A jazz club in Johannesburg plays its last songs and laments downtown's decline
On a Friday evening in downtown Johannesburg, a world away from the genteel suburbs that include some of Africa's wealthiest neighborhoods, groups of men huddle on a dark street as a security patrol whizzes past.
Around the corner, popular jazz venue the Marabi Club is hosting its last Friday night show before closing down – another victim of the city center's decay and the jarring inequality in post-apartheid South Africa.
'It's devastating. This is such an iconic space in the inner city and now we have one more reason not to come downtown. It's a true sign of the city's decline,' said Renata Lawton-Misra, 34, a climate change consultant, attending the concert with her husband, Kyle Schutte.
For Schutte, the reasons behind the closure are clear. 'Safety concerns,' said the 38-year-old financial consultant who said he wouldn't normally set foot in the area. Downtown is now known for rampant crime and dilapidated infrastructure after an exodus of white people to the suburbs after the apartheid system of racial segregation ended in 1994. 'True or not, perception is the issue.'
The Marabi Club had been part of a wave of investments designed to reinvigorate downtown, in particular the Maboneng district, about a decade ago. It was founded in 2017 by TJ Steyn, son of the late South African insurance magnate Douw Steyn, and Dale De Ruig.
The club attracted visitors including Jay Z and Beyonce.
'Look at what we created here with amazing food and music,' said waiter Emanuel Mcotheli, pointing to the packed room of mainly Black urban professionals.
The club was named after marabi, a jazz movement that emerged in the 1920s, to honor South Africa's rich musical heritage. Back then, miners and day laborers would congregate downtown and were drawn into illegal shebeens (taverns) by the sound of marabi, repetitive and improvisational keyboard tunes.
The genre gained popularity through bands like the Jazz Maniacs and influential artists such as Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
'I grew up singing marabi,' said the club's resident vocalist Mbalizethu Siluma, 40, who sings soul and R&B, inviting the snappily dressed guests to dance after dinner.
Despite the attention the club has received, South Africa's strict COVID-19 lockdown severely hit it and other businesses that hoped to reshape parts of downtown Johannesburg. A succession of short-lived mayors, eight in five years, made things worse as essential public works went undone.
The neglect of downtown Johannesburg was exposed to international attention in 2023 when a fire in an overcrowded apartment building left unregulated by authorities killed 76 people.
'We knew it wasn't the perfect place to open a jazz club but we were hopeful that it was on an upward move,' De Ruig told The Associated Press. 'Ultimately, it was a bit of a false start.'
He said the city has provided almost 'almost no support' and basic requests for better lighting, security and cleaning in the area were ignored.
The city's government said it could not comment on the reasons behind a private venue shutting its doors, but spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said it was 'unfortunate for the creative economy.'
For Lusanda Netshitenzhe, a member of the steering committee for the Joburg Crisis Alliance, a coalition working to end corruption and improve city government services, the Marabi Club's closing represents a broader issue.
' People unfortunately don't feel safe getting to Maboneng,' Netshitenzhe said. The area 'once celebrated ... is unfortunately no longer doing well due to continued deep systemic issues, poor urban governance and lack of leadership in the city of Johannesburg."
Mayor Dada Morero said in his State of the City address this month that 'drastic times call for drastic measures' and vowed to intensify efforts to revitalize the inner city, including rehabilitating abandoned buildings and installing public lighting.
Any plans for reviving the area come too late for the club and its musicians.
'Maybe there's something better coming … look at how this place is, Marabi isn't dying,' Siluma said before hitting the stage.
De Ruig and his partner are considering moving the club to Steyn City, a gated commercial and residential estate owned by the Steyn family, 32 kilometers (20 miles) north of Johannesburg's city center.
Downtown is left to those who can't afford to leave.
