MUNICIPAL DYSFUNCTION: ‘Release secret Metro Centre reports’ demand as Joburg planning collapse deepens
In an effort to save an estimated two million records left rotting in the basement of Joburg’s Metro Centre, the Legal Resources Centre has launched a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application to clarify why the City of Johannesburg is not rectifying the problem.
Joburg's municipal planning system is in chaos as the city struggles to release critical records from the abandoned Metro Centre. The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) has filed a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application demanding the City of Johannesburg disclose all engineering and safety reports related to the closure of the landmark municipal precinct.
Shaatirah Baboo Hassim, an LRC attorney, explained that the legal action aims to uncover whether the Metro Centre's closure - resulting in the loss of an estimated two million planning records - is due to genuine technical issues or an attempt to conceal administrative failure.
These irreplaceable architectural designs and heritage drawings, spanning over a century, are currently rotting in the flooded basement of the condemned complex. Property transfers across the city have ground to a halt, as conveyancers and commercial banks refuse to process mortgage bonds without certified as-built plans.
Joburg's municipal performance report for the 2025/26 financial quarter reveals a total operational breakdown within the Department of Development Planning, contradicting previous assurances from senior municipal leaders. The City launched a "Smart City" modernisation campaign, promising the delivery of large-format scanners, immediate scanning of physical records, and engagement with the Gauteng Provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for record transfer.
However, the city failed to provide specific budget votes, project numbers, or financial proof for the archive rescue.
As of the end of Q3, zero dedicated capital budget had been allocated for the retrieval or transfer of the basement archives, while revenue collection had collapsed to 47.41% of its target. The department's performance metrics, such as the 55.6% failure rate on executive scorecard targets and the 58% capital budget lag, paint a grim picture of an administrative breakdown.
The Metro Centre crisis now threatens to expose Johannesburg's architectural history to illicit syndicates, who charge property owners thousands of rands to illegally extract records or obtain unauthorised land-use approvals.
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