Johannesburg, the economic heart of South Africa, is a city of extremes. Its skyline boasts glittering skyscrapers, yet it is also home to some of the most impoverished communities in the country. But there is a more insidious threat that looms over the city: a ticking time bomb that threatens to destroy everything in its path. It is a menace that many have chosen to ignore, blinded by the city’s wealth and potential. But beneath the glittering surface, Johannesburg is sitting on gold… and a time bomb that threatens to explode at any moment.
The community of Riverlea in Johannesburg is facing a crisis due to illegal gold mining activities carried out by “Zama-zamas,” which have escalated and left the suburb at risk of a devastating explosion. The miners are venturing close to gas lines and taking down power cables, causing serious damage to the infrastructure. Roesdien Hendricks, a 50-year-old activist, warns that the situation has become unmanageable and that the police are not doing enough to stop these fights between rival miners. He adds that the area is sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode. Riverlea’s problems are an example of the lawlessness and infrastructural collapse that is taking place across South Africa’s largest city, reflecting the country’s national malaise.
South Africa’s commercial hub, located in Johannesburg, which was once the core of nearly 140 years of exploitation, now faces a financial crisis in its municipal agencies. Despite being home to the continent’s biggest banks, advanced data centres and commercial activity that drives almost a fifth of South Africa’s gross domestic product, Johannesburg is in urban decay, with severe rolling blackouts, political turmoil and failures in municipal services. The destruction has even crossed the wealthy suburbs located in the north of Johannesburg, which are now facing water shortages and sewage failures.
South Africa’s struggling economy has failed to keep pace with population growth, and the country’s metropolis has become a reflection of this. The deterioration of Johannesburg has spread to Cape Town, South Africa’s second-largest city. As a result, the city has become increasingly attractive to wealthy “semigrants” who can afford to move. While those who stay are increasingly relying on private operators to replace municipal services, there is rising anger over the urban decay in Johannesburg.
According to Gerald Garner, author and city guide, the only way to fix Johannesburg is to fix its heart. Johannesburg’s heart is an important transport conduit as well as a repository of the city’s history from the Victorian gold rush to the rise of democracy. The inner city is used by millions of South Africans who are voters, and thus, rising anger over Johannesburg’s decay will be a significant factor in national elections next year.
Ruwayda, Hendricks’ wife, states that she would like to leave Riverlea and Gauteng for Cape Town, but she must stay to look after her ailing mother, who depends on an oxygen machine that is affected by the city’s collapse. The ANC must win Gauteng, which is the country’s most populous province and includes Johannesburg, to win nationally. The liberation movement is likely to struggle to win nationally without victory in Gauteng, and therefore the need to restore municipal pride and stop urban decay is paramount.
