From hijacked buildings to street art dreams, Saturday’s Hillbrow parade flipped the script on what this neighbourhood is known for… with joy, music, and community taking centre stage.

Johannesburg, South Africa (25 May 2025) – Something magical unfolded in the heart of Johannesburg yesterday. On Saturday, 24 May 2025, the streets of Hillbrow transformed into a living, breathing storybook, a playful, soulful celebration of art, community and transformation.

And this year, a new chapter was added: the African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) joined the joyous chaos of the “Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala!” parade, bringing a whole new layer of meaning to what it means to reclaim space, dignity and dreams.

The streets of Hillbrow, a tough downtown Johannesburg district more famous for its hijacked buildings, poverty and raging crime, came alive on this sunny Saturday morning as hundreds joined in a joyful street parade mixing music, art and performances.

It felt like a joyful rebellion against the narrative the world often tells about this place… and a vibrant reminder of the beauty that still lives here.

“Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala!” is not a new kid on the block. The event has been a yearly happening since 1990, a long-standing tradition of movement, music and imagination in a part of the city that often gets left out of stories worth celebrating. This year’s parade, however, was reimagined and curated with fresh magic by Shade Brixon director Tamzyn Botha, whose vision gave the event new colour and momentum.

“This wasn’t just a parade. It was a time-travelling love letter to Johannesburg, its past, its imagined futures and the vibrant pulse of its right-now.”

The spectacle, inspired by the life and work of public art warrior Lesley Perkes, took over the streets with music, colour and a sense of mischievous hope that was downright contagious. Lesley, who passed away in 2015, dreamt of a Hillbrow that danced with light and imagination. Those who loved her, and even those who never knew her but felt her spirit in the city’s heartbeat, have kept that dream alive, one joyful step at a time.

Together with a host of incredible local organisations – Dlala Nje, Dlamini Foundation, Johannesburg Society for the Blind, Innovation of Excellence, Lefika La Phodiso, Fight with Insight, MES and more – they brought the city to life in full technicolour.

It was bold. It was brave. And it was beautiful.

To all the organisers, supporters, artists, musicians, and dreamers who made it happen, thank you for reminding us that joy can be radical, and play can be powerful.

Hillbrow, you dazzled us. Let’s do it again next year.

Sources: Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala! 

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Mould Serve Empower (MES) is experiencing one of its toughest seasons yet as they face a severe shortage of food, which hundreds of destitute children, youth and adults so desperately rely on.

Johannesburg, South Africa (21 May 2025) – Mould Serve Empower (MES), the charity dedicated to serving those most vulnerable and at risk in our society, is down to just one week of food. These are meals that help feed over 1,600 vulnerable people in Hillbrow, including 334 preschoolers, 853 learners and 411 homeless youth and adults.

The MES Johannesburg branch has, for the longest time, played a significant role in fulfilling the needs of the marginal and destitute communities in and around the city. Through well-structured programmes, it works on a holistic approach of intake, intervention and exit.

The charity believes in creating a space where hope is possible, where values and norms are nurtured, where human potential is developed and where dignity is restored.

And it hopes to continue its heartfelt mission to serve and empower destitute communities.

“This shortage places some of the city’s most at-risk residents—especially young children and homeless individuals—in a deeply precarious position,” explains MES’s Lunar Magidigidi.

MES is currently looking to stock up on non-perishable foods, fresh produce and secure financial donations, with hopes to weather this rough storm.

“We are appealing to the public and compassionate partners to help us avert this emergency. Just R20 provides one hot meal for someone in need. Every contribution whether monetary or food donations can help us extend our reach and continue to serve the community with dignity,” Lunar appeals.

Food donations can be dropped off at the following points:

• MES Head Office: Hillbrow, Johannesburg
• MES IMPILO: 353 Main Street, Fairview
• MES Kempton Park: Number 6 Kempton Road
• Kempton Park Methodist Church: 57 Van der Walt Street

Monetary donations can be made to the banking details below:

Account Name: Mould Empower Serve
Bank: ABSA
Account Number: 4057902724
Branch Code: 632005
Reference: JHB Food Drive 2025

Sources: MES

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A bakery owner’s simple request for beanies unfolded into something much bigger when a charity used its donated resources to do so much more for a vulnerable community in Hillbrow.

