Joburg in Decay: Investigator Says ‘There’s No Crime You Can’t Find’ in Joburg CBD

Crime in Johannesburg CBD Reaches Crisis Levels as Locals and Experts Describe a City Gripped by Lawlessness

Joburg in Decay: Johannesburg’s Central Business District (CBD) — once the proud economic heart of the city — now grapples with spiralling crime and visible urban decay. In recent years the Joburg inner city has become infamous as one of Gauteng’s worst crime hotspots. Forensic investigator Calvin Rafadi bluntly warns that the CBD is “one of the notorious, stubborn, hotspot areas when it comes to crime,” “harbouring… illegal immigrants and even those who are wanted” – meaning “there is no crime that you cannot find” within downtown Johannesburg.

A recent IOL investigation confirms Rafadi’s assessment: offenders easily dodge police amid dilapidated, hijacked buildings, and myriad crimes (from muggings and counterfeit goods to online fraud) flourish in the maze of alleys and hostels. This report digs beneath such headlines – weaving statistics, history and on-the-ground voices – to analyse how Joburg’s CBD fell into decay, how it compares with Cape Town and Durban, and what is being done to reverse the slide.

Historical Decline of Johannesburg’s CBD

Johannesburg rose as a mining boomtown in the late 1800s, but from apartheid days, the CBD’s fate was always complex. As the city’s wealth gravitated northwards, the inner city began losing businesses, residents and investment. An eNCA report notes that “for the last three decades, a noticeable decline in businesses, residents and wealth has been apparent” in central Johannesburg.

Academic researchers describe “tumultuous changes” since the end of apartheid: central-city buildings decayed, infrastructure collapsed, and public safety deteriorated as governance faltered. Large property owners and investors left, leaving behind empty skyscrapers and informal settlements. By the 2000s, iconic landmarks like Hillbrow’s Ponte Tower (a 1970s luxury high-rise) were “hijacked” by gangs and illegal occupants; guides remember it as “just hell on earth,” filled with trash, guns and even corpses. Over time, this erosion of the CBD’s fabric set the stage for today’s chronic insecurity.

Causes of Urban Decay: Social, Economic, Political and Infrastructure Factors

Multiple intertwined factors underlie Joburg’s urban decay. Under economic hardship, Gauteng suffers sky-high unemployment and stark inequality. One analysis notes “skyrocketing unemployment, stark inequality, and a severe housing crisis” biting Johannesburg. High youth joblessness and poverty drive more people into the city centre seeking opportunity, straining services and breeding desperation.

Meanwhile, infrastructure failures are rampant: decades of deferred maintenance have left roads crumbling, water and power networks failing, and streetlights dark. The city itself admits an estimated R200 billion backlog in fixing infrastructure. Roving blackouts and leaky pipes are common, making public spaces unsafe after dark.

• Economic hardship and housing pressure: A growing housing shortage (exacerbated by apartheid-era restrictions ending and massive migration) has pushed desperate residents into deteriorating buildings. Central Johannesburg’s population “exploded” after apartheid, but authorities couldn’t provide enough new housing. Many informal or illegal occupants now crowd “hijacked” flats and hostels, creating tenement slums within the CBD.
• Infrastructure decay: Poor roads, vandalised streetlights and burst water mains have become the norm. Public services lag (47% of inner-city projects are halted due to lack of funds). As Johannesburg’s MMC for Public Safety notes, theft of copper wires has left traffic lights dark, compounding hazards. The city’s budget for 2025/26 explicitly allocates R6.4 billion to repair ageing infrastructure (about 7% of assets) to “restore a vital artery” of the inner city.
• Governance and policy constraints: Chronic municipal issues (corruption, mismanagement) have weakened oversight. In particular, South Africa’s anti-eviction laws (the 1998 PIE Act) intended to protect vulnerable tenants, have inadvertently trapped hijackers in place. Property advocates point out that evicting illegal occupants requires first housing them – an impossible task when there’s no spare shelter. This legal limbo means long-vacant or unsafe buildings remain filled with criminals or destitute families by default, perpetuating decay.
• Social challenges: Inequality and social fragmentation are severe. Over fifty informal settlements in Joburg lack basic services like water and sanitation. Drug and gang networks thrive in the shadows. Former ANC insider Lebo Modukanene warns of “systemic failure” across the city – from water line theft in peripheral areas to flooded, unserviced slums – that creates a climate where crime flourishes. The breakdown of everyday order (broken streetlights, accumulating waste, illicit trade) erodes community safety and invites more serious crime.

These conditions make the Johannesburg CBD especially vulnerable. As one analyst concludes, decades of theft, mismanagement and policy failures have left the city “simply can no longer hold together its people and the built environment”.

