City with the unhappiest residents in South Africa

A new report shows that the City of Johannesburg is the most ‘hated’ major metro in the country. Power cuts, crumbling infrastructure, and a lack of municipal response are the reasons why.

This is according to the latest Pulse of the People: Public Sentiment Report on South Africa’s Leading Metros, compiled by DataEQ. 

This report captures public sentiment toward four of South Africa’s largest metros: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, and eThekwini. 

DataEQ processed and labelled online conversations of nearly 300,000 online public mentions to identify the true drivers of public trust, frustration, and perception across these cities.

Interestingly, the City of Tshwane recorded the best overall Net Sentiment. Residents praised the delivery of clean water to Hammanskraal, mayor-led clean-up campaigns, and proactive bylaw enforcement.

Sentiment toward eThekwini was split. The city drew praise for beachfront redevelopment and festive safety initiatives, but ongoing water crises and governance concerns significantly eroded public confidence.

Equally interesting is that despite receiving reputational praise for being named the World’s Best City by other publications and surveys, local sentiment around Cape Town is still mixed.

Cape Town residents expressed frustration over water-related issues, allegations of corruption, and poor transparency.

However, many also praised the city’s housing, transport, and general service delivery performance.

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) received the highest volume of negative conversation, with residents voicing frustration over prolonged power outages, infrastructure failures, and a lack of municipal response.

Despite overall less negative commentary on electricity in the major metros due to reduced load shedding, citizens were still negative about power cuts in Joburg, with a Net Sentiment of -97%.

The CoJ also earned the lowest Net Sentiment of -81% as residents criticised the city for inconsistent waste collection and deteriorating public space hygiene.

Over one-third of all safety-related complaints were linked to the CoJ. Citizens referenced illegal activity, crime, and called for stronger enforcement and accountability.

The report also highlighted that many of the city’s official social media posts attracted criticism tied to ongoing dissatisfaction with power cuts, water shortages, safety concerns, and urban decay. 

Public responses emphasised that event-driven improvements, such as those anticipated for the G20, should not replace consistent, long-term service delivery. 

The City of Johannesbug is the poster child of decay 

Residents’ frustration in major metros is not going unnoticed, with the Auditor-General, business leaders, and the executive mayor acknowledging the crisis facing the CoJ.

During his State of the City Address (SOCA) in May, Mayor Dada Morero spoke at length about the city’s state of rot, which he called a crisis.

“We need extreme actions to resolve our challenges,” he said.

The city’s road network is deteriorating rapidly, and it will take an estimated R16 billion to bring it back to acceptable condition. 

Widespread vandalism and theft further compound the situation, with criminal syndicates regularly stripping copper wiring, solar panels, and batteries from traffic lights, leaving many intersections dark and dangerous.

The city’s energy grid is also buckling under the strain. City Power, Johannesburg’s municipal electricity provider, is overwhelmed by ageing infrastructure, rampant theft, and chronic underinvestment. 

The city now faces a R170 billion backlog in electricity infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. Water systems are in similarly dire straits. 

According to Morero, Johannesburg needs around R200 billion to fix its infrastructure and make real progress. However, this isn’t just a local problem; it reflects a failure of national governance.

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s latest report slammed the widespread dysfunction in South Africa’s metros, revealing that only one out of eight achieved a clean audit in 2023/24. 

This is particularly troubling, she said, because metros account for half of local government spending and serve nearly half of the country’s households. 

“They should have no difficulty attracting the skills they need,” she said, given their economic importance.

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso echoed this concern and said a shortage of skilled professionals in local government is driving the financial chaos. 

“There simply aren’t enough qualified people working in local government to ensure the accounts are done properly, despite the billions at stake,” she said. 

Mavuso warned that poor municipal management has become one of the most significant obstacles to economic growth, as businesses struggle to operate amid collapsing service delivery.