Johannesburg’s crisis rooted in institutional flaws, lessons from Medellín suggest reform

Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, is increasingly unable to provide basic services such as clean water, electricity, road maintenance, and citizen safety. The city exhibits symptoms of a “broken city,” including deteriorating financial controls, swelling wage bills, unstable political coalitions, and rapid mayoral turnover.

Research by a local governance expert, published in a paper commissioned by the Centre for Development and Enterprise, argues that the crisis is not merely due to poor governance or weak leadership. Instead, the deeper problem is institutional and legal: the city administration exists only in name, with all power residing in the council, leaving the city manager without inherent authority to make operational decisions or hire staff.

The study draws lessons from Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city, which was once the deadliest city globally but managed a recovery through a city government that combined security, investment, and capable utilities. Johannesburg’s recovery depends on granting real operational autonomy to its utilities—City Power, Johannesburg Water, and the waste management provider Pikitup.

Johannesburg has evolved into a large metropolitan entity absorbing surrounding towns and municipalities with the aim to pool resources across historically unequal areas. Service functions were corporatised under the iGoli 2002 plan, creating companies like City Power and Johannesburg Water. However, without operational autonomy and authority, these utilities cannot effectively contribute to the city’s renewal.

The city now faces a crucial decision: whether to empower its utilities for rebuilding efforts and confront the political and criminal networks that may resist such changes. The experience of Medellín offers a roadmap for Johannesburg to address its institutional challenges and restore basic services and governance.