Johannesburg, South Africa (20 May 2025) – The upcoming winter season won’t be so lonely and cold for 100 souls in need of some comfort.

A heartfelt gesture was made possible thanks to the kindness of the Beanies for Beings team and its avid knitters, who work tirelessly behind the scenes, using their craft to clothe those in need.

After receiving a request for 20 adult beanies from a bakery owner named Jojo to assist the Nobuhle Virgie Foundation, which does the most incredible work for displaced and vulnerable community members, Beanies for Beings got to work.

“When JoJo came in on Monday (12 May), she reminded me about the beanies, which got me thinking that we could do so much more than just a handful of beanies,” said Beanies for Beings’ Megan Botha.

By means of a recent generous donation from the Dischem Foundation and Hot Cares, the charity was able to gift 100 beanies, blankets and gloves for JoJo to collect and take through to the Nobuhle Virgie Foundation last Friday.

The Nobuhle Virgie Foundation lovingly distributed these gifts to the less fortunate people in Hillbrow, adding an extra touch of warmth with soup and tea, made by Beanies for Beings and Jojo’s contribution of sugar, milk, and biscuits.

If this heartwarming donation and distribution isn’t a testament to the true power of compassion, connection and collaboration, we don’t know what is.

“This is how we change lives when we work together. There are countless more opportunities to help, bring hope and reach so many more people when we join hands with others.

“We could all sleep easier knowing 100 people were gifted warmth,” Megan added.

Sources: Beanies for Beings

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A community rooftop garden in Hillbrow grows from unconventional items like old tyres. Nurtured with utmost care, it helps feed marginalised people while serving as an outdoor classroom for those who want to learn.

Hillbrow, South Africa (28 March 2025) — A community rooftop garden based in Hillbrow deserves its flowers. It is certainly not just a pretty spot for the Outreach Foundation team to hang out. Instead, it’s an oasis supporting local NGOs, NPOs and migrant communities with vegetables and food sources, grown with utmost care.

If the feeding element wasn’t enough, it’s also an outdoor classroom. Here, vulnerable people can learn all about urban farming to enrich their lives one seed at a time.

Behind the rooftop garden is Mike Mkhwanazi. Mike might be credited as the garden’s driving force, but he also credits the garden as his.

“This garden has changed my life,” Mike says. “It’s given me a sense of purpose and connected me with my community. I’ve seen firsthand the impact it has on our participants—teaching them valuable skills, promoting healthy eating, providing a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, and educating them on how to plant in their own homes.”

The garden is humble. Much of its produce grows out of unconventional spaces like old tyres, plastic bags and containers. In this way, it has inspired people to realise that you can do a lot with a little.

Two interns who help Mike nurture the garden have learned this first-hand.

In reflecting on her time with the garden, Tshepisho shares that it’s been a transformative experience.

“I used to think gardening was just about planting and watering seed… but it’s so much more than that. It’s about nurturing life, being patient, and trusting the process. It’s taught me valuable lessons about perseverance and responsibility.”

For Annie, the garden has reached into her personal life in a big way. She has applied the skills learned on the rooftop to create her own garden at home; repurposing old tyres, tins and small containers to house and grow vegetables.

The power of repurposed materials is not lost on Annie. “I was amazed at how easily I could repurpose these materials,” she says. “I’ve planted spinach and herbs in old tyres and used plastic containers to grow tomatoes and peppers. It’s incredible to see how something that would otherwise be thrown away can turn into a productive garden.”

The community rooftop garden is largely a metaphor for the Outreach Foundation’s mission. An organisation that serves as a critical partner in the lives of marginalised people; the garden represents the growth that can come from extra care, being resourceful and seeing something not for what it is, but for what it could be.

The organisation has different programmes to support vulnerable people. There’s Community Outreach where tools and activities are provided to support education initiatives, Skills Development that help beneficiaries create a sustainable life through artisanal skills, beautician skills and green skills, to name a few, and Community Development Services.

Its garden, then, is something of an intersection between the intentions of all the programmes, serving outreach, skill-building and developing communities with the basics in the process.

