Wrapped in a thick coat, draped in a fake flowery garland and sipping a cocktail in a beach-style bar on a wintry lunchtime in Melville, Joburg, felt incongruous. One of the city’s oldest suburbs is undergoing (another?) facelift and the Anti-Social Club and Tiny Tiki Bar on a busy corner are a continuation of the recent gentrification of the area.

The thing about Melville is, love or loathe it, it’s irrepressible, it bounces back like a cheeky child that never fails to surprise, both good and bad. ..

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