Johannesburg is grappling with multiple crises, from failing infrastructure, crumbling services and eroding trust in governance. While the problems are immense, the residents of Johannesburg are not without hope or action.

A direct response to the growing concerns of Johannesburg residents, the Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) was born.JCA is “an emerging alliance that is gradually building a civic movement that aims to arrest the decline and create a safe and prosperous Joburg for all.”

“The Joburg Crisis Alliance emerged out of a deep frustration,” says Yunus Chamda,coordinator of JCA. “By the middle of 2023, we had our eighth mayor in nine years. That kind of instability is devastating for a city as it undermines confidence, disrupts delivery, and leaves residents disillusioned.”

While the problems within Johannesburg had been simmering for awhile, 2023 seemed like a turning point for the worst: water issues to water crisis, service disruptions to non-delivery, the explosion on Lilian Ngoyi (Bree) Street, and a tragic fire outbreak in a hijacked building resulting in the deaths of 77 people.

Chamda, a former teacher turned local government veteran, has spent decades navigating the intersection between policy, politics and people. After twenty years in government and later work in the civil society sector, he helped establish the JCA alongside organisations including the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Defend Our Democracy, Action for Accountability, OUTA, and the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership.

“The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation initially convened a public meeting to ask residents one simple question: how are you experiencing the city?” he explains. “The response was overwhelming services were deteriorating, and in some cases, non-existent. That meeting became the foundation for what is now the Joburg Crisis Alliance.”

Since that first “summit” in July 2023, the JCA has held seven more, each acting as a civic forum for residents to voice their experiences and shape campaigns around key issues, from ethical leadership to civic activism and reimagining Joburg.

While basic needs are the core of JCA’s mission of “holding power to account” Chamda adds, “A city is more than just its services, public spaces are vital to a thriving city.” Among the JCA’s most visible victories in terms of public spaces and infrastructure is its role in reopening the Johannesburg City Library,. “From our very first summit, residents raised the closure of the library,” Chamda recalls. “We began working with the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation, who were already engaging the city. When those talks stalled, we stepped in to organise a protest in May 2024, that public pressure made a real difference.”

The movement’s creative touch, inviting Johannesburg authors to donate signed books for the library’s reopening, helped capture the public imagination. “We told writers: donate a book, write your petition inside, and we’ll deliver it when the doors reopen,” says Chamda. “It became a symbol of what the city means to its residents, that the city belongs to those who live in it.”

The optimism of the library campaign contrasts sharply with Johannesburg’s most urgent crisis: water. “Water is life, and sanitation is dignity,” is enshrined in South Africa’s constitution. Yet for Johannesburg, a large city, these services are becoming more problematic.

The JCA collaborates closely with WaterCAN, which monitors Johannesburg’s water systems through citizen participation. “We rely on partners who know the technical details, where the pipes leak, how the pump stations work, and where the real blockages are,” he explains. “If WaterCAN knows what’s wrong, there’s no excuse for the city not to.”

Chamda blames years of neglect and underinvestment for the escalating shortages. “Johannesburg Water hasn’t been receiving its full budget allocations. Even what’s allocated is inadequate, but the city’s failure to release those funds makes things worse. You can’t fix decades of infrastructure decay overnight.”

The JCA now participates in the Presidential Working Group on Johannesburg, where Chamda serves on the water and sanitation subcommittee. “We’re there to ask hard questions,” he says. “But when transparency ends, we exercise our right to protest.”

The organisation is planning a major demonstration on 1 November at the Johannesburg Metro Centre, demanding that the mayor address residents directly. “We’ve already sent the city our list of demands,” Chamda says. “We’re not handing over another memorandum to be ignored. We expect answers on the day.”

For Chamda, the JCA’s purpose is bigger than protest; it’s about reviving civic participation. “Social media has created a generation of keyboard warriors, but real change happens on the ground,” he insists. “We want active citizens forming neighbourhood groups, hosting clean-ups, organising Civic Saturdays. It’s about reclaiming our city together.”

Looking ahead, the JCA is focused on growth and sustainability. “We’ve secured funding until 2027, which gives us time to consolidate,” says Chamda. “If residents want the Joburg Crisis Alliance to evolve into a Joburg Civic Alliance, something more permanent, then that’s their decision. This is their city.”

Chamda ends by saying, “Johannesburg has been through a lot. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it’s people who haven’t given up. Civil society is awake, and that’s where real accountability begins.”