Failing city: Can Joburg be saved?

For Johannesburg to regain its status as the city of gold, it may need to become the city of miracles.

Those returning to the big smoke from holidays across the country or overseas may make the comparisons to cleaner and more efficient cities.

The city of Joburg’s compartmentalised governance model is a double-edged sword, allowing for specialisation but also creating grey areas of responsibility. Adding to the clutter, provincial departments also have a hand in the city’s management, creating multiple layers of bureaucracy for any solution to fight through.

Johannesburg ‘crumbling before our eyes’

A dwindling budget and a lack of infrastructure development are at the heart of Johannesburg’s decay, says DA shadow MMC for environment and infrastructure services Nicole van Dyk.

“The city is fast crumbling before our very eyes. It all comes down to little to no investment in the basic services of the city,” Van Dyk told The Citizen.

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The infuriating delays caused by faulty traffic lights will likely greet motorists returning to work early this month.

The Gauteng provincial department of roads and transport (GPDRT) department oversees most of the main roads crisscrossing the city. It recently initiated a private-public collaboration that will see business and resident’s associations “adopt” an intersection to maintain its infrastructural integrity.

The process of finalising the terms and conditions is still underway as a meeting was held in early December to outline the details. GPDRT is assessing the characteristics of each intersection and an action plan will be developed from this month.

Poorly illuminated roads and suburbs are breeding grounds for danger and criminality. The Joburg metropolitan police department and GPDRT have both spent December dealing with crime and complaints related to vandalised street lights and dangerous objects placed on dark roads.

“We urge all road users to exercise vigilance, especially when driving at night due to the vandalism of streetlights,” said GPDRT. “The department is collaborating with law enforcement agencies and stakeholders to develop advanced strategies and initiatives aimed at preventing vandalism and improving safety.”

ALSO READ: What Joburg’s broken traffic lights cost motorists

When the All Blacks visited Johannesburg to play the Springboks in September, a mass cleanup campaign was initiated to collect Johannesburg’s muck. The litter returned and sidewalks and verges throughout most suburbs in the city now resemble an open trash can that empties into drains and rivers.

Residents are responsible for the litter, but waste removal has also been a challenge in the city, thanks to strikes and Pikitup fleet breakdowns.

“Protect our waterways. Keep debris and litter out of stormwater drains,” the Joburg Roads Agency said. “What enters these drains ultimately ends up in our rivers and dams, impacting our environment.”

ALSO READ: ‘Infrastructure there is old’: Lesufi says Joburg CBD needs a complete overhaul

Water woes

Johannesburg’s water woes shaped the city’s perception during the back-end of 2024. The DA’s Van Dyk had been at the forefront of the administrative fight to keep water running from the taps.

“For the last two or three years, funds have been cut from the pipe replacement budget, knocking pipe replacements down to a mere 16m-28km,” Van Dyk said.

“We should be doing at least 150km a year. Same accounts for our roads, sewer and power,” she said, reiterating that the city loses almost 40% of its water through leaks and bursts.

ALSO READ: Joburg water crisis worsens as authorities scramble for solutions

Theft and vandalism

City Power looks set to be in a never-ending battle against infrastructure theft and vandalism. Just this week, parts of the Johannesburg CBD spent days without electricity, a possibility for any resident of the city at any given time.

The entity has collaborated with police and private security companies to punish and prevent cable theft, but it comes at a cost.

“It’s important to note that the money that we’re using to acquire services would actually go towards reinvesting in our own network and making sure that it’s more effective and efficient,” said City Power spokesperson Robinson Nqola.

Decay in Joburg CBD

Johannesburg’s swelling population has caused rampant decay in the CBD and is slowly spreading to other suburbs. Social housing projects across Gauteng have stalled, or in some cases never broke ground, despite billions spent.

“More backyard dwellings and communes are going up, which are often illegal. This is certainly the case in Brixton and Melville around university campuses,” said Van Dyk.

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The councillor added that weakening budgets were being exacerbated by taxpayers leaving for better-run municipalities. “What follows from them leaving is vacant properties that cannot be sold and that are then rented out. More often than not they become home to multiple dwellers putting further strain on the city,” Van Dyk said.

Moving residents, workers and jobseekers efficiently across the vast city is essential for productivity. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is making progress in restoring its Metrorail lines, thanks to a multibillion-rand budget allocation.

Prasa said in October that almost 300 stations across Gauteng had been repaired, with nine major routes still to be completed. Rail transport is the cheapest and most efficient way to travel in the city and full restoration cannot come soon enough.

The municipality last year called on residents and businesses to submit ideas and proposals to fix Johannesburg. However, the downward spiral could continue if other cities provide a more attractive place to live, play and thrive, as Van Dyk says.

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