CRIME, INSTABILITY, NON-DELIVERY — RESIDENTS SPEAK ON JOHANNESBURG DYSFUNCTION

Following Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero’s State of the City Address on Wednesday, Daily Maverick asked residents what they thought about the metro.

In his State of the City Address on Wednesday, 7 May, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero outlined a vision of revitalisation, infrastructure upgrades, economic growth strategies and service delivery improvements. 

His speech was marked by conviction, yet for many residents, the promises echoed familiar rhetoric – another chapter in the city’s history of ambitious plans met with non-delivery.

Residents who spoke to Daily Maverick on Wednesday and Thursday expressed their heartbreak at the state of the City of Johannesburg. 

“I used to walk from Jeppestown to Hillbrow any time of the day. I would do window shopping and visit the Carlton Centre. We had a beautiful city, but it’s all gone now and it’s painful to see. The mayor must focus on crime,” said Lulama Dlamini, 69, from Soweto. 

[caption id="attachment_2709689" align="alignnone" width="2048"] The Nugget Street Express building in the Johannesburg CBD. (Photo: Gallo Images / Fani Mahuntsi)[/caption]

“Crime is Johannesburg’s enemy number one. And stop telling us that all big cities are prone to crime because that is not true. The truth is that Johannesburg has been run to the ground by politicians like Morero while they lie to the public,” Dlamini said.

Kgomotso Malefane from Soweto said, “In Johannesburg, it feels like you are in a foreign country. The streets have become filthy, landmark sites have become a shelter for homeless illegal migrants and criminals.”

Several people Daily Maverick spoke to expressed concern about migration issues.

“Which Johannesburg are you talking about? The politicians know they have collapsed the city and what they do is keep lying to the blind public. There is no Johannesburg. We do not own that any more,” said Malefane. 

Elizabeth Nthate, from Leratong, said, “I think we need the Democratic Alliance to be the dominant party in Johannesburg. The DA understands the value of the country’s assets, and they would not let Johannesburg rot the way it has. The ANC has taken us for a ride and I hope they have learnt their lesson.

“It’s unheard of for Mandela’s party to succumb to newbies in the business. It tells you that people’s awareness of what’s happening around them is heightened. The mayor must address what plans the ruling party has to immediately fix the city and infrastructure.” 

Read more: Five key takeaways, including a ‘bomb squad’, from the Joburg State of the City Address

Disillusioned and weary, some residents have abandoned any pretence of hope, telling Daily Maverick that the State of the City Address is little more than political theatre – an exercise in scripted deception where empty promises echo louder than real change.

Whether it happens or not, they say, is irrelevant. Politicians, after all, never tire of the same performance.

“To be honest with you, I don’t care what happens or what the mayor says... What I know is that he will mention huge projects costing huge monies, but none of that ever trickles down to the people on the ground,” Gift Mahlangu, 33, from Braamfontein said.

“We are surrounded by a group of liars who have been lying to us for years. Every road has a pothole, every street has broken lights. Where does the money go when all these things remain unfixed? Even its entities like Johannesburg Water and Rand Water are struggling. Nothing is working in Johannesburg,” Mahlangu said.

Marlin Karoida from Lenasia said, “They must talk about why Johannesburg’s townships often run out of water.”

“They must talk about how they will deal with load shedding. They must talk about how they will end underground cable theft by foreigners. They must tell us when we will ever live safely in our homes. They must tell us when they will fix the police service members who are involved in criminal activity. I can speak the whole day, the list is endless. The truth is that Johannesburg has been collapsed,” said Karoida. 

“It has been run to the ground by people who saw no value in maintaining the city infrastructure and instead embezzled the money meant to fix the city. I wash my hands.”

Read more: Communities demand Water Minister Majodina shift focus from illegal connections to leaks

Residents decried the city’s chronic political instability, likening it to a revolving door of leadership that stifled progress. Some argued that if mayors were granted the luxury of completing their terms, service delivery might finally be realised.

“As a resident, I feel that there is still a long way before Johannesburg can be called a world-class African city. Look at the instability in the city over the last few years. The city’s mayors do not last, which means even if they replace a mayor, there is no continuity,” Nkosingphile Mhlongo from Jeppestown said on Wednesday.

“In my view, Johannesburg needs a stable leadership first. The instability which we have seen in the Johannesburg Council over the last few years should tell us everything about the poor leadership in the city. The problem is, the city is falling apart because of poor leadership. Even the current mayor will not bring any changes, but he can take the podium and lie,” said Mhlongo.

The DA has submitted motions of no confidence in Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Dada Morero and Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu, from ActionSA. While the DA doesn’t have the numbers to pass the motions, the party’s Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said, “The economic heart of South Africa is falling apart.” DM

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2025-05-09T09:56:05Z