City Skate Tours offers four different tours of Joburg, two of which feature Braam: the Braamfontein Walking Tour and the Johannesburg Graffiti & Street Art Tour. Both of these are on foot, though the reviews on various sites all seem to suggest that on the other tours, guide Ayanda Mnyandu takes skateboard novices through the process of learning very quickly — and his knowledge of the city is, apparently, impeccable.

City Skate Tours is run by Ayanda and his partner Daniel Monegi. They both started skateboarding as boys, and then thought of the tour idea after showing their friends around the CBD on skateboards. The ethos of the company is to counter the negativity often associated with Johannesburg, in an exciting and informative way that engages patrons with the city close-up. The tours reveal it as an urban playground, filled with interesting characters, sights and sounds, and positively oozing history.

“We love Braamfontein because it's a hub of cultural capital that provides a space for ‘urban culture seekers’ in the inner city,” says Ayanda. “From the fashion, street art, galleries, graffiti, music, entrepreneurship, people, cool hang-out spots, history and overall cool vibes, it's a much-needed hub of dope urban contemporary street culture shaping the city and its young people for the better!”
The Graffiti & Street Art Tour, which is often co-hosted with a graffiti artist for first-hand knowledge of the graffiti scene in South Africa, promises to expose patrons to a heady mix of murals and street art by local and international artists. Braam has the best to offer in this regard. The role of graffiti and street art in the development of the city is explained, and the tags of some of the city's most prolific graffiti writers are deciphered.

The Braamfontein walking tour also features street art and graffiti, but in addition it encompasses museums and galleries such as Kalashnikovv Gallery and the Wits Art Museum, as well as the bars, restaurants and cafés that Braam is renowned for. Patrons of this tour can sample the fashion and design stores, enjoy food, drinks and music at The Playground Market on Saturdays, and even learn a bit about the history of the ‘hood’.

To book a tour, contact Ayanda on 079 839 8833, email cityskatetours@gmail.com or visit https://www.cityskatetours.co.za/