Metropolitan municipalities are the only category that governs alone, with no district above them. Eight of them serve 40.1% of the country’s population and account for a large share of all municipal spending.

Metro Population Expenditure Grade Audit outcome
City of Johannesburg 4 803 262 R79.5 billion E Qualified audit
Cape Town 4 772 846 R64.4 billion B Financially unqualified
eThekwini 4 239 901 R61.2 billion C Financially unqualified
City of Ekurhuleni 4 066 691 R57.3 billion E Qualified audit
City of Tshwane 4 040 315 R46.9 billion E Qualified audit
Nelson Mandela Bay 1 190 496 R19.0 billion D Qualified audit
Buffalo City 975 255 R12.1 billion E Qualified audit
Mangaung 811 431 R11.9 billion E Qualified audit

Financial health

The grade combines the Auditor-General’s opinion with operating margin, current ratio, cash cover and irregular spending. On that measure the metros are not close to each other.

Metro Score Operating margin Current ratio Months of cash Irregular
Cape Town 81.1 4.6% 1.70:1 3.6 1.4%
eThekwini 56.5 -4.7% 1.07:1 4.9 7.4%
Nelson Mandela Bay 43.2 -9.0% 1.67:1 2.7 19.6%
City of Johannesburg 38.9 -3.4% 0.65:1 1.5 6.0%
City of Ekurhuleni 38.7 -4.8% 0.69:1 -3.4 0.2%
Buffalo City 38.6 -18.1% 1.16:1 5.2 14.8%
Mangaung 34.8 -10.8% 0.78:1 9.7 11.9%
City of Tshwane 27.8 2.3% 0.34:1 -4.8 11.0%

Household services

Metro Piped water inside Flush toilet Electricity Weekly refuse
City of Johannesburg 77.1% 93.0% 94.1% 90.5%
Cape Town 85.4% 93.4% 96.7% 90.2%
eThekwini 69.8% 80.4% 98.5% 80.7%
City of Ekurhuleni 73.8% 91.2% 93.1% 88.6%
City of Tshwane 71.3% 81.5% 91.8% 81.0%
Nelson Mandela Bay 82.3% 93.5% 96.5% 88.8%
Buffalo City 65.7% 80.7% 94.6% 71.3%
Mangaung 47.3% 71.0% 95.5% 59.1%

You can put any of these side by side, along with any other municipality, in the comparison tool.

Figures on this page come from National Treasury, Statistics South Africa and the Auditor-General, as set out in the sources and methodology. Read the methodology