Crime in the Inner City: Trends and Hotspots

Crime in Johannesburg’s CBD has soared across nearly every category. Pickpockets, armed robbers, drug syndicates, counterfeiters and gangsters all make the inner city their hunting ground. Statistically, Gauteng remains South Africa’s crime epicentre. Official figures for late 2024 show over 1,400 murders in Gauteng (one quarter of the national total), even as the raw numbers dipped slightly (–10.8% from the previous year. The Democratic Alliance noted that “criminals are running rampant with little fear of being caught in the act.” Most of these murders (765) happened in public places, highlighting bold street crime. Rapes in Gauteng are also disproportionately high (nearly 20% of the country’s total). In short, violent crime remains widespread.

Within the CBD, certain areas and building networks have become crime hotspots. Rafadi and other observers describe clusters of hijacked skyscrapers and factories where gangs manufacture illegal cigarettes, fake documents, and even drugs. Streets like Smal Street (known for counterfeit goods) and dark corners of Hillbrow and Braamfontein are notorious for muggings and robberies. Dr. Rafadi warns that criminals can “move from one building to another” to evade police, effectively using abandoned high-rises as a lairi. People on the ground note that migrant rings traffic in stolen goods and operate unlicensed lotteries and gambling dens, all under the radar.

At the same time, policing is struggling to keep pace. The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) acknowledges residents’ fear and says it is deploying high-visibility patrols and targeted intelligence-led operations. Spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla reports foot, bike and marked-vehicle patrols in known hot zones, and the use of data analysis to identify crime trends. Yet criminals adapt quickly. One recent operation (“Shanela” in early 2024) netted dozens of arrests, including 54 undocumented migrants, but such raids are piecemeal. As one security official put it, “until the basics of policing” (like adequate manpower and coordination) are fixed, the province will remain a hub of crime.

Voices from the Ground: Experts, Authorities and Residents

The human toll and perceptions of Joburg’s inner-city crisis emerge in stark terms when experts and locals speak out:

• Criminologist/Investigator: Calvin Rafadi (forensic investigator and UJ research associate) has studied the CBD for years. He says bluntly: “There is no crime that you cannot find within the Joburg CBD.” He notes that even foreign fugitives hide there, and that counterfeit goods, illicit substances and guns are manufactured in its abandoned buildings. His view: the network of criminals is dense and self-protecting, relaying warnings (“please call”) when police raid one site.
• Law Enforcement: JMPD’s Xolani Fihla emphasises action: “The safety and security of all who live, work, and visit the CBD are a top priority.” He cites the city’s multi-pronged strategy – more patrol officers in high-risk areas, intelligence-driven raids, and enforcement of bylaws (against loitering and illegal trading) – to push back crime. In practice, JMPD has started “crime sweeps” and engaged with precinct watches, but admits results are incremental.
• Urban Planner: ActionSA’s Lebo Modukanene (former MMC) draws a direct line from neglect to crime. He points out that dozens of settlements lack sanitation and lighting, giving criminals cover “in the darkness”. He bemoans frozen development projects and decaying infrastructure, calling the situation “systemic failure.” Likewise, property experts say Johannesburg’s refusal to tackle hijacked buildings undermines all renewal: as Angela Rivers of the property owners’ association laments, the city “refuses to act” on buildings even when identified, citing the limitations of eviction laws.
• Residents and Advocates: On-the-ground accounts add texture. Dlala Nje guides in Hillbrow recount how Ponte Tower’s hollow core was once a crime lair: “There were some dead bodies here, illegal firearms, drugs…hell on earth,” said one. But they also highlight the turnaround: post-2010, Ponte Tower was cleaned up and is now 75% occupied again. Street vendors and unions note that life goes on – informal traders still make a living amid the chaos. Local NGOs cite the psychological impact: many residents “vow never to return” to the inner city after a single mugging, feeding a narrative that Joburg CBD is beyond redemption.

Collectively, these voices paint a picture of fear, frustration, but also pragmatic determination. Policymakers and community leaders alike stress that without basic services (water, lighting) and joint action, residents feel forced into private security measures. The sense on the street is clear: “We want our city back,” as one resident’s plea might echo.

Comparative Lessons: Cape Town and Durban

Johannesburg’s struggle is not unique among South African cities, but contrasts are stark. Research shows Cape Town’s city centre “defies the economic struggles many other South African CBDs face,” in large part due to deliberate renewal efforts. In the late 20th century, Cape Town’s inner city looked similar to Joburg’s: crime and grime pushed businesses out. But in the early 2000s, Cape Town formed the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) – a public-private partnership that injected security, cleaning and events into the downtown. As tourism and tech boomed, billions of rand flowed into building renovations and office towers. Business tourism surged and companies (even tech giants) relocated from Joburg to Cape Town’s revitalized CBD. Experts attribute this to “attracting diverse businesses to rejuvenate CBDs” and “revitalising historical buildings”. In short, Cape Town’s model of cooperation among government, businesses and property owners turned its core into a magnet again.

