"I published my first blog post on Sun, 6 Jun, 2010, making this month (Jun 2025) the 15th anniversary of the 2Summers blog. (I didn’t actually move from Washington, D.C., to Johannesburg until August 2010. But the moving prep stories began two months in advance.)
I started 2Summers on a whim. In 2010, before social media took over our lives, writing a blog was one of the best (and only) ways to communicate publicly online. The “expat blog” was one of the most popular genres, and my blog became part of that trend.
When I chose the name 2Summers, because I’d be living two summers in a row during my first year in South Africa, I had no idea that the name would become my brand and I’d still be using it a decade and a half later. (To this day, people often assume my name is Summer or Heather Summers.) And when I first moved to Joburg, I had no idea that it would become my permanent home. I knew almost nothing about the city and certainly had no inkling that I would become one of its ambassadors.
I experienced tremendous emotional turmoil during my early time in Joburg: My partner, Jon, who was the reason I’d moved here, died in December 2011, and I spent years learning to cope with that loss. But the thought of leaving never occurred to me. By the time Jon died, Joburg had already become a part of my identity, or perhaps I’d become a part of Joburg’s identity.
A lot has changed in 15 years, both for me and for Joburg. My personal life has become a lot more stable, thanks in large part to my partner, Thorsten, who loves this city as much as I do. Thorsten and I have a great life together in Brixton, and we also love road-tripping around South Africa, documenting our travels through photography and sketches. Joburg has also changed – not all for the better. But there is still no other place I’d rather live.
To celebrate 15 years in Joburg, I looked through my entire blog and chose one defining Joburg post for each year. I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me."
2010: A Melville Sunday
My first Joburg home was in Melville (I lived there for 11 years), and I spent a lot of time getting to know that suburb before branching out to the rest of the city. Melville defined my early years in Joburg; I loved living in a walkable neighbourhood, close to quirky restaurants, shops, and a beautiful nature reserve.
This post, A Melville Sunday, describes a typical weekend day in Melville – going for a run up 7th Street, working in the garden, and taking a walk on the Melville Koppies. I loved rereading it and thinking back to how it felt to get to know this place as a brand-new arrival.
2011: Sunday’s Main Event
The year 2011 was when I came into my own as a Joburg explorer, consciously seeking out parts of the city that lifelong Joburgers were often nervous to explore. It was also a year when certain areas in the Joburg CBD, like Maboneng and Braamfontein, were burgeoning centres for art, culture, and nightlife.I visited Arts on Main, a new arts district in Maboneng, for the first time in February 2011. Market on Main, the Sunday morning market in Maboneng, had just opened, and I was enchanted by how hip and cool it was. My blog post about Arts on Main was the first post I wrote that got widely shared on Facebook. I began to take my “job” as a Joburg blogger more seriously.
2012: Ponte City, Inside and Out
The cigar-shaped Ponte City, built in the 1970s and rumoured to have 13 storeys of rubbish in its hollow core, had fascinated me since the first night I arrived in town. After more than two years of yearning to get inside Ponte and hearing about how it would be utterly unsafe to do so, I was finally invited on a tour of the building in November 2012. The experience did not disappoint.
I will never forget the thrill I felt when I descended the stairwell into Ponte’s cylindrical core and gazed up. Today, it’s easy to visit Ponte through a tour with Dlala Nje – I’m proud to have been one of the first tourists to do so.
2013: Mandela. And Me.
If you were living in Joburg at the end of 2013, you know what the most important event of that year was: The passing of former president Nelson Mandela. Mandela spent the majority of his life in Joburg and his presence is everywhere – from his first Joburg home in Alexandra Township to his statue in the centre of Sandton City.My reaction to Mandela’s death took me by surprise – I hadn’t expected to feel so emotional. But when I went to Nelson Mandela Square that day and watched the people of Joburg paying tribute to the man who ushered this country into democracy, I completely lost it. I did my best to explain why in the post I wrote.
2014: Up in My Hot-Air Balloon
I’m cheating slightly with this choice – it’s about Magaliesburg, not Joburg. But floating in a hot-air balloon over an ancient mountain range less than an hour outside of town remains one of the most magical tourism experiences of my life. I’ve been back to Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris several times since, and it’s amazing every time. I can’t recommend a Magaliesburg balloon safari enough for a special-occasion day trip from Joburg.
2015: The Best Night Ever in Soweto
The middle of the last decade was a cultural heyday for Joburg, and I was lucky to have so many incredible experiences during those years. Looking back on 2015, it’s hard to choose just one post as my favourite.I finally settled on The Best Night Ever in Soweto, when I attended the Soweto Wine Festival (no longer happening, sadly) with a group of social media influencers, and we were led to an underground music venue called Trackside. I often say that Soweto has one of the best music scenes in the world, and this post illustrates that.
2016: Walking The Wilds
In 2016, I blogged about The Wilds for the first time. The Wilds is a Joburg City Park, and I blog about city parks often, but The Wilds was different because of its dangerous reputation. Thanks to a few high-profile crimes in The Wilds during the 1990s and early 2000s, most people were afraid to go there.Today, it’s hard to imagine that The Wilds was ever considered scary. Joburg artist James Delaney started Friends of the Wilds in 2016, and the park has been experiencing a renaissance ever since. It’s one of the most beautiful urban oases in Joburg, if not all of South Africa, and it’s one of my top five recommendations for things to do in the city.
