Gauteng MEC officially launches Creative Uprising Hub at Constitution Hill

On Monday Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Tasneem Motara, officially launched the Creative Uprising Hub Transwerke Studio in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

“The tourism and hospitality sector was one of the biggest hit by Covid and we had to do a lot of work to resuscitate our industry just to take us back to pre-Covid numbers,” said Motara.

The Creative Uprising is Constitution Hill’s ongoing programme designed to develop, support and elevate creative talent within a variety of art forms. The programme sets about establishing a home for creatives on the Hill – the Creative Uprising Hub.

“This is a space that’s been really close to my heart. The first time I met Jenin and John here and they were in the creative incubator, I said to them ‘I need to know that what we’re doing here makes sense’,” said Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) CEO Saki Zamxaka.

“There’s starting to be an eco-system that offers market access but also spaces for people to do stuff. This is a culmination of the work you’ve been seeing MEC, so welcome here and good luck to the creatives.”

The creative hub partnered with the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller to deliver incubation and skills development programmes for SMMEs in the creative sector.

The collaboration included learning and development workshops from which attendees graduated.

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Sustainability

The Hub also offers creative micro businesses the chance to aggregate with others to access crucial resources such as tools, specialist services, and inspiration to help develop projects and businesses stand out from its competitors.

“Sustainability for us is what we want to drive. We don’t want to put a lot of effort into things like this, pull everyone together, start something and then a year down the line, nothing has happened because there were things that we didn’t do correctly to make it sustainable,” said Motara.

 “Getting the various sectors to lead themselves. You understand your sector better than Government, Government does what Government does, let’s do that. But let’s support you in the various sectors to do what you do and do it well.”

“I hope we can grow, expand this and replicate this somewhere [and for it] to be successful and sustainable,” said the MEC.

Veteran journalist Shado Twala was the MC of the day’s formalities, which didn’t take much time from the touring of the various studious.

“I urge you to go into every studio, there’s something amazing to see we’ve got so much talent in this place and we need to support them as much as possible. There are people that make music, they make furniture, there’s architects, dressmakers, shoemakers … you name it. It’s unique, it’s all inspired by lots of love, which is why we’re all here,” said the former SA’s Got Talent judge. “This is gonna be the most amazing space in Johannesburg.”

From healing patients to healing creatives

The Hub is a former hospital built in 1943 and was known as the Queen Vic Maternity Hospital (later Transwerke)

It was transformed into a residential building when the new Johannesburg Hospital was built, making the Queen Vic Hospital obsolete. In the early 2000’s it was incorporated into the Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct and lay vacant for many years.

In September 2017, the building received black plaque status from the Gauteng Heritage Action Group (GHAG). The purpose of a black plaque is to highlight a severely neglected heritage site and to shame the owners into action. Little did the GHAG know that an uprising was gaining momentum within the neglected exterior.

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