Unregulated housing embodies the worst intersections of poverty, inequality and environmental degradation. Johannesburg's future demands sustainable urban planning and community participation. Photo: File
“Edwin, listen, all we need is for the city to facilitate the change of ownership of abandoned buildings effectively, then we are going to make it work.” This reflection, made by Johannesburg developer Tim Haynes, shared when I was conducting a tour of the inner city, best describes the approach needed to make the city centre work again.
Johannesburg, the “City of Gold”, is often marketed as a concrete jungle where urban convenience meets natural beauty. Yet, beneath the glitter, lies a harsh reality — unregulated housing is tearing at the city’s social fabric and degrading its natural environment.
This crisis presents the government of national unity (GNU) with a critical opportunity to intervene decisively. Unregulated housing, sprawling across Johannesburg and other cities, threatens human welfare and natural ecosystems. But informed strategies around social housing, proposed by researchers and activists, offer a roadmap for change.
The risks of unregulated housing zones are stark. Recent events, such as the 2023 Lilian Ngoyi Street gas explosion, underline the gravity of neglect in urban spaces. Nickolaus Bauer highlights how such disasters exacerbate existing urban problems — unreliable electricity, failing water systems and mounds of uncollected waste, constitute public health risks and contribute to social decay.
First-hand experience confirms these observations. A recent tour of Johannesburg’s inner city showed how cordoned-off streets and neglected housing projects deepen inequality and frustration. These visible scars are only the tip of the iceberg.
Social consequences
Johannesburg’s Gini coefficient of 0.61 reflects one of the world’s highest levels of income inequality. Studies reveal that poverty, lack of affordable housing and historic political decisions have driven the spread of informal settlements.
Private developers rejuvenate certain areas but often exclude the poor. As a result, vulnerable populations turn to dilapidated structures for shelter. Haynes narrates grim realities: buildings overwhelmed by garbage, toxic living conditions and sewage leaks. Such conditions compromise dignity and well-being.
Adding to the tragedy is the ever-present threat of eviction. Unscrupulous landlords and unpredictable demolitions force many into homelessness, swelling Johannesburg’s homeless population to an estimated 8 000 to 20 000 individuals.
Environmental devastation
“Cities, really the economic drivers of global GDP, are probably responsible for 70% of global economic development worldwide … but they are also responsible for the majority of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission and solid waste production, so the idea being, unless you deal with the health of cities, you can’t realise global health goals.” This observation by Dr Jo Ivey Boufford validates concerns over the inner city of Johannesburg. Unregulated housing doesn’t just harm people, it destroys nature too. Poor sanitation and reliance on gas lead to severe air and water pollution.
On the Lilian Ngoyi explosion, the “destruction of nature” includes the pervasive use of methane gas, a greenhouse gas 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The explosion, which exposed the volatility and dangers associated with methane infrastructure, compels a critical reassessment of the coal-to-gas strategy often marketed as a way to transition to cleaner energy.
While natural gas is frequently presented as a bridge fuel toward a lower-carbon future, incidents like this highlight its hidden risks to immediate human safety and the broader environment. Methane’s high global warming potential, combined with its propensity for leakage during extraction, processing and distribution, means that its environmental footprint can be as severe, if not worse, than coal when lifecycle emissions are fully accounted for.
Moreover, the Lilian Ngoyi explosion challenges the illusion of progress that switching from coal to gas represents. Rather than mitigating environmental destruction, reliance on methane-based energy perpetuates fossil fuel dependence and undermines urgent climate goals. It also brings up environmental justice concerns, as vulnerable communities often bear the brunt of industrial accidents and long-term pollution. In this context, the idea of natural gas as a transitional solution becomes increasingly unsustainable. The explosion is a stark reminder that sustainable energy transitions must move beyond all fossil fuels, prioritising renewable and less hazardous sources instead.
Waste accumulation and sewer blockages mar the city’s landscape, creating breeding grounds for disease and contributing to climate change. Johannesburg’s battle with garbage management is a clear symptom of a deeper governance failure. It’s a miracle that the inner city has not experienced a cholera outbreak.
Towards sustainable solutions
About 658 000 people call Johannesburg’s inner city home, with 50 000 to 60 000 living in decayed, unregulated buildings. Urban planning cannot remain an afterthought.
Comprehensive town-planning frameworks are crucial. Urban planners and policymakers must collaborate to build inclusive, resilient infrastructure.
Integrating green infrastructure within social housing can enhance environmental sustainability and residents’ quality of life. An example is a previously hijacked, but now refurbished, building on 96 End Street in downtown Johannesburg. The building has a roof garden, 18 decent social housing units, with a crèche, two shops and a church.
The Lilian Ngoyi explosion is a tragic wake-up call, an urgent reminder that Johannesburg must transition away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner, safer energy systems. Public debate must be ignited around the dangers of methane accumulation, neglected infrastructure and the costs of delayed urban transformation.
Crucially, solutions must be participatory. Effective urban interventions hinge on community involvement and empowering residents ensures tailored, socially equitable outcomes under the principles of rights to the city.
This is best summarised by the words of Lindiwe Bhembe, an inner-city resident who moved from a hijacked building to a refurbished social housing unit: “It is far better now.It is clean and welcoming setting, far better than my previous spot at Jeppe Street where the accumulation of sludge across buildings and drainage was mentally draining and worsened the environmental risks in the street.”
A call to collective action
Unregulated housing embodies the worst intersections of poverty, inequality and environmental degradation. Johannesburg’s future demands an integrated approach: sustainable urban planning, genuine community participation and political courage.
Coalition governments have too often responded piecemeal, paralysed by competing agendas. The GNU must seize this moment to unify action. The “City of Gold” deserves better than golden fronts masking crumbling foundations.
Edwin Simelane is a social policy and development practitioner. He is pursuing an MPhil in social policy and development at the University of Johannesburg, focusing on social housing.