MUNICIPAL DYSFUNCTION: Joburg’s council housing system crumbles into chaos

Johannesburg’s council-owned rental housing portfolio is collapsing under the weight of arrears, vacancies and hijacked buildings, while thousands of residents remain on the yearslong waiting list.

In a striking sign of municipal decay, 15 of the City of Johannesburg’s residential properties – part of its official public housing footprint – have been lost to illegal occupiers and hijacked by criminal syndicates, while payment across the remaining legal stock has collapsed.

The municipality is now losing more in arrears than it earns in revenue. Out of a portfolio of more than 21,000 units, at least 11,000 have vanished into a financial dead zone, leaving thousands of desperate residents stuck on endless municipal housing wait-lists while taxpayers foot the bill for a system in which crime pays and the City acts as a slumlord for its own assets.

The City has now admitted that its housing stock is financially unsustainable, with thousands of units lying idle.

This standoff fuels a vicious cycle: the municipality neglects maintenance because residents don’t pay, and residents withhold payment because the buildings are decaying. The result is a total collapse of living conditions, characterised by pooled sewage in courtyards, months of uncollected garbage and decaying utility systems.

Occupants, most of whom live in appalling conditions, admit they haven’t paid rent for years. None would reveal their names, citing danger from gang members who have hijacked and occupy some of the flats.

They say conditions include a complete lack of maintenance, no regular refuse removal and zero security. On the other side, the council insists it will not carry out repairs because of non-payment, locking both sides in a battle while the housing stock rots.

A resident of a council building in South Hills, who requested anonymity, said the building had not been maintained for years.

“We admit we don’t pay rent, but we help the city by doing our own repairs, including fixing lights inside and outside the building, fixing our own geysers and stoves and painting.

“We do get free water and electricity, but the refuse removal is scarce, so we live with rats and cockroaches. There is no security and lights outside often don’t work, so we live in constant danger.”

Another South Hills resident said gangs had taken over some blocks in her council housing complex.

“People are getting killed here by gang members who want to take over the already-occupied flats. It is very dangerous, and there is no security to stop it. I know I haven’t paid rent for years, but I pay for my own maintenance,” she said.

The City’s Department of Human Settlements directly manages 21,909 potential units/beds, but only 10,584 are billable.

City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane confirmed this: “The billable stock as per the 2025/26 Business Plan is defined as 10,584 units.”