Public Spaces campaign

“The City of Johannesburg has yet to follow through on its promise to investigate the Petition from the Defend Public Spaces Campaign (DPSC), that Khanya College be the ‘guardian’ of the Workers Museum and Cottages (WMC) in Newtown. The Petition…”

“More than 20 years ago, in early 2000s, a bitter struggle took place for the Workers Museum (WM) and its Cottages (WMC) to be a heritage site. This struggle was a response to the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), amongst others…”

“Public spaces such as parks, playgrounds, and libraries were once the centres of community bonds, building solidarity and friendliness, over the past decades support for these civic spaces have declined and have turned to places of danger and harm, especially…”

“The Workers Museum and its Cottages (WMC) are one of the few remaining heritage sites that tell the history of Johannesburg’s migrant labour system and the struggles of the working class. The WMC was once the workers’ compound for municipal…”

“Johannesburg is, in many respects, the heart of South Africa. It also serves as the economic pulse of the country: here, pavement vendors seize the opportunity to sell to between 80,000 and 800,000 commuters who traverse the inner city daily….”

“On Saturday, 19 July 2025, 61 activists from 18 civil society organisations resolved that the City of Joburg and the Directorate of Heritage, Arts and Culture has no commitment to the city’s people, and especially its working class history and…”

“On Saturday, 19 July 2025, 61 activists, including school youth, casual and cultural workers from 18 other organisations and communities responded to Khanya’s consultation to discuss the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) threat of eviction of the College from the Workers…”