Johannesburg's Rushed G20 Facelift: Polished Streets, Persistent Crises

When G20 leaders arrive in Johannesburg this month they will encounter a city scrubbed, patched and spruced up — a last‑minute gloss applied over years of decay. The metropolitan area of nearly six million people contains what is often called Africa's richest square mile, yet many neighborhoods have slipped into disrepair with open sewers, potholed streets and corrugated‑iron shacks spreading at the margins.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, alarmed by the visible decline, described the city's condition as "not pleasing" and ordered a widespread clean‑up to avoid embarrassing the country on the world stage. Bulldozers, municipal crews and private contractors moved into high‑visibility areas: junctions were widened, rubbish hauled away and streets tidied near major landmarks such as the Nelson Mandela Bridge.

"It is such a huge shame it had to take other people coming to South Africa for action to be taken," said Abigail Thando, 34, an insurance broker working in Johannesburg's student district. For people who rely on the short‑term work, the activity has been a welcome source of income. "The big win for someone like me is that we finally have some work to do," said Aphiwe, a gardener who planted flowers beside a newly stencilled G20 logo.

But for many residents the makeover is cosmetic. Trash collection and road repairs have been concentrated in high‑profile zones while poorer communities report unchanged, chronic problems. "There is no improvement," said garbage recycler Ricco Tshesane, 43, pointing to months‑long water shortages, relentless power outages and shared outside toilets that continue to blight parts of the city. In some areas taps run dry for weeks, prompting near‑weekly protests that have sometimes turned violent as residents demand basic services.

Housing crisis

Johannesburg's rise began with an 1880s gold rush and the city earned the nickname "City of Gold." But decades of mismanagement, corruption and economic shifts hollowed out its centre. Many large firms relocated to gated suburbs such as Sandton, leaving central blocks to decline. Vacant buildings were often "hijacked," becoming overcrowded shelters for undocumented migrants and targets for criminal syndicates charging informal rents.

In 2023 more than 70 people died when a five‑storey building owned by the municipality and listed as a heritage site was engulfed by fire — a tragedy that underlined longstanding housing and safety failures. "I wish all the money was first channelled to fixing our housing crisis. Then we can worry about putting cute signs for the presidents coming," said 21‑year‑old nursing student Liz Makana.

Benchmark — and backlash

Faced with rising public anger, government officials have acknowledged shortcomings and defended the clean‑up as a potential catalyst for broader reform. Returning from a trip to Asia, President Ramaphosa told parliament:

"In making sure that we welcome our visitors and as they leave, we must then insist that what we have done and seen done must continue."

Yet critics say the effort is too little, too late. "Change must be a regular thing. They must take care of the city every day," said Tshesane. Others echoed the sentiment: "How can you sweep your house only when you have visitors?" asked Gracious, an Uber driver in her 50s.

As the summit approaches, the visible improvements have highlighted a wider question for Johannesburg — whether civic investment will be sustained beyond the summit's photo opportunities, and whether longstanding problems of water access, electricity reliability, housing safety and unemployment (near 32 percent) will finally be addressed.