City of Joburg executive mayor Mpho Phalatse has admitted that SA’s richest metro is “in ruins” as it battles service delivery challenges but stressed that her administration is working hard to transform it into a city of golden opportunities.

Delivering her maiden state of the city address on Thursday, Phalatse said the situation facing the metro’s estimated 6-million residents is “dire” as some areas have no running water and access to electricity, while potholes have become a common feature of the city’s crumbling roads network...