Event Invitation: Soweto Through the Eyes of the Locals

We are excited to let you know about the upcoming ninth edition of the Makhelwane Festival in Soweto. 

Hosted by one of our own and themed, “Soweto Through the Eyes of the Locals”, this year’s festival will be held from 27 to 29 January 2023 at Lebo’s Backpackers, 10823 Pooe Street Orlando West.

With aims such as contributing to social cohesion, economic growth and cultural tourism, the festival attracted over 1,200 local and regional supporters in the past, who attended to enjoy the line-up of top artists and an exciting mix of home-grown talent over the two days.

To aid in the development of Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), JTC is supporting the festival through SMME business talks taking place on Friday, 27 January. This will give market access and business links to some 20 SMMEs to participate in the weekend market and showcase their products throughout the festival.

The signature event is set to feature the best township experience in a family friendly environment, featuring headliners such as KO and DJ Christos, kiddies’ entertainment, business talks, arts and crafts, street dining, virtual reality, movie screening and more.

The projected economic impact of hosting Makhelwane Festival in Soweto is estimated at R2.5 million based on about 2,500 festivalgoers expected to attend the festival, while also stimulating job creation for unemployed youth to work at the festival from set-up to breakdown.

Indirect employment opportunities to be created during the hosting of the festival range from technical crews, production crews, security, ushers and other services aligned to hosting of the festival during and post the festival. The festival will give trading opportunity to Joburg based SMMEs namely, food vendors as well arts and craft to sell their products to the festivalgoers.

Lifestyle and culture tourism are important contributors to the tourism sector and the broader economic growth of the city, thus we are excited to support the Makhelwane festival this year, while City of Joburg’s Department of Economic Development encourage locals and tourists visiting Soweto over this weekend to attend the festival and support local businesses.

To book your tickets, visit www.makhelwanefest.co.za.