Jozi my Jozi’s fight to reclaim Johannesburg’s lustre from the ground up – Bea Swanepoel
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Jo’burg’s facelift for the G20 was only skin deep. One organisation is digging in for lasting change.
For the G20 summit in Johannesburg, all stops were pulled out to fix potholes, repaint road signs and repair a few streetlights. But it will take far more to reverse the city’s long decline. One organisation determined to bring back the “City of Gold” is Jozi my Jozi.
Founded in 2023, Jozi my Jozi is a non-profit working with multiple stakeholders to drive Johannesburg’s revival. In an interview with The Bigger Picture, CEO Bea Swanepoel outlined their ambitious agenda: installing solar-powered streetlights, positioning the city as an education hub, cleaning up public spaces, and finding solutions for homelessness. She stressed that this is a citizen-led movement, built from the ground up, project by project.
Can they lure back companies that have relocated to Rosebank and Sandton? Swanepoel concedes it will be difficult. Instead, the organisation is focusing on public–private–academic partnerships to reimagine the inner city. She noted that more residents are stepping up to help clean and reclaim their streets.
For those who haven’t visited the inner city in years, Swanepoel extends an invitation: come and see for yourself how change is taking root.
RECORDED ON: 26 NOVEMBER 2025
For the G20 summit in Johannesburg, all stops were pulled out to fix potholes, repaint road signs and repair a few streetlights. But it will take far more to reverse the city’s long decline. One organisation determined to bring back the “City of Gold” is Jozi my Jozi.
Founded in 2023, Jozi my Jozi is a non-profit working with multiple stakeholders to drive Johannesburg’s revival. In an interview with The Bigger Picture, CEO Bea Swanepoel outlined their ambitious agenda: installing solar-powered streetlights, positioning the city as an education hub, cleaning up public spaces, and finding solutions for homelessness. She stressed that this is a citizen-led movement, built from the ground up, project by project.
Can they lure back companies that have relocated to Rosebank and Sandton? Swanepoel concedes it will be difficult. Instead, the organisation is focusing on public–private–academic partnerships to reimagine the inner city. She noted that more residents are stepping up to help clean and reclaim their streets.
For those who haven’t visited the inner city in years, Swanepoel extends an invitation: come and see for yourself how change is taking root.
RECORDED ON: 26 NOVEMBER 2025