2017: Joburg’s Best Fish and Chips
2017 was the year of my #Gauteng52 campaign, when I blogged about a new place in Gauteng province for 52 weeks straight. It was hard to pick a favourite, but I chose fish and chips at Solly’s Corner, a legendary take-away shop in Fordsburg.Solly’s Corner has been around for decades. I visit Fordsburg frequently and I love cheap food, so it’s surprising that it took me seven years to eat at Solly’s. My fish and chips were delicious, and this was a quintessential Joburg experience.
2018: Atop the Sentech (Brixton) Tower
Joburg has two iconic telephone/TV towers: The Telkom Tower (a.k.a. Hillbrow Tower) and the Sentech Tower (a.k.a. Brixton Tower). They’re the two tallest structures in South Africa, and both have been closed to the public since apartheid times.
I can count on one hand (actually two fingers) the number of people I know who have made it to the top of either of these towers. But in 2018, I happened to meet someone who works at the Sentech Tower, and he invited me to go up. I can’t say much more about it – my Sentech benefactor will forever remain anonymous – but the views speak for themselves.
2019: Walk the Talk
In 2019 I participated in Walk the Talk, a massive walk through the city sponsored by Radio 702. Participants have the option of walking various distances: The options normally range from about four to 12 kilometres. But that particular year, the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy, there was a 25-kilometre option. Foolishly, I chose that one.Walking 25 kilometres on pavement, in a single morning without stopping, is hard. I barely made it across the finish line. Nonetheless, that walk was one of my favorite Joburg experiences – it really showcased South Africa’s diversity and spirit. I feel lucky to have been part of it, as I believe that was the last Walk to Talk to take place in Joburg. (This year’s walk is in Pretoria.)
2020: Katlehong Spaza Shop Tour
2020, the Covid year, was a profound blogging year. I decided to blog every day of the lockdown; ultimately, I blogged for 100 consecutive days. Deprived of my normal subject matter, I blogged about my house, my cats, and cooking. I also did mini fundraisers for a different cause each day, which is how I connected with Bongani Mabuza in Katlehong.
I helped Bongani, who owns a spaza shop business, to raise money for a food parcel programme in Katlehong. When the hard lockdown ended, I went to Katlehong to meet Bongani and his family. This led to us planning several walking tours in Katlehong, visiting spaza shops and tasting local food, and it was magical.
2021: Uncle Harry’s Roadhouse
2021 was the Year of the Roadhouse on 2Summers. Roadhouses, popular on Joburg’s East and West Rands, are drive-up restaurants at which patrons order and eat from their cars. Roadhouse food is usually cheap, unhealthy, and delicious, and the roadhouses themselves often have beautiful old neon signs.I loved many of the roadhouses we visited but I think Uncle Harry’s in Randfontein is my favourite – for both its great food and service and its totally crazy neon signs.
2022: The Brixton Light Festival
How can I explain the Brixton Light Festival? I did my best in this post, but words and photos will never compare to the real thing. I struggled to even take photos, because it was nighttime and also because I kept crying for joy.The Brixton Light Festival was a community initiative in my home suburb of Brixton (I moved here in 2021), planned and executed by a team of Brixton artists, musicians, architects, and other creatives. It took place in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and I was lucky to attend the last two. I can’t say for sure if it will ever happen again – the organisers are on hiatus. But if it ever does, DO NOT MISS IT.
2023: Rugby in South Africa Is Not Only a Game
I’m not an avid follower of South African sports, and I was out of the country when the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 2019. But when the Springboks reached the World Cup final again in 2023, I made sure not to miss it.I dragged Thorsten (also not a devoted rugby fan) to the Pirates Club in Parkhurst, where we watched the Springboks pull out a nail-biting victory over the New Zealand All-Blacks, among a sea of green-and-gold-clad fans of all shapes, sizes, and colours. Moments like this, when the entire country comes together and celebrates a single victory, are the best South African moments. I’m grateful to have been a part of this one.
2024: Matric farewell in Bulte
This post is definitely cheating because the event happened days before the end of 2023 – I blogged about it at the very beginning of 2024. But I have to include it: In December 2023, I attended the Matric farewell celebration in Noordgesig, also known as Bulte – a historically Coloured township on the edge of Soweto.
Fabian and Lavinia Otto, who are tour guides and community activists in Noordgesig, invited me to photograph their daughter, Micayla, as she got ready for her Matric farewell and the festivities that ensued. As with the Brixton Light Festival, it’s very hard to explain how joyous this occasion was, or the vibes in the centre of Noordgesig as the matrics and their families drove around cheering and showing off their amazing outfits. I was thunderstruck and will never forget that day.
2025: Watch this space
I don’t know what my 2025 highlight is yet but I have no doubt that it’s coming. Joburg never disappoints. Follow along on my blog to see how this year (and all the years that follow, as I don’t think I’m going anywhere) pans out.For more of Mason's adventures, visit 2summers.net or follow her @2Summers on Instagram.
On Sat, Jun 21, 2025, join Heather Mason for a 15th-anniversary celebration and fundraiser in Brixton. Book tickets here.
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