Johannesburg and Medellín: what South Africa can learn from Colombia about fixing a broken city
Election
Originally published by The Conversation – Articles (AFRICA) — Read the original article →
The city of Johannesburg – South Africa’s largest – is increasingly unable to perform even its most basic functions, such as providing clean water and electricity and maintaining its roads and the safety of its citizens. It has the symptoms of a broken city: deteriorating financial controls, a swelling wage bill, unstable coalitions and rapid mayoral turnover.
Describing these problems, however, does not amount to a diagnosis. And no project of renewal can begin without a diagnosis.
My research over the last three decades has focused on the challenges of government in post-apartheid South Africa. I also spent years working on local government, both as an activist opposed to apartheid and as part of the team that developed the White Paper on local government in 1998.
