Todd Matshikiza

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73 Toby St, Sophiatown, Johannesburg, 2092
Installed: 2026

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TODD MATSHIKIZA (1921-1968) Celebrated journalist, author, composer and pianist, Todd Matshikiza brought a distinctive voice to Johannesburg's cultural life in the 1950s. He composed the music for the pioneering jazz musical King Kong, and wrote the choral cantata Uxolo. His witty, incisive columns written for Drum, captured the rhythms of urban Black experience. Forced into exile, he died in Zambia, and his remains were repatriated to South Africa in 2025.

Photo courtesy: Kabelo Mokoena (Sunday Times)

Explore Joburg

A culmination of research gathered over many years, the Online Johannesburg Heritage Register is being launched on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July 2025.

Among the many heritage sites featured is Chancellor House, the downtown offices of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys in the 1950s. After having been vacant and shuttered for more than a decade, this iconic building is being revived and brought to life once again as offices for the Community Development Department, which oversees the City’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Services.