By 
The recent surge of government attention to Johannesburg’s state of decay after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit and expression of concern, is understandable.
Johannesburg is my home, where I have lived my entire life, and like many residents I share the president’s frustration over the city’s decline. However, I do not believe the flurry of energy to restore the city will bring lasting change.
What we are witnessing is a short-term scramble to fix visible problems ahead of upcoming Group of 20 (G20) events, but without deep structural reform the decay will inevitably return. Johannesburg’s crisis is systemic and no amount of superficial intervention will fix it in the long run.
One of the contributors to this crisis is the fragmented municipal structure, where core city functions have been outsourced to a string of municipal-owned entities (MOEs). This model has stripped elected officials of their ability to perform real oversight and hold those responsible for service delivery accountable.
Johannesburg spends more on basic services than other major metros but gets far less in return. MOEs have become a law unto themselves, accountable only to their own boards, while city councillors — the elected representatives of the people — have been reduced to mere spectators. The consequence is rampant inefficiency, mismanagement and a lack of service delivery that directly affects residents. This failed model must be dismantled and strong leadership is required to restore accountability.
Compounding this crisis is Johannesburg’s failure to enforce the rule of law. One of the fundamental duties of the government is to uphold the law, yet the city has failed in this regard. The evidence is clear: tens of thousands of electricity and water meters have been illegally tampered with, resulting in astronomical unbilled consumption. Illegal dumping has become normalised, with residents and businesses discarding waste on the streets without consequence.
Many genuinely believe this is an accepted practice because the city has failed to enforce its bylaws. Instead of tackling the root cause, the municipality spends vast sums cleaning up illegal dumping sites — in effect subsidising lawbreakers at the expense of law-abiding residents. This lawlessness stems from a leadership vacuum that has allowed bad habits to become institutionalised.
Another critical failure is the city’s procurement system, which has become a breeding ground for corruption. Officials entrusted with overseeing tenders routinely collude with friends and family members, ensuring contracts are awarded in exchange for kickbacks. The lack of transparency allows these corrupt practices to flourish unchecked.
Councillors and the public have been deliberately kept in the dark, further stripping away any form of accountability. The City of Cape Town has demonstrated that it is possible to root out corruption by opening up procurement processes to public scrutiny. Johannesburg must urgently follow suit if it hopes to restore integrity to its financial management.
At the heart of all these issues is a lack of leadership — leadership that is bold enough to address the systemic failures that have brought Johannesburg to its knees. The city does not suffer from a shortage of resources. Instead, it lacks the political will to ensure that money is spent effectively, efficiently, and in a way that delivers tangible benefits to residents.
Without structural reform Johannesburg will continue to waste billions while failing to provide basic services to its people. Those who pay for services will continue to subsidise inefficiency and corruption, and those who genuinely need support will continue to be neglected by a failing local government.
The restoration of Johannesburg requires more than short-term interventions. It demands visionary leadership with the courage to confront deep-seated institutional failures and drive the structural changes necessary to turn the city around.
The people of Johannesburg deserve a city that works — one where service delivery is efficient, law enforcement is effective and governance is accountable. Anything less is simply unacceptable.
• Mitchell, a former DA Johannesburg city councillor, works closely with the local government unit of the National Treasury, in the office of the deputy minister. He writes in his personal capacity.
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