How better service delivery can turn the tide
Poverty, crime, and crumbling infrastructure plague Gauteng’s townships, but reliable water, electricity, and roads could spark real change.
In the shadow of Sandton’s skyscrapers, townships like Tembisa, Diepsloot, and Alexandra remain trapped in poverty, crime, and broken pipes, but residents and experts say fixing basic services could spark a new dawn for millions.
Three decades after apartheid ended, the struggle continues on the cracked streets of Gauteng’s forgotten corners. From Chilli Lane informal settlement in Sunninghill to the complex infrastructures of Clay Oven informal settlement in the heart of Fourways, families battle joblessness, violence, and darkness when the sun sets.
Yet hope burns quietly. Better water, electricity, and roads could turn these places from survival zones into thriving homes.
Read more: City reveals intention to demolish building housing informal settlement in Alexandra
Townships were built far from the city to keep labourers out of sight. Today, more than half of South Africa’s city dwellers, around 20 million people, call them home, with Gauteng carrying the heaviest load.
In Tembisa, unemployment sits at nearly 60%, pushing young people into street hustles or crime. Fourways’s informal traders fight to keep businesses alive without bank loans or proper stalls.
A 2025 Standard Bank report shows almost 80% of township shops are unregistered, locked out of growth.
Crime hits hardest after dark. In Alexandra, unlit roads and open sewers make every night a risk. Overcrowded shacks leak in winter and burn in summer. Children in Diepsloot walk miles to schools with broken windows and no books.
Service delivery is the broken heart of it all. Tembisa residents queue for hours for public services. Electricity cuts plunge homes into blackouts.
Protests flare, from the 2019 Alexandra shutdown, to angry marches in Diepsloot, costing millions in damage and trust. Municipalities owe billions and battle inside their own offices.
Also read: WATCH: Service delivery protest in Alex
But change is possible. Switch on reliable lights and watch crime drop. A World Bank study says upgrading informal settlements could link them to Johannesburg’s jobs, creating work for thousands.
Some progress shows the way. Parts of Tembisa now have new clinics. Solar panels rise in Diepsloot backyards.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s team claims to have fixed over 22 000 township complaints in recent years. Private companies train youth in Alexandra for green jobs.
Corruption and empty promises still block the path. Residents want action, not speeches. Gauteng’s townships are ready to rise. The question is, will those in power finally deliver?
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