10/08/2026
Project45: Issue 20 🟧
Johannesburg has always known how to show up for itself. On 26 July 2026, it did it again.
The 702 Jozi My Jozi Walk the Talk returned for another year, and this time it came with something extra. More than a walk, the event transformed the streets of the inner city into a living celebration of everything that makes Johannesburg what it is, its people, its creativity, and its refusal to be anything other than itself. Five thousand walkers moved through routes of 5km, 8km, and 15km, all starting and finishing at Ellis Park Stadium, with the city as both the backdrop and the subject.
The Nelson Mandela Bridge became a stage. Artists from Bertrams lined the route with work that walkers could stop, look at, and vote for, with the People's Choice Award going to the piece that moved the most people. A post-walk concert brought the day to a close. Mi-Change vouchers were available during registration, giving participants a way to channel the day's goodwill into something tangible for people experiencing homelessness, exchangeable for meals, hygiene facilities, clothing, and professional support through partner organisations MES and U-turn.
Behind an event like this is a coordination effort most participants never think about. Routes designed to be accessible for prams and wheelchairs. Artists selected, logistics managed, performers briefed, partners aligned, and a city convinced to share its streets for a day. Jozi My Jozi CEO Innocent Mabusela described it as a landmark heritage event, reinvented and anchored firmly in the inner city. That reinvention takes planning. The joy it produces feels effortless. It never is.
Johannesburg celebrated itself on 26 July. And it was worth every minute of preparation that made it possible.
Project45, Celebrating 45 years of Project Excellence and Community.
