Residents of Johannesburg are expressing growing frustration with the city’s deteriorating infrastructure ahead of South Africa’s local elections scheduled for November 4. The commercial capital’s challenges include persistent power outages, water shortages, overflowing rubbish piles, and pothole-ridden roads, affecting both low-income townships and more affluent neighborhoods.
In Alexandra township, trash has accumulated along streets and riverbanks, with foul-smelling water flowing from clogged drainage systems, highlighting the city’s struggles to provide essential services. Semadi Manganye, CEO of Alexandra Water Warriors, an environmental NGO involved in river clean-ups, pointed to ongoing water, electricity, and waste management problems that have worsened amid rapid population growth. Johannesburg’s population increased by 10% from 2011 to 2022, reaching approximately 4.8 million residents.
The deteriorating conditions are mirrored across the country’s 257 municipalities, many of which face severe financial and operational difficulties. President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged these failings, stating that too many municipalities are unable to meet their citizens’ needs. According to recent government audits, only 15% of local governments received clean financial audits, while two-thirds are considered financially distressed.
Johannesburg, which has seen ten mayoral changes in the past decade and ongoing political instability, faces an estimated infrastructure backlog of 220 billion rand (about £9.9 billion). Leaks cause the municipal water utility to lose approximately a quarter of the water it purchases. Residents at a recent public meeting in the northern township of Rabie Ridge voiced their dissatisfaction directly at Mayor Dada Morero and City Power officials. Some attendees reported power outages lasting several months, while others described electricity bills far exceeding their income.
Service interruptions are not confined to poorer areas. Wealthier suburbs such as Melville and Westdene have experienced weeks without piped water, forcing residents to rely on alternative sources like boreholes. Kate Spiller, a retired management consultant in Melville, described the situation as “desperate,” noting how daily life is disrupted by the uncertainty of water availability.
Mayor Morero acknowledged infrastructure failures, attributing some outages to vandalism and organized criminal activity. He said authorities are working with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department to counter these threats. However, experts highlight that corruption within city government is a significant underlying problem. A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime described Johannesburg’s governance as fostering a “criminal ecosystem.” Rashid Seedat, executive director of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory, emphasized that corruption ranges from small bribes to large-scale tender fraud, eroding the city’s capacity to deliver services effectively.
Political competition in Johannesburg has intensified ahead of the elections. The Democratic Alliance (DA), led locally by former Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, has campaigned vigorously against the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its coalition partners, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Patriotic Alliance. The DA has drawn attention with high-profile demonstrations of the city’s infrastructure woes, including Zille’s widely publicized act of snorkeling in a flooded pothole. Polls in October placed the DA ahead with 29% to 36% support, compared with the ANC’s 22% to 27%. Despite this lead, experts suggest that coalition building will be necessary to secure control of the city government, as the ANC continues to navigate internal factional disputes and considers multiple mayoral candidates.