Jozi My Jozi launches Babize Bonke campaign with We Are Bizarre
Jozi My Jozi has launched a new creative campaign, Babize Bonke, Melusi Mhlungu and his agency We Are Bizarre and features some of the extraordinary local champions who are reshaping Johannesburg from the ground up.
Jozi My Jozi’s new creative campaign, Babize Bonke features champions of the City, including James Delaney – multidisciplinary artist, owner of Delaney Studio (Image supplied)
Babize Bonke, which translates as ‘call everyone’, shines a spotlight on these individuals who embody the resilience, creativity, and community spirit that are reviving the inner city and charting a new course for Joburg’s – and South Africa’s – future.
The campaign also showcases the dynamic energy and vibrant culture of Johannesburg’s inner city through their stories of transformative initiatives.
The Babize Bonke campaign seeks to spark curiosity, challenge perceptions, and invite people to experience the city’s heartbeat through the eyes of its residents.
The campaign has launched as Johannesburg prepares to host the world during the upcoming G20 Summit in November this year.
Partnerships, storytelling, and action-focused projects
Jozi My Jozi is a collaborative movement to reimagine, regenerate and revitalise Johannesburg’s inner city.
By bringing together residents, businesses, creatives, and communities, and working with the City of Joburg and both national and provincial governments, its projects highlight the energy, resilience, and culture that make Joburg unique.
The initiative is driven by the belief that Johannesburg can become a safe, vibrant, and world-class African city if people work together. It’s not a single organisation, but rather a ‘coalition of the doing’, where different stakeholders contribute ideas, resources, and energy.
“Through partnerships, storytelling, and action-focused projects, we are reclaiming our city, and making it a safer, vibrant, and more inclusive space for all,” says Robbie Brozin, co-founder of Nando’s and a director of Jozi My Jozi, speaking at the launch event on 11 September, staged along the inner city Main Street walkway between 44 and 45 Main Street.
“We need to ensure that the G20 truly is a stepping-stone towards a brighter future for Johannesburg and all those who live in it.
"And, integral to achieving this, we need to call on the creatives and the ‘crazies’ to wake the nation so the world can see what we are made of.
“As such, we should be launching the campaign this evening in the heart of the city we love to call Jozi My Jozi,” says Brozin.
The creative force behind the Jozi My Jozi brand is Melusi Mhlungu and his agency We Are Bizarre (Image supplied)
Uncovering hidden gems
The creative force behind the Jozi My Jozi brand is We Are Bizarre's Mhlungu, whose visionary leadership has played a pivotal role in ensuring that Jozi My Jozi now stands out as a bold and inspiring movement.
Through the Babize Bonke campaign, his creative energy is now focused on uncovering Johannesburg’s hidden gems – bringing visibility to the unseen and giving a platform to voices too often unheard.
A true passion project
What began as an idea has grown into a true passion project.
“I can honestly say that the eight videos that launch this campaign are among the most special and inspiring pieces I have had the privilege of working on.
"We started this journey to showcase the invisible and the unheard, and it has been both humbling and energising to shine a light on the dreamers, the believers and the achievers who keep this city alive – they are imbued with a resilience, a push, and a passion to keep working and creating,” explains Mhlungu.
“Working on this project was a great reminder to the team and me that we live in a city of truly remarkable people.
“Meeting them and hearing their stories was a privilege, and we knew these needed to be told in a beautifully crafted way with both care and heart.
“The finished product, crafted by the amazing film director, Justice Mukheli, working under extreme time pressures, makes me extremely proud. It is truly an honour to be able to share them with the people of Jozi, our country and the world.”
Babize Bonke champions
The first group of Babize Bonke champions are:
- James Delaney – multidisciplinary artist, owner of Delaney Studio
- Kenneth Nzama (DJ Kenzhero) – DJ, cultural catalyst, and curator
- Osmic Menoe – the city’s hip-hop guardian and cultural pioneer
- Mama Yumna – community activist and urban gardener
- Nandi Dlepu – creative force and community builder, founder of ‘Mamakashaka’
- Julian Ribeiro – culinary visionary breathing life into the inner-city’s heart
- Grant Ngcobo – CEO of Dlala Nje, transforming Ponte City and the community
- Dr Taddy Blecher – pioneer of conscious educational transformation, and CEO of Maharishi Invincibility Institute
Each of these champions represents an authentic voice of the city through not just imagining change but making it happen every day.
Their stories demonstrate South Africa’s constitution in action: inclusive, dynamic, and rooted in the people. Harnessing diverse media platforms, community-driven sustainability efforts, and innovative urban spaces, Babize Bonke illustrates the spirit, hustle, and creativity of Jozi’s residents.
At its heart, the campaign is about making the invisible visible and giving a voice to those often overlooked in the city’s narrative.
Jozi’s moment to shine
The campaign is a powerful extension of Jozi My Jozi’s broader mission as a catalyst for change: to connect and empower individuals, inspire sustainable solutions, uplift communities, and create a brighter future for Johannesburg.
“As the world convenes on our streets later in the year, we call on everyone to visit the heart of Jozi, where every corner, every building and every street has a story to tell. B
"Babize Bonke is a call to come and see how Jozi does it, to see how we celebrate the actions of the invisible and the unheard,” says Bea Swanepoel, CEO of Jozi My Jozi.
“The campaign launch also presents a citywide platform to highlight the many successful initiatives and partnerships that are driving meaningful and sustainable change in Johannesburg.
“This is Jozi’s moment to shine and to show the world who we are: a city that is alive, ready, and rising,” concludes Swanepoel.