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Mobilising Joburg’s Emergence in the Built Environment

The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Human Settlements, in collaboration with the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), will host the Youth in Construction Summit on Friday, 24 July, at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre.

Convening under the theme “Building Tomorrow Together,” this strategic intervention is engineered to insert young residents directly into the economic pipelines, technical networks, and professional value chains of the construction and built environment sectors. The initiative addresses an urgent socioeconomic landscape by establishing a direct, practical gateway for aspiring entrepreneurs and technical professionals to engage with established industry regulators, corporate mentors, and executive employers.

The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, Councillor Mlungisi Mabaso, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on youth integration, advanced skills acquisition, and the fundamental role the youth must assume in constructing the physical future of the metropolis. Councillor Mabaso emphasised that the architectural and developmental trajectory of the city remains dependent upon the intellectual vitality, energy, and active participation of its younger demographic.

“The future of our city cannot be built without the energy, ideas and participation of young people,” said Cllr Mabaso.

Cllr Mabaso noted that the administration is dedicated to establishing robust platforms that successfully transition young people from the economic margins into active, high-value roles within the construction and human settlements value chains, asserting that the future of the metropolis cannot be built without the active deployment of youth-led innovation.

Structurally, the summit organises its interventions into three operational pillars, specifically focusing on the acquisition of technical knowledge, the cultivation of corporate connections, and the physical building of sustainable enterprises. Participants will engage with industry leaders to secure practical, data-driven insights into procurement processes, modern construction methodologies, and regulatory compliance standards.

“This targeted approach aims to dismantle historical barriers of entry to the built environment, equipping attendees with the necessary intellectual tools to establish sustainable, compliant enterprises that can service both public and private sector infrastructure projects,” the MMC added.

Through this collaborative effort, JOSHCO and its strategic partners seek to reframe the construction sector not merely as a temporary source of manual labour, but as a primary engine for technological innovation, long-term asset ownership, and economic self-determination.

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Museum Africa: Challenges

As of 2026, Museum Africa also stands as a symbol of the challenges facing urban heritage in a developing megacity. For years, the museum has battled with funding shortages and the physical toll of maintaining a century-old industrial building. Heritage activists and the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation have frequently stepped in to advocate for the protection of its “at-risk” archives, which include invaluable architectural drawings of the city’s early skyline. Despite these struggles, the museum remains a vital “cultural bedrock.” It sits adjacent to the Market Theatre, where the “protest theatre” of the 1970s challenged the regime, and overlooks Mary Fitzgerald Square, the historic site of labor strikes and political rallies. Museum Africa is not a polished, sterile “white cube” gallery; it is a gritty, honest, and deeply layered institution that mirrors the resilience of the Newtown district itself.