Johannesburg’s time in the global spotlight has come and gone, but domestic issues remain a daily concern for residents.
The narrative in the city evolved from questions around how it could regain its former glory to whether the current administration could maintain the G20 standard it had set itself.
Going into 2026, the focus on fundamental service delivery issues will intensify as parties look to earn the votes of weary residents.
Johannesburg’s Top 5 in 2025
Every story that made headlines throughout the year was deserving of its place in news feeds, but some stood out as markers in a long-running saga playing out in Johannesburg’s streets.
Here are five of the biggest issues that had the people in Johannesburg
Lilian Ngoyi Street
The municipality reopened Bree Street to much fanfare but residents of the CBD were more relieved than proud of the city’s accomplishment.
Lillian Ngoyi Street, formerly Bree Street, took two years and almost R200 million to complete following a gas explosion in 2023.
Many criticised the brick surface and reduced lanes, which were contracted to accommodate greater walkways for pedestrians, as the city looks to reshape mobility in the CBD.
The reopening of Bree Street to traffic brought normality to the city’s traffic flow, but businesses are still recovering as construction continues.
“As outlined in the detailed project scope, Lilian Ngoyi Rehabilitation Project is undertaken in two phases or two work packages.
“The connection of bulk services forms part of the continuation of Phase 2 of the project (not repairs). The completion of phase 2 of the project remains until August 2026,” JRA told The Citizen earlier in December.
Interpersonal violence
Johannesburg saw several high-profile murders in 2025, as well as the continuation of gang violence in Westbury.
Tiffany Meek remains in custody after she was accused of murdering her son Jayden-Lee in May.
The 11-year-old was found at a residential development in Fleurhof, and after initially attempting to cooperate with investigators, Meek was arrested in July and will next be in court on January 26.
Although murdered in December 2024, the pursuit of justice for Chesnay Keppler had played out through the year.
Police officer Mandla Buthelezi is accused of murdering his Gauteng Traffic Warden girlfriend after allegedly seeing her with another man.
Buthelezi was initially given bail but was rearrested after reportedly intimidating a witness. He is currently in custody and will return to court on 19 January.
Insolvency practitioner Bouwer van Niekerk was murdered at his offices in September, with no suspects having yet been arrested.
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Recent crime stats showed Gauteng recorded 44 gang-related murders and attempted murders between April and June alone.
This excludes to the six teenagers shot in Westbury in October. Two would succumb to their injuries, with five suspects having since been arrested.
Water
Loadshedding became in distant memory in 2025 thanks to national interventions, but the water crisis continued to plague residents across the city.
One of Africa’s wealthiest suburbs, Sandton, experienced daily outages for months, while areas served by the Hursthill and Crosby reservoirs played a liquid lottery every time they opened their taps.
Budget shortfalls and project delays were blamed, but protests were frequent, especially in Westbury and its adjacent suburbs.
Securing this basic human need should be top of the city’s agenda in 2026, but the city has been exacerbating the issue due to non-payment.
The Auditor-General stated in August that the municipality was taking an average of 311 days to pay its creditors.
G20 Summit
It seems an eternity since the conclusion of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in late November, as the United States (US) threatens to wipe South Africa’s 2025 G20 contribution from memory.
All the talk before the summit was about the municipality’s efforts to make Johannesburg look neat and presentable.
The South African Metal Workers Union used the summit to strongarm the municipality into a R10 billion three-year salary increase for workers.
Samwu threatened to disrupt the summit if their demands were not met, resulting in the deal being signed days before dignitaries arrived.
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South Africa’s G20 impact through 2026 may be minimal due to the country’s frosty relations with the US, but Mayor Dada Morero believes the standard can be maintained — especially with a municipal election around the corner.
“The G20 showed what Johannesburg can do. Now we want to build on that, for our residents and for our future,” Morero stated.
GodZille incoming
The local government story that will dominate 2026 will be the mayoral campaign of Helen Zille and the challenges made by rival parties.
The DA announced Zille as their Johannesburg mayoral candidate in September, after which she made several appearances on popular radio shows and podcasts.
Zille has already shown a combative style and may need to turn on the charm if she wants to win a Johannesburg that is more politically diverse now than Cape Town was in 2006.
Many expect Herman Masaha to join the race, setting up a fiery battle that will make the Nasiphi Moya / Cilliers Brink feud look timid.
Born in Johannesburg, Zille has so far relied on nostalgia to entice voters into restoring Johannesburg, but has promised efficiency over ideology.
“For every tale of decline and collapse in Johannesburg, there is an equal and opposite force of rebuilding and renewal by dedicated residents.
“All they need is a mayor and municipal government to get behind them and be the catalyst for change,” Zille said.
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