LOOK: Shocking photos of 'collapsing' Johannesburg

Updated Oct. 2, 2025, 5:07 p.m. | By Jacaranda FM

Is South Africa's most important city collapsing in front of our eyes?

Joburg starts process to ‘redesign’ blast-hit Lillian Ngoyi Street — Twitter: @Abel_Seloane

It always seems like there's something...

While many of the problems in South Africa are not new, things appear to be reaching a boiling point.

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Possibly even a point of no return.

In March 2025, Jacaranda FM Newswatch reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa was shocked by the state of the Johannesburg inner city during his visit.

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Ramaphosa and his cabinet met with Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and his mayoral committee to address issues leading to a lack of service delivery in the metro.

The president told officials he believes there is every possibility that the country's economic hub could return to its former glory, which earned it the nickname ‘City of Gold’.

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According to BusinessTech, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi had apologised to Ramaphosa and assured him that the provincial and local government would address Johannesburg’s shortcomings.

But is Johannesburg too far gone?

Large parts of the city regularly experience outages, indicating that the water and electricity infrastructure are deteriorating at a rapid pace.

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There is also the issue of a decaying road network, inadequate management and declining service levels.

Following the discussions, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero announced the establishment of a high-impact implementation task force to address the city's problems.

ANC's Snuki Zikalala heads the team, which consists of seasoned public servants hoping to rescue the metro.

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Unfortunately, the same issues remain.

In August 2025, accusations began circulating as RISE Mzansi claimed that the task force and the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group had failed to make any impact.

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Morero claims that they have addressed multiple issues, including water leak closures, illegal dumping sites, and pothole repairs.

Residents, civil society groups, and political parties have raised concerns about the ongoing collapse of Johannesburg.

There are politicians every each side throwing out accusations, fighting and trying to bring attention to the situation.

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Residents have also pointed to broken roads, potholes, deteriorating bridges, and traffic lights that are out because of vandalism.

Gang violence in some southern parts of Johannesburg has increased, with many casualties reported, and criminal activity is out of control.

The Johannesburg inner city is also extremely dangerous, with hijacked buildings, overcrowding, theft, and vandalism being the norm.

Here's a real look at Johannesburg: