By Johnathan Paoli
As Johannesburg gears up to host the G20 Summit later this year, the city’s creative heartbeat was on full display with the launch of Babize Bonke, a bold new campaign by the Jozi My Jozi movement.
Staged along the inner-city Main Street walkway, the launch showcased art, music, and stories of resilience from local champions who are reshaping Johannesburg from the ground up.
Among the eight champions celebrated in the campaign is Dr. Taddy Blecher, education pioneer and CEO of the Maharishi Invincibility Institute.
Inside Metros reached out to the pioneer, who described the Babize Bonke platform as a chance to connect Johannesburg’s revival directly to improving security in the area and opportunity.
“Johannesburg has always been a place of resilience and reinvention. The world will be watching us later this year. What we need to show is that Joburg is not defined by its problems but by the creativity, compassion, and determination of its people. Campaigns like Babize Bonke prove that,” Blecher reflected.
Blecher’s contribution to the campaign is rooted in the philosophy he has carried for decades: that transformation is not only about physical infrastructure, but about human capacity.
The campaign emphasises making the invisible visible.
For decades, he has been giving a platform to young people from backgrounds where talent often goes unnoticed.
Many of his institute’s students come from households with little or no income, yet graduate with globally recognised qualifications, entrepreneurial skills, and employment opportunities.
This follows the launch of the Security Mastery Academy (SMA), a partnership between the Maharishi Invincibility Institute and CAP Security launched last year; which seeks to professionalise the security sector while simultaneously creating opportunities for young people to play a direct role in Johannesburg’s regeneration.
“This academy is about mastery on two levels. On one level, we’re training consummate professionals who can meet the demands of a sector critical to South Africa’s safety and stability. On another level, we’re helping individuals achieve personal mastery through holistic training, from martial arts to stress management, from leadership skills to Transcendental Meditation,” Blecher said.
The programme is structured over three years, moving from security officer training to supervisory and commander levels.
Graduates are guaranteed employment, ensuring that the pathway leads not only to skills but to livelihoods.
Jozi My Jozi has broadened its scope with a series of initiatives designed to restore safety, dignity, and opportunity across Johannesburg’s inner city.
Through the Light Up Jozi campaign, the movement is raising R300 000 to install solar-powered lights in darkened areas, expanding on the successful revitalisation of the Nelson Mandela Bridge with plans to add solar panels along key corridors.
This work ties into broader efforts to repurpose derelict buildings for job creation, open arts and reading spaces for children, and establish technology centres offering coding, robotics, and AI training for youth while providing adult skills development during the day.
Partnerships with schools are central to identifying safety concerns, career opportunities, and sport facility needs.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) is another critical pillar, with Jozi My Jozi working alongside the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and the Education department to register and upgrade under-resourced centres in the inner city and Soweto.
The aim is to bring them up to Bronze Level standards, unlocking government funding and creating sustainable environments for children and educators.
By strengthening ECD infrastructure, the initiative seeks to empower communities and ensure that young learners receive the foundation needed for future success.
At the same time, Jozi My Jozi is addressing homelessness through collaborations with NGOs such as MES, U-Turn, and the Johannesburg Homeless Network.
This includes renovating shelters, piloting containerised housing solutions, and launching a citywide “Point in Time Count” to establish accurate data on Johannesburg’s homeless population.
Together, these efforts reflect Jozi My Jozi’s community-driven vision of a safer, revitalised Johannesburg that balances immediate social challenges with long-term sustainable growth.
With the G20 Summit set to spotlight Johannesburg in November, initiatives like these demonstrate
As Jozi My Jozi continues to rally businesses, communities, and creatives under its “coalition of the doing,” Blecher sees these initiatives as demonstrating how civil society and business are stepping up to redefine the city’s story.
INSIDE METROS