Eric Mlambo

CEO & Founder at Footprints Foundation NPO

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

@johnternus Avuxeni, i hope you can reach out and help social creatives without coding or social innovation platform. Will be here

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

@ClaysonMonyela 🥵

[Rutendo Matinyarare @matinyarare]

𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟮 𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗

With over 750,000 km of tarred roads, South Africa has one of the 12 biggest road networks in the world. As developing nations, we need to do a case study on South Africa to find out how a third world country could was able to develop a road network that rivals many of the developed countries.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

Leswi swi sasekile @Chrispin_JPhiri

[Chrispin Phiri 🇿🇦 @Chrispin_JPhiri]

Xitsonga to the World #SAinIndia #BRICS2026

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

@IAmSteveHarvey @rcandy16 @mokgethi_lenosh i want to do the asian trip and south of america! Would love to take my wife

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

As i end my dreams…Johannesburg has the opportunity to turn neglected buildings into centres of enterprise, creativity, and hope. Rather than allowing reclaimed spaces to fall back into disorder, we can fill them with entrepreneurs, artists, and young people who are building the future of our city.

Sometimes the most effective solutions are not the hardest interventions, but the smarter and softer ones that empower people to participate in rebuilding their communities.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

@DadaMorero @Lesufi I would like to submit a practical proposal to help the City of Johannesburg address some of the pressing challenges facing the inner city, including unmanaged migration, the rapid growth of illegal structures, deteriorating cleanliness, and the repeated reoccupation of reclaimed buildings.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

Why This Matters

By converting unused buildings into affordable productive spaces, the City can:

* Revitalise the CBD.
* Reduce urban decay.
* Support entrepreneurship and job creation.
* Provide alternatives to crime and informal occupation.
* Foster ownership and pride among residents.
* Build a more inclusive urban economy.

Suggested Pilot Programme

A pilot of three to five buildings in key CBD precincts could demonstrate impact quickly. Partnerships with organisations such as Johannesburg Property Company, Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency, universities, churches, and private sponsors could support implementation.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

This model would transform underutilised buildings into dynamic urban innovation districts where education, entrepreneurship, culture, manufacturing, and technology converge. It would position Gauteng as a global leader in youth-driven innovation and establish Johannesburg as a living laboratory for the industries of the future.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

This integrated model ensures that sport, recreation, entrepreneurship, and environmental stewardship work together in one ecosystem. Open spaces become places of joy and community engagement, while waste becomes a resource that feeds new enterprises.

By combining recreation, corporate partnerships, and circular economy innovation, Johannesburg can create a cleaner, healthier, and more dynamic city that offers meaningful opportunities for thousands of young people and small businesses while setting a benchmark for inclusive urban regeneration across Gauteng and South Africa.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

The recreational zones should be integrated with corporate partnerships involving FMCG companies, major retailers, and private-sector sponsors such as Unilever, Shoprite Holdings, Pick n Pay Stores, Massmart, and Coca-Cola Beverages Africa. These partners can support infrastructure, equipment, youth programmes, and sponsorship opportunities while advancing their social investment and sustainability objectives.

In parallel, designated buildings within the hub can be developed into Circular Economy and Recycling Centres where waste is collected, sorted, processed, and repurposed into new products. Young entrepreneurs and cooperatives can transform plastics, paper, textiles, glass, and organic waste into marketable goods, building businesses while reducing environmental degradation.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

Selected open areas, rooftops, and public squares can be converted into accessible recreational facilities featuring compact and engaging sports and leisure activities such as:

* Mini tennis courts
* Foot golf courses
* Penalty shooting arenas
* Putting and leisure golf zones
* Street basketball
* Table tennis
* Skate and BMX areas
* Outdoor fitness stations
* Children’s play zones

These activities require relatively small footprints and can attract families, youth, workers, and visitors, turning previously neglected spaces into energetic destinations that activate the city throughout the day and evening.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

5. Urban Recreation, Sports and Circular Economy Activation Zones

A fifth component of this proposal should focus on transforming vacant and underutilised open spaces in the Johannesburg CBD into vibrant Urban Recreation, Sports and Circular Economy Activation Zones. These spaces would bring life, safety, and economic activity back into the city while promoting health, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

In this way, every discipline becomes both a contributor to and beneficiary of the broader ecosystem. Engineering supports innovation; AI enhances productivity; film captures and monetises content; fashion and crafts build brands; dance and music generate cultural products; and all activities are integrated into a single creative and technical economy.

The centre should also include a vibrant food court, entertainment areas, logistics and transport hubs, and spaces for emerging technologies such as robotics and autonomous parcel delivery systems designed and prototyped by young innovators.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

Simultaneously, coding and AI students would develop software solutions, diagnostics tools, automation systems, and digital platforms linked to the engineering work. This would allow technology learners to apply their knowledge to practical industrial challenges, creating an environment where engineering and software development reinforce one another.

Film, photography, and multimedia students would document every stage of training and production. They would create instructional videos, documentaries, promotional content, and digital learning materials. Fashion and craft students would have their products professionally photographed and marketed, while dancers and musicians would collaborate with media students to produce high-quality music videos, performances, and creative content.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

At the heart of this centre, a master trainer or industry expert would lead practical demonstrations in areas such as automotive engineering, including the dismantling and rebuilding of petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric vehicle engines and systems. Young participants would learn by observing, replicating, and practicing these processes daily, gaining real-world technical skills that are directly aligned with the future of mobility and industrial development.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

4. Integrated Technical Innovation and Skills Development Centre

A fourth and highly strategic component of this initiative should be the establishment of an Integrated Technical Innovation and Skills Development Centre. This centre would serve as a live, hands-on learning environment where young people are trained in engineering, technology, artificial intelligence, media production, and advanced manufacturing within one interconnected ecosystem.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

3. Youth Development and Skills Centres

Additional spaces can host training in:

* Digital skills and AI
* Entrepreneurship
* Coding and multimedia
* Financial literacy
* Business incubation

This approach transforms vacant buildings into engines of productivity, learning, and social inclusion.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

2. Arts, Fashion and Creative Hubs

Other buildings can be dedicated to creative industries, including:

* Visual arts studios
* Fashion design workshops
* Photography and film studios
* Music recording spaces
* Dance rehearsal rooms
* Craft and design labs

These facilities would equip young people with practical skills, encourage innovation, and create employment opportunities in the creative economy.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

1. Entrepreneurial Office Hubs

Using the City’s database of registered entities across different sectors, selected buildings can be converted into shared office spaces where entrepreneurs rent desks or small offices at highly affordable rates, for example from R200 per month, including shared utilities such as electricity, internet, and meeting facilities.

These hubs would:

* Formalise and support small businesses.
* Reduce operating costs for startups.
* Increase compliance and registration.
* Create active, well-managed buildings.
* Prevent abandoned spaces from being reoccupied illegally.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

Proposal: Johannesburg Entrepreneurial and Creative Hub Programme

The City should identify underutilised or recovered buildings in the Johannesburg CBD and repurpose them into affordable sector-based development hubs for registered businesses, artists, and young entrepreneurs.

[Eric Mlambo @MlamboEric]

My concern is that unless interventions are systematic, inclusive, and economically empowering, the same problems will continue to re-emerge. The most sustainable solution is to activate people as partners in rebuilding the city rather than treating them solely as recipients of enforcement actions.