South Africa has 257 municipalities, and they are not all the same kind of thing. The Constitution creates three categories, usually called Category A, B and C. Knowing which one governs you determines who is responsible for your water, who bills you, and who to approach when something breaks.
| Category | Name | Number | Governs |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Metropolitan | 8 | A large urban area, on its own |
| B | Local | 205 | A town or rural area, with a district above it |
| C | District | 44 | A group of local municipalities |
Metropolitan municipalities
There are 8, governing South Africa’s largest urban centres: Johannesburg, Cape Town, eThekwini, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Mangaung. A metro holds the full set of municipal powers by itself. There is no district above it and no other municipality shares responsibility for the area.
For residents this is the simplest arrangement. One municipality is responsible for water, sanitation, refuse, municipal roads, storm water, electricity distribution in most areas, building plans and local licensing. One call centre, one account, one council.
Local municipalities
There are 205, covering every town and rural area outside the metros. A local municipality handles most day-to-day services for its area, but shares responsibility with the district municipality above it. Which functions sit where is not identical everywhere: the split is set for each district and can be adjusted.
The practical consequence is that in some parts of the country your water comes from the local municipality, and in others from the district. This is a frequent source of confusion when residents try to report a fault.
District municipalities
There are 44. Each covers a group of local municipalities and handles what makes more sense at a larger scale: bulk infrastructure planning, district-wide health services, disaster management, and in a number of districts, water and sanitation.
A district municipality has its own council, its own budget and its own audit. That is why this site grades districts separately. They are real institutions spending real money, not merely an administrative grouping.
How to tell which one you are in
Search for your town on this site and the result names the municipality that governs it, and the district above it if there is one. Every profile shows the category, the parent district for a local municipality, and the list of local municipalities for a district.
Common questions
Can a place be in both a local and a district municipality?
Yes, and most of the country is. If you do not live in a metro, you are in a local municipality, and that local municipality sits inside a district. Both have councils, and both are responsible for different services.
Why are there no district municipalities in metro areas?
Metropolitan municipalities were designed to hold all municipal powers in a single authority, on the basis that a large, densely built urban area works better under one government than a split one.
Which category has the most money?
The metros. Between them the 8 metropolitan municipalities account for a large share of the R611.4 billion spent by all municipalities each year, because they serve the largest populations and the biggest property bases.
Do district municipalities collect rates?
No. Property rates are levied by metropolitan and local municipalities. Districts are funded mainly by transfers from national government and by charges for the services they do provide.
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