Joubert Park, Johannesburg CBD 

Abandoned buildings in the Joburg inner city are highly contested spaces. As the city authorities fail to act to provide adequate accommodation or to enforce bylaws and improve services, more buildings are hijacked, crime and violence spike and the city is faced with more failed neighbourhoods. 

Finding solutions to make spaces more functional and more responsive to the needs of the inner city is an uphill climb without resources and a well-functioning city authority. But a small group, calling themselves Exotically Divine Pulse, have in the past few years been working against the odds to make the iconic Drill Hall building in Joubert Park a beacon of possibility. They’ve done this through turning waste into art, greening and cleaning spaces, growing food and finding different ways to foster social cohesion and build community.   

What is the problem?

The iconic Drill Hall building is a 1904 heritage building that holds important architectural and socio-political history. In its more recent past, it’s been home to non-profit organisation Keleketla!, Child Welfare and a creative arts community, Point Blank. But by 2016, without any formal lease agreement reached with the City of Johannesburg, tenants left. The building fell into further disrepair.

It was stripped, vandalised and overtaken by vagrants, homeless people, sex workers and drug users. Taxis turned the forecourt of the building into a parking lot. This area had been a public gathering spot and a memorial honouring the 156 people charged in the Treason Trial. Many of these men were held at the Drill Hall before going on trial. The plaques bearing their names have been vandalised. 

How are they solving the problem?

Kganyapa Kganyapa and Ayanda Dludla were part of a trio that ran a vegan African food restaurant in Melville. But Covid-19 forced them to close. The loss of income eventually meant they lost their home, forcing them to move into the Drill Hall. Both were familiar with the space through previous collaborations with the Point Blank artists. 

“When we got here, we didn’t fight with people and say ‘you can’t be here’. We just carried on with the work of cleaning and clearing, making art and growing food. 

“We realised that the solution to everything is food and growing food [they’ve rejuvenated the soil throughout the premises to grow food] and getting people to understand that food, and African traditional plants, can be healing,” she says. They continue with catering work but also collaborate with others on community events that focus on feeding the most vulnerable and restoring indigenous food systems. 

They took the same approach with their art from waste projects - letting people start to feel how it changed their relationship to the space. Dludla says: “People would kick the art and vandalise it. Our response was to carry on till people find their own meaning and story in the art.”

Kganyapa says people's attitudes have changed as Exotically Divine Pulse has become more visible. People are less likely to urinate or litter where there are fruit trees and edible plants, he says. Within the Drill Hall community, the people who shelter here have self-organised. This means there are social rules and responsibilities. In turn, they have become a positive presence in the community. Kganyapa says muggings have come down, and the immediate area around the Drill Hall is cleaner and safer. The courtyard that can now be locked at night has been reclaimed as a public space. Children play here, and people use it as a safe meeting place.

The challenges are constant and plenty, both Dludla and Kganyapa admit, but they continue because it’s a way of life they’re building. As Kganyapa says, “The Drill Hall should be a sanctuary where you don’t expect to find one”.  

What makes the initiative work?

• The Exotically Divine Pulse team convinced others of the potential for transforming a hijacked building and space by demonstrating what could be done rather than with strong-arm tactics and pushing people out.  

• They used their networks from their restaurant business days for resources, donations and contacts. This has built an essential bridge between the suburbs and the inner city. 

• They registered Exotically Divine Pulse as a non-profit organisation. This raises their credibility and gets them more access to funding.

• They collaborate with others on overlapping initiatives. It enlarges their profile and networks.

• Exotically Divine Pulse maintains a spirit of inclusivity, inviting more people to experience the Drill Hall, with all its challenges, but also its many wins.

Acknowledgements

Author: FixLocal Reporter

Additional articles/sources: 

Exotically Divine Instagram page 

Early history of the Drill Hall 

Fate of Joburg’s historic Drill Hall comes to a head after being neglected and in limbo for years 

Photographs: FixLocal Photographer