TOBY SHAPSHAK | Joburg’s Education Town goes hi-tech

Mar 27, 2026 · 905 words · By Toby Shapshak

Fact-Check Results

“Taddy Blecher has bought the building at 56 Main Street in Marshalltown.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm or refute Taddy Blecher's purchase of the building at 56 Main Street.

“The Maharishi Invincibility Institute is 25% of the way to its goal of educating 100,000 underprivileged children.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify the Maharishi Invincibility Institute's progress toward its educational goal.

“The institute has provided 22,567 formerly unemployed people with quality jobs, generating R2.26bn annually in salaries.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm job creation statistics or salary figures attributed to the institute.

“Stanford University has recognized Maharishi as one of the world’s 12 most innovative educational institutions.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify Stanford University's recognition of the Maharishi Institute.

“The Maharishi NextUp Institute of Technology (MNIT) will focus on tech and digital skills including AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and data science.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm MNIT's curriculum focus areas.

“David Frankel founded South Africa’s first internet service provider (ISP), which was sold to Dimension Data for R400m.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify David Frankel's ISP founding or its sale to Dimension Data.

“The Maharishi NextUp Institute of Technology (MNIT) has Altron as its anchor tenant.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm Altron's tenant status at MNIT.

“The initiative aims to transform Johannesburg into one of the pre-eminent tech capitals on the continent.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify MNIT's role in transforming Johannesburg into a tech hub.

“Blecher has built a full-sized football field in the CBD and a new security academy.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm Taddy Blecher's construction of a football field and security academy.

“The Jozi My Jozi initiative is backed by Anglo American, Standard Bank, Absa, iqbusiness, Nando’s, and Wits.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify the Jozi My Jozi initiative's corporate backers.

“Two graduates of Maharishi are employed as cybersecurity officials at major banks and support their families.”

❓ PENDING

“Blecher describes the current phase of Johannesburg as 'Joburg 2.0', post-1994.”

❓ PENDING