Results are in: Entities fail city

Analysis: As Jozi spirals into a pit of dysfunction, civil society attempts to slow decline

- Story & pictures by Emily Well

Joburg city entities have been under the Caxton spotlight for the past few weeks as their performance and overall health have been examined. The results have shown grotesque and borderline criminal failings across the board, which are crippling residents and local businesses.

In short, the health of the country's most important financial hub is critical and unstable. Julius Kleynhans, Outa executive manager for local government, says, "There will be catastrophic consequences if the municipality fails to reform."

Energy expert and managing director of EE Business Intelligence Chris Yelland has a similarly dire forecast. "Johannesburg is going backwards as the city fails to provide even the most basic services reliably, like the provision of water and electricity."

William Gumede, associate professor in the School of Governance at Wits University describes a liveable city as an urban centre that has a thriving social scene, cared-for parks with dedicated areas where children can play and socialise, safe public transport, affordable healthcare and even nightlife.

"Much of previously thriving nighttime activities are now either no longer possible as businesses have closed or because it is unsafe to visit an area after dark. The CBD, for example, is avoided by most when the sun sets because it is unsafe, which is sad."

The recently released Auditor-General's report is grim. Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke neatly outlines problems that mimic what multiple civil society representatives and organisations have said about the city during this series.

"Poor financial management remained prevalent," she says. "Municipalities lost revenue because they were not billing and collecting revenue, and due to water and electricity losses as a result of infrastructure neglect.