JOHANNESBURG—What does it look like when a city stops trying? Visit Johannesburg, where instead of providing basic public services, the government just warns residents not to expect them.
PREMIUMSigns tell you what crime you’re most likely to fall victim to at highway exits and intersections; beware “Hi-Jacking Hot Spot” or “Smash and Grab Hot Spot.” Homeless people routinely direct traffic when the stoplights don’t work. Minibus taxis that ferry workers around the city often drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid rush hour traffic.
Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest metropolis, markets itself as a “world class African city.” It’s home to some of the continent’s biggest companies and its largest stock exchange. But private firms have gradually taken over public services, from security to healthcare to mail delivery. Insurance companies fix potholes and sponsor fire brigades to reduce claims.
It’s all become a bit embarrassing for the South African government, which is set to host the G20 Summit meeting of heads of state here in November. In March, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa chided Johannesburg officials for what he called “not a pleasing environment” and told them to address a slew of issues ahead of the meeting.
“City of Joburg is as ready as it will ever be for G20 Summit,” said a spokeswoman for Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero.
Morero, the city’s ninth mayor in 10 years, in May launched a task force dubbed the “Bomb Squad” to address service-delivery issues in various neighborhoods.
Some of the team’s achievements, according to Morero’s spokeswoman: The resolution of a 15-day water outage, the restoration of power to 1,000 households within one day of a substation failure, and the rectification of a seven-yearlong water blockage in 24 hours.
Decades of decline have pockmarked the city, including some now-famous failings.
In August, a popular investigative journalism show ran a segment on the “Jozi Jacuzzi” pothole, in the Randburg area of Johannesburg. The six-foot deep pothole had been filling with water for years, even causing low water pressure in nearby houses.
“The producer’s idea was to have a tongue-in-cheek kind of approach to it,” said Macfarlane Moleli, a journalist with the TV show Carte Blanche. “I mean, what can you do? You’ve marched, you’ve protested, you’ve written letters. The only other thing to do is take the piss.”
Moleli donned a wetsuit, swim cap and goggles and went for a swim in the pothole in a watermelon-adorned inner tube.
Another nearby pothole, dubbed Kenny’s Canyon after a local politician, was dug by Johannesburg Water as it searched for a leak. Drainage pipes, fiber cables and piles of sand were left blocking a lane of traffic for more than a year, while the 26-foot deep hole filled with water. In July, South Africa’s biggest opposition party held a birthday party with cake for its one-year anniversary.
Dana Rodrigues, who grew up in Johannesburg, said she’s flabbergasted by the state of affairs every time she comes back for a visit from her new home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where she works as a crewmember on yachts.
“So now we’re listening to beggars at traffic lights,” Rodrigues, 37, observed during a recent trip. “Everyone is so desensitized.”
At a busy intersection in the suburb of Magaliessig that is home to a “Crime Hot Spot” sign, the traffic lights sometimes don’t work for months. Jobless men direct traffic in exchange for tips or food from motorists.
“At least I eat sometimes,” said Cedric Mnisi, 39, who lives in a squatter camp nearby. He came to Johannesburg two years ago to search for work as a driver. “[The city] should employ us. We are always volunteering, and sometimes, we get nothing,” he said, holding out the 17 cents he had earned by lunchtime.
Residents who can afford it often install boreholes and solar power with battery backup, to avoid water and electricity outages caused by failing infrastructure.
In February, a borehole that was being drilled on private property in the Killarney suburb went straight into a tunnel used by the Gautrain, a 50-mile commuter rail system that operates partly above ground and partly underground. The tunnel flooded with water and soil, interrupting service for more than a week.
“Think of it as a scenic surface route, a chance to see Johannesburg for a change!” Gautrain said in a statement after the mishap. “You may discover a new favorite coffee shop. Or a massive pothole. It’s Johannesburg, after all.”
The Gautrain did also say additional buses would be deployed to ferry commuters between the affected stations.
Sometimes, citizens clap back.
In 2013, the provincial government that encompasses Johannesburg implemented an electronic toll system on major highways to recoup costs associated with expanding roads for the 2010 soccer World Cup.
Since then, most of the city’s residents refused to pay, ignoring invoices and threats of legal action.
Alasdair Condie, 66, works in construction and says he has never paid an e-toll. He estimates he owes around $3,000, but stopped getting bills years ago “because the postal system doesn’t work.”
“If they prosecuted me, they would have to prosecute tens of thousands of others and the courts couldn’t handle it,” he said.
Last year, the government shut off the tolls permanently. The South African National Roads Agency reported there was $1.67 billion in unpaid e-toll debt that it has written off.
Write to Alexandra Wexler at alexandra.wexler@wsj.com
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