The Commune
Located on the partially pedestrianized Reserve Street in Braamfontein — a student neighborhood near Wits University — The Commune is a collectively-run radical bookstore, reference library, and café that opened in October 2019. The name is a reference to the 1871 Paris Commune.
The Commune operates as a not-for-profit organization run by a collective whose members contribute different skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. The bookshelves are carefully curated to cover topics including Pan-Africanism, decolonization, grassroots social movements, environmentalism, queer theory, disability studies, prison abolition, feminism, and anti-capitalism. Authors range from Steve Biko to Michel Foucault, Chinua Achebe to contemporary local writers.
Beyond selling books, the space serves as a reference library and intellectual commons. Regular programming includes book launches, talks, discussions, film screenings, DJ sets, poetry readings, and music performances. The collective works closely with grassroots groups, popular movements, trade unions, and radical intellectuals across South Africa and the continent. They also operate The Forge, a nearby Pan-African cultural venue hosting theater, film screenings, and events.
The ground floor combines café seating with couches and bookshelves, while an upstairs area functions as a reading room and reference library. Coffee is sourced from Ethiopia, and the café serves vegan cakes. Records — with a focus on African music — are also available.
The Commune sits in a neighborhood home to Wits University, numerous NGOs, and a concentration of non-profit organizations, making it a natural meeting point for students, lecturers, activists, and organizers seeking community and ideas outside mainstream institutions.
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