Nita Ntuli poses for a picture near the abandoned building on Natal Street in Yeoville,Johannesburg.
Our City News/Alaister Russell
Yeoville faces severe urban decay,with hijacked buildings,illegal activities,and crumbling infrastructure symbolising its dire state. Community efforts and recent improvements bring hope,as residents organise street clean-ups and the City conducts restoration blitzes. Challenges persist,including unemployment,lawlessness,and inadequate government enforcement,trapping Yeoville in a cycle of decline.Yeoville,once one of Joburg’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan suburbs,has become a stark symbol of the city’s urban decay,a microcosm of the collapse gripping many inner-city suburbs in Region F.
Today,hijacked buildings,illegal taverns and guesthouses,and piles of uncollected rubbish dominate the landscape,while lawlessness festers in the shadows. Yet,amid the squalor and neglect,a handful of determined residents are still fighting to reclaim their suburb from the brink of collapse.
“This suburb is unique,and we have very specific problems here. Some 70% of this area’s residents are foreign nationals. It cannot be business as usual for the City of Joburg – officials have to adapt to that,” says Nomsa Mbatha of the Yeoville Bellevue Civic Movement (YBCM).
Despite the lawlessness,community networks have sprung up. Mbatha says residents in some pockets of the suburb are taking ownership through WhatsApp groups and street-level clean-ups.
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“At the end of the day,we cannot rely on the government to do the work. There are some neat and clean streets here because people decided to act. We are grateful for what the City has been doing the past few weeks,but the people must lead too.”
Municipal workers clear drains during clean-up operations in Yeoville,Johannesburg.
Our City News/Alaister Russell
For residents,it was almost too good to be true.
“I have never seen workers on the streets before,” said Unathi Mbulekwa,another YBCM leader. “We are very happy they finally listened to us. I just hope it lasts and that this is not just a once-off for the G20 summit.”
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The operation was part of the City’s “Bomb Squad” blitz,a rapid-response task force sent to clean up parts of Joburg ahead of the G20. “We gave the City a list of all the bad spots,and we communicate with them once a week on progress,” Mbulekwa said.
Mbulekwa added:
But people must start understanding there are consequences to bylaw infringements,you can’t just build a shebeen on the pavement and expect no enforcement.
For most of Yeoville,Bellevue,and neighbouring Highlands,the clean-up was a rare glimmer of hope in a suburb sliding into near-total collapse.
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“People just do what they want,” Mbulekwa said. “They build dangerous extensions that could collapse with just a slight tremor. There is no building control or bylaw enforcement. The City has failed for years to control it.”
Mbatha said:
The owners moved out when crime and grime set in,and squatters moved in.
“They’ve stripped the properties bare,and those who couldn’t move in have settled on the hill below.”
Even Yeoville’s heritage hasn’t escaped decay. Westminster Mansions,opposite the iconic 1937 Yeoville water tower,once housed artists and writers and even featured in Kings of Joburg and The Wife. But a fire in August 2023 gutted its third floor. Only the lower floors remain occupied,with the upper levels now sealed off. Next door lies an abandoned shell of a half-built building.
A security guard patrols the remains of the Westminster Mansions building in Yeoville,Johannesburg.
Our City News/Alaister Russell
A few blocks away,a water leak at Grafton and Derby streets has been running for three years. It has become the local car and taxi wash.
“We make money washing cars here – the water is free,” said one worker,who declined to be named,as he filled buckets from the gushing leak.
Vandalised,gutted,and burned-out buildings can be found on nearly every street.
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At 64 Natal Street,once an upmarket four-storey block,a blaze three years ago left only a hollow shell. Windows,doors and even bricks from balcony walls have been stolen,yet dozens of families now live inside,some with small children,without water,electricity or shelter from the elements.
“Criminals come here to hide after they commit crimes,” said self-appointed building leader Vuyo Jijingubo.
Vuyo Jijingubo poses for a portrait inside the abandoned building on Natal Street where he lives in Yeoville,Johannesburg.
Our City News/Alaister Russell
“We chase them away,but it’s hard. Most people here are substance abusers. I hustle to survive every day.”
Outside,resident Nita Ntuli tries to help those living in squalor in the building: “I take food as often as I can. There are small children there. Sometimes I can’t afford to,so I give them love instead.”
In 2023,the Observatory power station burnt down,plunging Yeoville into recurring blackouts. During one outage,a woman died after her oxygen supply failed,triggering protests.
The Hillbrow tower photographed from Yeoville,Johannesburg.
Our City News/Alaister Russell
“The electricity problems broke people,” Mbatha recalled. “That was when the anger really boiled over.”
Ward councillor David Modupi says unemployment underpins much of the decay. “This is the main concern of most Yeoville residents,not bylaws or infringements. Unemployment leads to people not being able to pay for services and results in illegal connections,” he said.
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“Abandoned buildings get occupied,rubbish piles up,and the City’s budget simply can’t stretch far enough. It’s a vicious cycle.”
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The blitz targeted unblocking stormwater drains,fixing potholes,cleaning streets,repairing streetlights,resurfacing roads,and cutting illegal power connections. Ten streetlights on Cavendish Street were restored,improving safety.
Teams also inspected the Yeoville Clinic,Yeoville Market,and the derelict old SAPS building on Kenmere and Becker streets,now invaded and in a dangerous condition.
Modingoane said:
It will be escalated to the minister of public works with a recommendation for demolition.
“We’ll also write to the minister of home affairs regarding the high number of undocumented immigrants.”
This story is produced by Our City News,a non-profit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg.
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