G20 Summit in Joburg: A city struggling with service delivery

As leaders prepare to focus on pressing global issues during the Group of Twenty (G20) Leader's Summit next month, it is believed that choosing Johannesburg as the host city was not a good idea. It is claimed that the collapse of service delivery, which includes infrastructure, pothole-riddled roads, and unreliable water and electricity supply, will embarrass South Africa to the world. 

Johannesburg is set to host the G20 Leader's Summit at Nasrec from November 22 to 23. 

The summit will be the twentieth meeting of the G20 - an annual meeting of the leaders of the world’s major economies, bringing together 19 countries and two regional unions (the European Union and the African Union), to discuss and coordinate on global economic and financial policies.

 South Africa will be the first African country to host the summit.

However, Nasrec is considered unsuitable for hosting large-scale international gatherings due to persistent infrastructure problems, logistical issues from previous major events, and its image as a cold, industrial site.

Events, including past ANC conferences, have been plagued by power failures due to load shedding, and there have been issues with the water supply. These problems point to broader service delivery and infrastructure issues in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg, with its collapsing service delivery, appears as a city of decay marked by pothole-ridden streets, power outages and unreliable water supply. The city struggles with uncollected garbage, deteriorating public safety and a billing system crisis. 

The situation is characterised by crumbling infrastructure, such as burst pipes and leaking reservoirs and vacant buildings repurposed by informal settlements, creating a grim environment that contradicts its former “World-Class African City” status.

Financial mismanagement and political instability also contributed to this crisis.  

However, it has hosted several major international events, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup and international concerts.

Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane said his party has serious doubts that Johannesburg is ready to host an event of this scale, adding that it is 'embarrassing that the world will once again witness the collapse of basic services'.

“This long precedes this summit. Its neglect and decay have been years in the making and have become normalised in our country’s economic hub. It is unfortunate that the government only seems to find urgency to act when international visitors are watching,’’ he said. 

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, said significant progress has already been achieved ahead of the event. Pamla said the entrance at Nasrec has been enhanced with new landscaping and flowers. Essential work on security, fencing and cabling is finished. 

Pamla added that the infrastructure maintenance project is progressing across multiple fronts, with pothole repairs nearing completion. 

He said work is also underway on streetlight repairs, while roads have been maintained in optimal condition, with particular attention paid to signage.

Pamla said a multi-level law enforcement strategy, including SAPS and other law enforcement agencies, has been adopted, and CCTV cameras have been rolled out in strategic locations to combat crime. 

The DA in Johannesburg said while the government has been busy trying to ensure that the suburbs and routes that delegates will take are cleaned up and repaired, the lack of infrastructure maintenance is so widespread, that cosmetic upgrades for the G20, may hold for the duration of the summit, but the overall strain on both the infrastructure and resources of the city will leave its citizens in a precarious situation.

The party’s chief whip in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), councillor Chris Avant Smith, said: “There needs to be a holistic approach to the City's regeneration and not piecemeal cosmetic upgrades without identifying and repairing the failed infrastructure that has not been maintained properly over the last 30 years under the ANC Government and their partners.”

Smith said Johannesburg is currently in a shocking state of disrepair, and whilst the CoJ is doing cosmetic upgrades for the summit, provincially the roads, bulk infrastructure supply and security measures need to be upgraded and working properly to ensure that these will benefit the citizens of Joburg post the summit.

Herman Mashaba, ActionSA leader, said given the scale of the event and its prestige as the world’s foremost gathering of leaders after the UN General Assembly, it is clear that Nasrec falls far short of the standard required to host such an occasion. Mashaba said anyone familiar with the venue knows it does not reflect the best South Africa has to offer. 

“Hosting the summit at a time of heightened international focus demands excellence, yet the turnaround needed to address crime, upgrade critical infrastructure and beautify the surrounding areas cannot be achieved in a matter of months.

"It requires years of sustained investment to build a Johannesburg that not only meets the demands of such an event but instils pride in its residents, long after the summit is over,’’ Mashaba said. 

Although the IFP and Rise Mzansi maintained that service delivery in Johannesburg should be a daily reality, the two parties believe that South Africa will successfully host the upcoming event. 

Crime in Johannesburg remains a serious concern, with a high crime rate relative to other major global cities. While the latest Gauteng provincial statistics show a general decrease in some serious crimes, specific issues like kidnappings and armed robberies remain elevated, and the city's perceived safety has been low. On the other side, despite its economic strength and being the economic powerhouse of the country, the city faces significant challenges, including high unemployment, persistent inequality and abject poverty.

Crime expert Andy Mashaile said the government is expected to provide high level security to a international event of this nature.

Mashaile said although crime is  a major headache, the preparations are yielding positive results.

“In spite of the challenges that the criminal justice security cluster is facing, I have seen a massive effort to ensure a crime free and safe G20 Summit,” he said. 

Jeffrey Dinham, an economist with Econometrix, said the government’s core responsibility is at the grassroots: delivering basic services like roads, water, electricity, safety, and protecting property rights, adding that these things underpin business activity and attract investment. When these fail, the city slides from development to de-development. 

Dinham said there is little doubt that the city’s decline reflects poorly on the country’s leadership and competence. 

Political analyst Sipho Seepe said there has been deterioration, but with determination, this can be managed and somewhat reversed.

Seepe added that it is unfortunate that cleanup and refurbishment are done more to impress visitors, than the residents and citizens of the country.

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za