Jonathan Erickson writes:
Melville skirts the Melville Koppies, a site of archaeological and geological significance. It is a historic, vibrant suburb of Johannesburg which has adapted to the nuances and dynamics of the new South Africa. Melville is diverse, colourful and culturally rich, with its residents and business owners representing a wide range of backgrounds and occupations: artists, journalists, media and business professionals, academics, students, restaurateurs – and other mere mortals.
Melville streets are dotted with informal traders, selling their paintings and wired model wares. These vendors coexist happily with the more formal establishments that characterise the suburb.
Someone once remarked that “if you can live in Melville, you can live anywhere in Africa.” I feel privileged to be a resident of this wonderful part of Johannesburg with its avante-garde, bohemian, character, and where, breaking away from the mall-culture of other parts of Johannesburg, there is good access to well-known restaurants, cafes, antique shops, off-beat clothing outlets, cultural events, and other enterprises.
The relaxed character of Melville should not, however, be confused with a lawless, cowboy, culture, where some (but significant) businesses, landlords and individuals flout by-laws, where enterprises operate illegally, where clubs do not have legitimate liquor licences, where drug dealing takes place, and where many motorists park illegally.
Regrettably, signs of the above practices and behaviours have been manifesting in Melville for some time now, and this has led to perceptions that the suburb is becoming crime-ridden, seedy, and is going downhill.
The unfortunate – and tragic – murder at the weekend of former Lions junior rugby player and Melville resident Thulani Popoyi has again brought Melville’s status as a residential, social and business destination into question.
It is time that all Melville stakeholders – residents, business owners, law enforcement agencies and politicians – galvanise as a matter of extreme urgency around the tragic death of Thulani. This incident can be turned into a positive to position Melville as a model suburb: business owners, landlords, residents and individuals comply with by-laws, and uphold laws and regulations on the one hand, and law enforcement agencies (the SA Police, Metro Police and other) meaningfully and visibly enforce the law and take appropriate remedial action on the other. In this way social, business and cultural activity in Melville will be legal and above board, and quality, law-abiding, people will be attracted to the suburb.
This won’t be easy, and will require concerted efforts by all to work together individually and collectively through existing and/or new community structures to become engaged activists to preserve Melville as a special, safe, place, and one of Johannesburg’s best-kept secrets.
Let’s all energetically push such an agenda/objective in the name of Thulani, and all other victims of crime in Melville.
Editor’s note: Letter published unedited
