Johannesburg Seeks South African Government Aid as Woes Deepen

South Africa’s richest city is in talks with the National Treasury to address mounting financial troubles ahead of local government elections expected to be the most closely contested in Johannesburg’s history.

The fact that officials “can’t provide any basic services at the moment, whether it’s water or anything else, must be a red flag,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday. He added that the city’s administration has approached his team to explore possible remedies and that discussions are ongoing.