JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As the Johannesburg 2026 municipal polls approach, the city’s highly contested mayoral race is demanding more than empty promises from candidates. Voters are increasingly insisting on credible, practical plans to tackle entrenched crime, unemployment, corruption, and deteriorating infrastructure in South Africa’s primary economic hub. For many residents, the upcoming election has become a fundamental question of who can actually govern and deliver results.
The urgency of these issues is starkly visible at the Johannesburg Central Police Station. Recognized as one of the busiest in the country, the station continues to record alarming figures in serious crimes, including rape and murder, with only a marginal decrease reported between recent periods. This reality underscores the daily frustrations of an electorate grappling with failing infrastructure, water shortages, unreliable municipal services, damaged roads, and mounting economic pressure.
Local business owners feel this urban decay acutely. The Chhiba brothers, whose family business has operated in the Johannesburg CBD for 112 years, know the toll of the city’s challenges firsthand. Inheriting a pioneering tailoring business from their father in 1936, the family has since shifted its focus to importing exclusive clothing. A stained historical certificate displayed in their shop serves as a poignant reminder of their enduring legacy.
The brothers also carry raw childhood memories of apartheid-era hardships, including forced removals. Recalling how the once-open fields of their youth were replaced by skyscrapers, they noted the painful reality of being uprooted from their homes due to historical racial zoning laws. Today, however, their struggle has evolved. The CBD has deteriorated, and crime has become a primary burden for both businesses and customers.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, the family shared that an associate working with them was robbed 22 times at the shop. In one brazen incident on a public holiday, perpetrators dug through the road to enter the premises and completely emptied the shop in broad daylight. A loyal customer, who has patronized the business since the 1980s, echoed these sentiments, stating that rampant crime has chased people away from the CBD and labeling the area as deeply dangerous.
This current climate is a far cry from the vibrant Johannesburg remembered by local figures like the Chhiba family. To illustrate the area’s former prestige and community cohesion, the family shared an old photograph showing former President Nelson Mandela and current President Cyril Ramaphosa frequently visiting Captain’s Cafe, a popular Indian cuisine destination located just across from their shop.
Consequently, mayoral candidates will face difficult, direct questions from the electorate. Voters want to know how contenders plan to make Johannesburg safer, fight corruption, and hold municipal officials accountable. Furthermore, candidates must present viable strategies to address high youth unemployment, restore basic services and infrastructure, and bring lasting stability to a city that has suffered from political volatility and shifting coalitions.
For Chimanlal Chhiba and his family, whose enterprise has survived against all odds, the message to prospective leaders is straightforward.
“We want the revival of Johannesburg,” Chimanlal Chhiba stated. He emphasized that if investors return and office spaces become occupied, job creation will naturally follow, reaffirming his belief that Johannesburg remains the undeniable economic hub of South Africa.
