Analysis
What the municipal figures show, written up from the audited numbers behind every profile on this site. Rankings, explainers and the questions readers ask most.
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Most South African municipalities are spending more than they earn
Of South Africa's 257 municipalities, 206 reported an operating deficit in their most recent audited year. Here is who, and by how much.
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Irregular spending across South African municipalities reached R73.9 billion
Unauthorised, irregular and fruitless spending totalled R73.9 billion across the 257 municipalities. In one case it exceeded the municipality's entire annual budget.
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The municipalities running out of cash
77 municipalities held less than one month of operating cash at their last year end, and several finished the year with a negative bank balance.
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Which South African municipalities got a clean audit
39 of 257 municipalities received a clean audit in their most recent audited year. 8 received a disclaimer, meaning the Auditor-General could not form an opinion at all.
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South Africa’s eight metros compared on money and services
Johannesburg, Cape Town, eThekwini, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Mangaung govern most of urban South Africa. Their finances differ sharply.
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Where municipal salaries eat the budget
National Treasury regards employee costs of roughly 25 to 40 percent of expenditure as normal. In some municipalities salaries consume far more, leaving little for services.
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Where South Africans still do not have piped water in the home
Census 2022 recorded households with piped water inside the dwelling. In the worst-served municipalities, fewer than one household in five has it.
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Electricity, refuse and sanitation: the service delivery gap
Access to electricity, weekly refuse removal and flush sanitation varies enormously between South African municipalities. These are the extremes.
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The 20 largest municipalities in South Africa by population
Census 2022 population for every South African municipality, ranked. The eight metros dominate, but several local municipalities are larger than you might expect.
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The most and least densely populated municipalities
From dense metropolitan cores to Karoo municipalities with fewer than one person per square kilometre, population density shapes what local government can realistically deliver.
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The best and worst run municipalities on financial health
Every South African municipality graded on five measures from its audited figures: audit outcome, operating margin, liquidity, cash cover and irregular spending.
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The biggest municipal budgets in South Africa
South Africa's municipalities spend R611.4 billion a year between them. These are the 20 largest spenders.
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District, local or metropolitan: how South African municipalities differ
South Africa has three categories of municipality. Which one you live in determines who is responsible for your water, your roads and your refuse, and who to hold to account when they fail.
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How to find out which municipality you live in
Most people know their town but not their municipality. Here is how to find yours in under a minute, and why it matters for rates, refuse, faults and voting.
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What is a clean audit, and what does a disclaimer mean?
The Auditor-General issues five kinds of opinion on municipal finances. Knowing the difference tells you a great deal about how a municipality is run, and a clean audit does not mean what most people assume.
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Where municipalities get their money
Property rates, service charges and national transfers fund South African local government. The mix varies enormously between a metro and a small rural municipality, and it explains most of the difference in financial health.
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Who does what in a municipality
Mayor, speaker, chief whip, municipal manager, ward councillor. The titles are easy to confuse, and the split between the political and administrative sides decides who is actually accountable.
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What is an IDP, and why should you care?
Every South African municipality must publish an Integrated Development Plan. It is where it commits in writing to what it will build and fix, and the main formal opportunity for residents to influence that.
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How council seats are allocated in South Africa
Half the seats in most South African municipal councils are won in wards and half by proportional representation. That mixed system is the reason coalition government has become normal.
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How to report a fault to your municipality
Water leaks, power failures, potholes, blocked drains and refuse that was not collected are municipal responsibilities. Here is how to report them so that something actually happens.