joburg], with some hosting over 150 artists." Spaces are being carved out, and creativity is leading the charge.
2. COMMUNITY MATTERS – INITIATIVES BIG AND SMALL
Johannesburg In Your Pocket endeavours to be a voice for the city. Others are its arms and legs or are lending thinking-power, heart, resources, and resolve to the people, places, and spaces that need it most. From Dbongz, the street artist whose distinctive murals across Joburg celebrate heritage figures who have played a part in the city's history, to Jozi My Jozi – a movement that's been bubbling under the surface since 2023, working to create a safe, walkable city that Joburgers can be proud of, fostering community engagement, and driving social change – it's this spirit and these efforts that keep us inspired.
3. CITIES ARE MADE FOR WALKING – HOW DO WE ENSURE SAFE PASSAGE FOR ALL?
Imagine arriving in any part of the city, at any hour, and feeling the freedom to explore it on foot. This hasn't been a reality in Joburg for far too long. Yet walking can be a transformative experience. Through collaboration, diversity, and closing the "gaps", we hope to go from being advocates for a welcoming city to truly living in one.
Read the full story here.
Five minutes with Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie
While we're unlikely to be granted a presidential address anytime soon, we did recently (Feb 2025) manage to snag a few moments of Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie's time. This was at Everard Read gallery, where everybody who is anybody in the art community stood in an enthusiastic line for a chance to speak their piece to McKenzie. And we must say, we were duly impressed. McKenzie acknowledged to the art community that the arts in Joburg have long been neglected.
Much of this was off the back of a meeting about the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) held that morning, at which the news came out that key pieces in the gallery's permanent collection have been travelling the world and are not, in fact, in the city. This wasn't disclosed prior, and so it was news to most. The gallery is now being called to account for the management of its art collection amid rising concerns about the poor condition of the building itself. If you want to see a Picasso or Monet in Joburg, JAG should be the place to go.
McKenzie also spoke frankly about how he came to his position – while sport has always been a love of his, art was not his forte. This raises the question of why these are grouped into one ministerial function. We don't discount the obvious downfalls of this position falling into the lap of someone who is not experienced and knowledgable in the arts space – take the recent Havana Book Fair debacle, for example. But McKenzie also brings a fresh perspective to a world that can be quite jaded and a much-needed tenacious approach to tackling some of the city's cultural problems. His willingness to learn and recognise other people's expertise is unusual in a politician in his position, although it shouldn't be. On the whole, we believe these qualities are immensely in his favour. While undoubtedly mistakes will be made along the way, transparency is called for in these cases for good faith to be maintained.
What was most interesting about this experience of meeting the minister was the effect that McKenzie's presence had on the crowd. We joked afterwards that the group of people gathered there could solve many of the city's problems in a matter of hours. His openness and generosity unleashes the potential for suitably qualified people to be empowered to work together, to unlock some of these seemingly long-intractable problems. The government's role is to enable, it is not a creator. And in Joburg, so many people can create and do. If they are heard and supported by government, the possibilities are endless.
Related reading: Joburg snapshot: The most important news stories – January 2025
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