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The couple welcomed their daughter, Shylo, a couple of years later in 2022. 'Willem was the most amazing dad,' she says. 'He doted on Shylo and he was amazing to my two boys from a previous relationship. 'I couldn't believe my luck in finding him. It was as though it was meant to be. We were crazy about each other. 'We spent night after night outside our house with a campfire, just talking and looking up at the stars. And talking about our future together as a family.' 5 5 The couple had been trying for another baby when Robin sadly suffered a miscarriage in 2023. 'I was convinced that something had been wrong for me to have lost it like that,' she says. 'It had never happened to me before, and I'd been distraught over it. 'So when I found out I'd fallen pregnant again, the following year Willem was thrilled, but I was so anxious in case it happened again. 'I was scared, but he was convinced it was going to be alright.' Day of disaster Robin told her mum that she wanted a gender reveal party and she said she would organise it. So at 16 weeks pregnant, on August 30, 2024, the couple drove over to the hospital to have a scan. Robin says: 'We'd brought the kids with us. 'I lay on the scanning table and the doctor ran the scanner over my stomach. 'The heartbeat was strong and clear. It was so tempting to ask what we were having, but we asked the doctor to write it on a piece of paper whether it was a boy or girl, and we sealed it up. 'There was no way we were going to spoil the surprise at our reveal party.' On the way back from the hospital, the couple called in at Robin's mum's house and handed over the envelope so that she could organise the right colour for the reveal. 'We'd brought her some shopping too, and we told her about the scan and how it had gone,' Robin says. 'We talked about who we were going to invite, but I was leaving it up to her to organise. I couldn't wait. 'After a while we said our goodbyes, and we all got in the car to drive home. 'We lived about an hour from mum, and it was dark driving on the highway. 'Everyone was tired, and we just couldn't wait to get home.' The family were about halfway home in an area called Dalmas at around 9pm when they saw some headlights in the rear view mirror. 'There was a car heading towards us,' Robin says. 'It looked like it was coming up fast behind us. We didn't even have time to say anything before I felt a massive bang. Where to seek grief support Need professional help with grief? Child Bereavement UK Cruse Bereavement Relate The Good Grief Trust You can also always speak to your GP if you're struggling. You're Not Alone Check out these books, podcasts and apps that all expertly navigate grief… Griefcast: Cariad Lloyd interviews comedians on this award-winning podcast. The Madness Of Grief by Rev Richard Coles (£9.99, W&N): The Strictly fave writes movingly on losing his husband David to alcoholism. Terrible, Thanks For Asking: Podcast host Nora McInerny encourages non-celebs to share how they're really feeling. Good Mourning by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn (£14.99, Murdoch Books): A guide for people who've suffered sudden loss, like the authors who both lost their mums. Grief Works: Download this for daily meditations and expert tips. How To Grieve Like A Champ by Lianna Champ (£3.99, Red Door Press): A book for improving your relationship with death. 'The next thing I knew I found myself on the road behind our car. 'Dazed and confused, I looked around. There was shattered glass everywhere.' The car behind the family had crashed into the back of them but the driver had fled the scene. 'I crawled around to the front of the car,' Robin says. 'Willem, one of my boys, and Shylo had also been thrown out of the car on impact. 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'But they did a scan and the heartbeat was still there. 'Willem had been right about one thing, when he had told me this baby was going to be ok.' Dazed and confused, I looked around. There was shattered glass everywhere The boys had X-rays and scans too and luckily it showed they had no broken bones. While she and her baby were unharmed, Robin struggled with the heartbreak of losing her family while trying to carry on with her pregnancy. She says: 'I didn't know how I was going to be able to carry on without Willem and Shylo. My soulmate and my daughter were gone. 'I went through the rest of my pregnancy in my blur. 'My bump was growing, but Willem wasn't there to see it. 'I just felt numb through it all. What should have been such a happy time was so empty for me. 'I could feel the baby kicking, and wanted to share it with him so badly.' Robin delivered their daughter Roane in February this year. 'Willem should have been there by my side,' she says. 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