Durban, like Joburg, has seen decay in parts of its city centre. A local photojournalist describes Durban’s inner city as a “complicated story—one of decline, resilience, and adaptation.” Cracked pavements, broken streetlights and abandoned shops give the impression the city “is falling apart”. Though violent crime figures are lower than Gauteng’s, Durban struggles with grime and opportunistic crime in its urban core. Still, community artists and vendors work to reclaim spaces. In short, Durban’s issues mirror Joburg’s on a smaller scale: infrastructure neglect and some business flight, but less full-blown lawlessness.

This comparison suggests: coordinated CBD regeneration can work. Cape Town’s trajectory shows that continuity and partnership can preserve a city core; Johannesburg’s situation has been characterised more by decline, punctuated by partial recovery efforts. The lesson is that rebuilding the city centre (and curbing crime) requires vision and investment. As Cape Town strategist Tim Harris notes, “CBDs must focus on attracting large corporates back, revitalising historical buildings, and rebuilding tourism to restore their competitive advantage.” These insights from elsewhere set benchmarks for Joburg’s future.

Regeneration Efforts and Crime-Reduction Strategies

In recent months, Johannesburg officials have begun to respond to this crisis with new initiatives:

• Inner City Revitalisation Plan: In April 2025 the City launched a comprehensive turnaround plan for derelict buildings. The idea is to rehabilitate “uninhabitable” properties (like the notorious MOTH Building, Vannin Building, etc.) and lease them to responsible tenants or sell them to private developers. Economic Development MMC Nomoya Mnisi emphasises that property owners are “key partners in reclaiming, revitalising, and reimagining” the city. The strategy (approved March 2025) will prioritise court-evacuated buildings by repairing electrical, plumbing and structural faults, with temporary housing for displaced residents. By turning empty shells into habitable spaces, the city hopes to repopulate the CBD and cut off havens for crime.
• Infrastructure and Public Safety Investment: The new 2025/26 budget allocates R6.4 billion for infrastructure repairs (roads, water, power). Critical projects like Lilian Ngoyi Street (formerly Bree Street) are set for full rehabilitation by August 2025. According to Finance MMC Margaret Arnolds, these works are “a bold investment in urban renewal, economic revitalisation and public safety”. The city has also created a cross-agency “war room” to monitor service failures (streetlights, leaks, refuse) in real time and dispatch crews rapidly to high-priority zones. The aim is to fix the basic quality-of-life issues that make streets safer and more attractive for businesses.
• Enhanced Policing: The JMPD has publicly committed to more foot and bike patrols in hot zones, especially during peak hours. Crime intelligence units target syndicates through sting operations, and SAPS (national police) periodically sweeps the CBD as in Operation Shanela. There is talk of deploying crime wardens (as Gauteng’s “Amapanyaza” program) specifically to Joburg’s CBD to supplement police visibility. Neighbourhood watches and private security firms have also become more active, with some coordination meetings between residents and law enforcement. All these efforts aim at deterrence.
• Community and Culture Initiatives: NGOs like Dlala Nje (“just play”) and local business forums run street-improvement drives and arts projects to reclaim public spaces. For example, after dusk, events and vendor cooperatives have been used in places like Ellis Park (Gallo Manor) to show presence and reduce crime. These softer regeneration efforts, while limited, seek to change perceptions and instil civic pride.

While these steps are constructive, major challenges remain. Experts warn that without sustained funding and strict governance, the impact may be patchy. As Criminologist Irvin Kinnes (not cited above) has noted generally, breakthroughs require “coordinated attention” to the root problems. The city’s ambitious goals for CBD regeneration must overcome political pushback and economic constraints; for now, many derelict buildings still stand empty.

Turning the Tide in Joburg’s Inner City

Johannesburg’s CBD decay did not happen overnight, nor will it be fixed quickly. Yet signs of change give cautious hope. The recent unveiling of multi-billion rand budgets for renewal, combined with targeted police action and some community activism, suggests authorities finally recognise the crisis’s scale. As one industry expert observes, “With the right strategies, South African cities can emerge as dynamic, vibrant, and competitive global players.” Cape Town’s renaissance and even Ponte Tower’s revival prove inner-city recovery is possible. But it will require relentless effort – from rebuilding trust in law enforcement, to collaborating across politics, to sustained investment in infrastructure.

Crime and decay will likely remain newsworthy in the near term. Yet every repaired streetlight, every reopened building, chips away at the notion that Joburg’s CBD is beyond salvage. The coming years will test whether Johannesburg CBD crime can be turned around by a determined mix of enforcement and regeneration. Until then, the story of the Joburg inner city is one of resilience amid adversity – a gritty backdrop for those still working to reclaim and rebuild this vital urban heart.

Also read: 1 Million Kg of Trash Cleared in Johannesburg CBD, but Residents Say It Made No Difference