The recent surge of government attention towards Johannesburg’s state of decay, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit and expressions of concern, is understandable. As a lifelong resident, I share the president’s frustration about the city’s decline. However, I believe the current focus on quick fixes is misguided. Despite the flurry of energy to restore Johannesburg, without deep structural reform, this decay will inevitably return.
What we are witnessing is a short-term scramble to address visible issues ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) events, but without a lasting solution, the city’s decline will continue. Johannesburg’s crisis is systemic. No amount of superficial intervention will resolve the underlying problems in the long run.
One of the main contributors to Johannesburg’s crisis is its fragmented municipal structure. Core city functions have been outsourced to various municipal-owned entities (MOEs). This model has stripped elected officials of their ability to provide meaningful oversight or hold those responsible for service delivery accountable.
Despite Johannesburg’s significant spending on basic services, the city receives far less in return compared to other major metros. MOEs have become self-regulating entities, accountable only to their own boards, while city councillors have been sidelined as mere spectators. The result is inefficiency, mismanagement, and poor service delivery that directly affects residents. This failed model needs to be dismantled. Strong leadership is essential to restore accountability and governance.
Equally concerning is Johannesburg’s inability to enforce the rule of law. Upholding the law is a fundamental duty of government, yet the city has neglected this responsibility. Illegal activities, such as the tampering of tens of thousands of electricity and water meters, have led to significant unbilled consumption. Meanwhile, illegal dumping has become normalized, with residents and businesses discarding waste on the streets without fear of consequences.
Instead of addressing the root cause of illegal dumping, the municipality spends vast sums cleaning up these sites, essentially subsidizing lawbreakers at the expense of law-abiding citizens. This lawlessness is the result of a leadership vacuum that has allowed bad practices to become institutionalized.
Another major issue is the city’s procurement system, which has become a hotbed for corruption. Officials tasked with overseeing tenders regularly collude with friends and family to ensure contracts are awarded in exchange for kickbacks. The lack of transparency allows these corrupt practices to thrive unchecked. Councillors and the public have been deliberately kept in the dark, further eroding accountability.
In contrast, Cape Town has shown that it is possible to combat corruption by opening procurement processes to public scrutiny. Johannesburg must follow suit if it hopes to restore integrity to its financial management.
At the heart of Johannesburg’s struggles is a lack of leadership—leadership that is bold enough to confront the systemic failures that have brought the city to its knees. The city does not suffer from a lack of resources, but from a lack of political will to ensure that funds are used effectively, efficiently, and in a way that benefits residents.
Without significant structural reform, Johannesburg will continue to waste billions while failing to deliver basic services to its people. Those who pay for services will continue to subsidize inefficiency and corruption, and those who need support the most will remain neglected.
The restoration of Johannesburg requires more than just short-term fixes. It demands visionary leadership with the courage to address deep-rooted institutional failures and drive the necessary structural changes to turn the city around. The people of Johannesburg deserve a city that works—where service delivery is efficient, law enforcement is effective, and governance is accountable. Anything less is simply unacceptable.
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