Community groups are preventing Joburg from collapsing — they need more support

Community groups in Johannesburg are combating the city's decline and are in need of greater assistance. Unlike the negative narrative often portrayed, I remain hopeful about the city's future. As the managing director of JoburgCAN and a committee member of the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance, I often get asked if Johannesburg can be saved - and if it should be.

Despite frequent headlines indicating a decline in Johannesburg's shine, I see the resilience of its residents, businesses, and community organizations. They are taking matters into their own hands, forming partnerships, and assuming responsibility for their surroundings. The Braamfontein Improvement District stands as a prime example of what can be achieved.

In Braamfontein, daily efforts such as street cleaning, reporting leaks and faulty traffic lights, and enhancing public spaces have helped prevent urban decay. Numerous other districts across the city's seven regions are also actively working to maintain their neighborhoods.

These community-driven initiatives do more than improve aesthetics; they create safer, cleaner, and more functional neighborhoods, attract investment, support businesses, and make public spaces more accessible. Most importantly, they foster a sense of inclusion and optimism that truly reflects Johannesburg's character.

The value of these organized communities became evident in 2023 following several crises, including an explosion at Lilian Ngoyi Street, a fatal fire at the City-owned Usindiso building, and the closure of Metro Centre. Instead of accepting these failures, the people of Johannesburg declared 'not in my name.'

As a volunteer for my local residents' association, I witnessed how many have transformed from focusing on church events and neighborhood security to becoming the front-line of service delivery. They are taking care of parks, repairing libraries, reporting infrastructure issues, and assisting residents during prolonged outages of water and electricity. In my community, this has included installing backup water tanks.

However, some residents argue that this amounts to double taxation, as they already pay rates, service charges, and national taxes, while also paying privately for security, healthcare, education, backup electricity, and increasingly, their own water access. These alternative solutions are often unaffordable for many households. The growth of community-led services should not be used to excuse the City's responsibilities.

Despite these challenges, Johannesburg's residents demonstrate remarkable resilience. They refuse to let a failing system stand in the way of their survival or the city's recovery. As part of the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group, which involves national, provincial, and local government, along with civil society and business, we have seen that managed precincts create a measurable difference, even though its problems are historical, complex, and deeply rooted.

To truly make a long-term difference in Johannesburg, we must establish a sustainable framework that supports and expands Community Improvement Districts (CIDs). JoburgCAN is pushing for the City to finalize its Special Rating Area policy, which would allow additional charges to be collected through municipal rates accounts within a defined area, funding services and improvements in that precinct.

This policy would provide CIDs with reliable funding while ensuring that all qualifying property owners contribute to the benefits they receive, reducing the problem of some benefiting while others bear the cost. Additionally, we should explore formal agreements that allow capable improvement districts to do more, with appropriate oversight and clearly defined responsibilities.

These changes, coupled with ongoing community-driven initiatives, can bring about a genuine, lasting improvement in Johannesburg. While the political solution is important, the future of the city lies in the hands of its resilient communities and their collective efforts.