You can find out more about Outreach Foundation here.

Sources: Email Submission 

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Dozens of learners from inner-city schools competed in the 2nd Windybrow Arts Centre Spelling Bee competition:

Hillbrow, South Africa (27 August 2024)—The Windybrow Arts Centre in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, was a hive of activity on Saturday where dozens of learners from inner-city schools competed in the 2nd annual Spelling Bee competition.

This year’s event was organised by the Windybrow Arts Centre and the non-government organisation Camp I Am.

“This competition is about creating a fun and exciting environment, but is also aimed at getting children to read more,” said Kai Crooks-Chissano, executive director of Camp I Am.

Chissano worked with partners from other organisations and the Windybrow Arts Centre to craft a challenging word list from the Department of Basic Education’s CAPS curriculum. The participating learners had a list of over 600 words to study in preparation for this year’s Spelling Bee.

Last year’s inaugural competition only had grade 7s participating, but this year was open to learners from grades 7 to 9.

The Spelling Bee forms is of the Windybrow Arts Centre’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme, which equips local youth with reading and writing skills.

This follows a 2021 study by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) that revealed troubling statistics showing that more than 80% of grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning.

Lordwick Pako, the Windybrow’s librarian, told GroundUp “We know we have challenges with literacy in South Africa, so our aim is to build a literate society which would result in people having access to more information and therefore making better decisions.”

The Spelling Bee consisted of four rounds. Learners who spelt words incorrectly were eliminated in each round. Eventually, only three contestants remained, battling it out for the top spot.

At the end of the competition, Onthloletse Dimema from St Enda’s Secondary School in Braamfontein came out victorious after correctly spelling the word “Plateau” much to the delight of her English teacher who was in the audience.

“I really enjoyed the competition. It was so much fun even though I was nervous at the start. I love reading and writing, and English is my favourite subject, so I was familiar with a lot of the words we were asked to spell,” said Onthloletse. She won a R1,000 mall voucher as well as some books and a scrabble board game.

“We don’t have that many good news stories coming out of Johannesburg’s inner-city but I think this is one definitely is one,” said Gerard Bester, head of the Windybrow Arts Centre.

Sources: GroundUp

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Actors are getting school children to think about what leadership entails

Hillbrow, South Africa (28 February 2024) — Ahead of the national elections, a young, Hillbrow-based theatre company is using performance skills to encourage teenagers to participate in South Africa’s democracy.

Commissioned by the Windybrow Arts Centre in association with the National Children’s Theatre, the interactive play Vote for Me aims to get high school learners thinking about their role and their influence in the democratic process, including their influence on their family.

The production, by Windybrow Arts Centre’s resident Kwasha! Theatre Company, gets the audience involved in questioning what it means to be a leader, and asking how we can get the leaders we want.

Written by Ameera Patel and directed by Lesedi Job, the play also explores issues of trust between the generations.

On 20 February an audience of grade six and seven learners – a younger audience than intended – was reserved at first but became increasingly eager to participate in the games the five Kwasha! performers presented.

Performer Xhamla Zaza Samsam said contributing to educating young people about democracy and voting was rewarding. “For us as actors it was a mental switch to say ‘how can we package the depth of what is happening in the country for people who care but don’t really understand the depth of it?,” said Samsam.

He said the play was about learning what leadership is, not who to vote for.

Director Lesedi Job said she had listened to many conversations about South Africa and the overarching theme was a lack of leadership. But Vote for Me was not about past or present leadership, she said, but about asking: “What now, and where to from here?”

Job said the production departed from conventional theatre forms in its interactivity and inclusion of the actors’ personal stories.

National Children’s Theatre CEO Tamara Guhrs said one of the most important points of the play is the influence teenagers have in their own right.

Guhrs said the Windybrow Arts Centre and the National Children’s Theatre had shared values. “We both work with young people and teenagers, and we both have a deep commitment to the city and what the creative arts can do to regenerate the city and create safe spaces for children.”

Vote for Me is showing at National Children’s Theatre in Parktown till 15 March. Tickets are available on Quicket from R100.

Sources: GroundUp

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Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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