Meet the 31-year-old Sowetan who compiled Joburg’s first digital heritage register

A dictionary and a “useless” university degree turned a Soweto youth into a Joburg heritage expert.

At 31, Kopano Monaheng has been a key player in the compilation of Joburg’s first digital heritage register, launched on 25 July 2025 — a public tool that brings together decades of forgotten, buried and often deliberately erased history.

Born and raised in Phiri and Meadowlands, Monaheng has been responsible for the identification, research, upgrading and restoration of several city heritage sites, and has also named 350 new streets in two informal settlements.

His journey began with loss. His mother died when he was two. His father, who instilled in him a love of language through the family’s only book, a dictionary, passed away when Monaheng was seven. His grandmother, a seamstress, raised him.

“I was just a boy in Phiri with nothing but curiosity,” he says.

That curiosity led him to the local library, his sanctuary from Soweto’s chaos.

“The environment in Soweto is always busy and noisy and I would escape to the library where I read everything I could. But it was that dictionary that started my love of words.”

After being rejected twice by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), Monaheng was accepted into the University of Johannesburg. He studied geography and anthropology, fields that many close to him dismissed at the time as giving him a “useless” degree.

“Even I started to believe them,” he admits.

After a long period of frustration because of unemployment, Monaheng managed to secure free training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which led to an internship with the City of Johannesburg’s arts, culture and heritage department.

It was Eric Itzkin, the deputy director of immovable heritage, who immediately recognised his potential.

“There was no one else in the department who understood geography and locations the way I did. I applied for this job as I had equal interest in history, geography and anthropology. The three come together when it comes to planning and implementing heritage solutions. I really believe we have to maintain our history for everyone to understand where we come from,” said Monaheng.

One of his interventions was advocating for the inclusion of the Eyethu Cinema in Mofolo, Soweto, once the only cinema for black audiences, in the heritage register. The cinema, opened in 1969, had decayed since its closure in the 1990s. Today, it has been reborn as the Eyethu Heritage Hall, a public cultural space.

“I used to see this old place and wonder about its history, so I started researching it and motivating for its inclusion into the register,” he said.

He also helped document the St Xavier Catholic Church in Sophiatown, one of the only buildings to survive the forced removals under the Group Areas Act.

“It has a fascinating history and is still a very active Catholic church,” he said.

The Kwa Mai Mai Market, a historically rich but under-appreciated space in the Joburg CBD, is close to his heart. Monaheng fought for its inclusion on the register.

“People and tourists tend to go there only for traditional food, but there is more to it. It is home to traditional medicine and healers, with a mixed informal economy, offering muti and herbal remedies, Zulu cultural artefacts, traditional dress and crafts, woodwork, and more, all sold and practiced by cultural entrepreneurs and traditional healers. So I’m hoping to expand tourism there,” he said.

Another of his milestones was the Dr AB Xuma House in Sophiatown. Monaheng’s research enabled its transformation into a museum, and he personally authored its blue heritage plaque.

Names, memory and identity

His expertise includes naming and renaming streets, which is often a controversial topic.

In the informal settlement of Mnandini, Lawley, he helped to create 200 new street names and addresses through public consultation. In Tshepisong (near Roodepoort), he similarly facilitated the naming of 150 new street addresses. 

“In both cases, the community was allowed to choose the new names. Some were African themed and others were named after local grasses and grasslands, given the proximity to wetlands.”

He was also involved in the renaming of De Beer Street in Braamfontein to Mthokozisi Ntumba Street, honouring the student killed by the police during the 2021 #FeesMustFall protests.

“People always complain about wasting money, so I did walkabouts and garnered support. It will soon go through council for approval. I worked with Wits, local residents and businesses in the process. There was no cost, just community engagement,” he said.

More controversial was the proposed renaming of Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive.

“We intended this to create unity, but politics got in the way. The public participation process got over 70,000 approvals compared to 30,000 objections, but this remains stalled due to political backlash.”

Now, Monaheng, whose internship with the City has ended, is working with a private heritage conservation firm. He is hoping to develop heritage tourism routes — paths that aim to connect place, memory and identity.

“Our past lives are in the places around us. If we name them and mark them, we give them life again. Watch this space,” he smiled.

Read more: Johannesburg Art Gallery ‘can’t survive’ another season of ruin and rain, heritage experts warn mayor

Preserving Joburg’s heritage

Itzkin, who guided the development of the online heritage register, believes this is a crucial step toward democratising memory.

“Kopano identified and ran with projects for the new online heritage register, which brings a wealth of information on heritage buildings and sites spread across Joburg.”

The register currently documents 90 sites, many of them unknown to the public.

“Joburg transformed from a mining camp to a metropolis in just a few generations,” said Itzkin. “Despite its short recorded history, it is rich in drama, architectural evolution and political struggle.”

Among the earliest stories in the register are pre-colonial Tswana communities, whose relics can still be found from Klipriviersburg to Melville Koppies, predating the gold rush of 1886.

But too often, Joburg has chosen to erase rather than preserve. 

“Many buildings, even relatively recent ones, have been demolished in the name of development. We’ve seen a city constantly rebuilt, often at the cost of its history.

“Heritage preservation in Joburg isn’t just about old buildings,” Itzkin said. “It’s about memory and justice. The online register maps the journeys of figures like Nelson Mandela and MK Gandhi — and that of ordinary people, too.”

“They must be preserved for future generations and managed in line with best international practice and legal compliance.”

Read more: Rissik Street Post Office: Historic landmark’s rise, decline and crumbling struggle for revival

The register was developed by the City’s arts and culture team, in collaboration with historians and tour guides. It also provides the heritage status and protection levels for buildings that are more than 60 years old.

“Each site holds a unique story,” said Itzkin. “And this register will keep growing to include more across the city.

“Joburg may be young by global standards, but its history is deep and dynamic. Much of the city’s unique legacy is at risk of being lost, not to time, but to neglect.”

Explore the register here. DM