City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is one of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities, the category reserved for the country’s largest urban centres, and it governs 1 643 square kilometres of Gauteng. It takes in 18 recognised towns and settlements, among them Alexandra, Diepkloof, Diepsloot, Ennerdale, Johannesburg, Johannesburg South, Lawley, Lenasia.
Census 2022 counted 4 803 262 residents, making it the 1st most populous of the 11 municipalities in Gauteng and 1st of 257 nationally. That works out to 2 923.5 people per square kilometre. That is dense urban settlement. There are 1 841 917 households, averaging 2.6 people each. 21.9% of residents are under 15 and 5.0% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 15.0% hold a higher education qualification and 3.5% have had no schooling.
The council has 270 seats across 18 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 89 seats (33.0%). It is governed by a coalition: ANC/EFF/PA Coalition. Mr Dada Morero serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Tshepo Makola is acting municipal manager.
On this site’s financial health measure, which weighs the Auditor-General’s opinion alongside operating margin, liquidity, cash cover and irregular spending, City of Johannesburg scores 38.9 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R76.9 billion in operating revenue against R79.5 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R2.6 billion. At the last census, 77.1% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.1% used electricity for lighting and 90.5% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 89 33.0%
- DA 70 25.9%
- ACTIONSA 44 16.3%
- EFF 29 10.7%
- PA 11 4.1%
- IFP 7 2.6%
- VF PLUS 4 1.5%
- ACDP 3 1.1%
- ALJAMA 3 1.1%
- AIC 2 0.7%
- APC 1 0.4%
- GOOD 1 0.4%
- COPE 1 0.4%
- AHC 1 0.4%
- PAC 1 0.4%
- UDM 1 0.4%
- UIM 1 0.4%
- ATM 1 0.4%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 17 700 149 | 17 700 149 | 14 049 882 | 13 502 187 | 13 035 302 |
| Service charges | 41 207 447 | 41 207 447 | 32 235 400 | 33 247 397 | 32 125 722 |
| Investment revenue | 14 704 | 14 704 | 21 511 | 198 911 | 282 486 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 8 228 658 | 8 228 658 | - | 10 719 529 | 14 975 039 |
| Other own revenue | 9 798 987 | 9 798 987 | 8 123 629 | 2 980 152 | 5 669 067 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 76 949 945 | 76 949 945 | 54 430 423 | 60 648 177 | 66 087 617 |
| Employee costs | 20 729 387 | 20 729 387 | 17 613 853 | 15 756 481 | 15 844 916 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 190 178 | 190 178 | 180 681 | 163 541 | 168 115 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 4 913 984 | 4 913 984 | 5 207 463 | 3 767 044 | 3 997 697 |
| Finance charges | 3 420 202 | 3 420 202 | 2 729 174 | 2 746 262 | 3 784 792 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 27 062 538 | 27 062 538 | 21 654 469 | 20 949 269 | 18 665 656 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 83 174 | 83 174 | 103 674 | 144 371 | 4 210 130 |
| Other expenditure | 23 128 925 | 23 128 925 | 18 675 204 | 18 300 455 | 21 810 332 |
| Total Expenditure | 79 528 388 | 79 528 388 | 66 164 519 | 61 827 425 | 68 481 638 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -2 578 444 | -2 578 444 | -11 734 096 | -1 179 248 | -2 394 021 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 3 359 806 | 3 359 806 | - | 1 811 395 | 2 585 000 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | 9 876 222 | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 781 362 | 781 362 | -1 857 874 | 632 147 | 190 979 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | 620 635 | 2 209 408 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 781 362 | 781 362 | -1 857 874 | 1 252 782 | 2 400 387 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | - | - | - | 6 645 902 | 6 098 440 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | - | - | - | 2 484 791 | 2 867 611 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | 2 034 550 | 1 992 501 |
| Internally generated funds | - | - | - | 2 126 560 | 1 236 497 |
| Total sources of capital funds | - | - | - | 6 645 902 | 6 096 608 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 20 997 703 | 20 997 703 | 15 674 596 | 38 678 893 | 28 482 738 |
| Total non current assets | 94 649 518 | 94 649 518 | 85 560 182 | 89 317 238 | 96 080 812 |
| Total current liabilities | 32 241 502 | 32 241 502 | 22 546 491 | 42 970 627 | 25 578 246 |
| Total non current liabilities | 24 205 755 | 24 205 755 | 22 071 711 | 25 771 454 | 40 439 631 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 58 003 042 | 58 003 042 | 57 767 467 | 58 181 585 | 56 054 445 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 7 323 542 | 7 323 542 | - | 4 072 951 | 68 794 095 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -7 771 365 | -7 771 365 | - | - | 1 951 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 8 533 832 | 8 533 832 | - | - | 579 781 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 10 251 869 | 10 251 869 | 4 795 206 | 4 722 549 | 75 453 398 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 2 376 050 | 2 755 031 | 1 289 984 | 4 246 083 | 1 003 250 |
| Irregular expenditure | 2 369 430 | 1 982 206 | 811 433 | 1 384 993 | 1 118 009 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 42 148 | 1 479 | 8 489 | 490 033 | 11 380 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4 803 262 | 4 949 347 | 4 434 631 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 21.9% | 25.7% | 23.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 73.1% | 68.9% | 72.7% |
| Population over 65 | 5.0% | 5.4% | 4.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 36.8 | 45.1 | 37.6 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 101.5 | 100.3 | 100.7 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.8% | 2.5% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 25 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 31.5 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 3.5% | 3.4% | 2.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 38.5 | 34.7 |
| Higher education | 15.0% | 14.7% | 19.0% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 1 841 917 | 1 853 371 | 1 434 715 |
| Average household size | 2.6 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 37.7 | 36.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 89.8% | 81.3% | 81.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 51.7 | 40.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 93.0% | 88.6% | 89.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 90.5% | 85.4% | 95.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 77.1% | 60.3% | 64.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.1% | 90.9% | 90.8% |
Service delivery
National Treasury, non-financial census of municipalities
Water
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 1 409 028 | 1 285 227 | 1 127 192 | 1 127 192 | 1 004 505 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 1 307 334 | 1 183 533 | 1 025 498 | 1 025 498 | 963 822 |
| Inside the yard | 1 183 533 | 1 061 185 | 917 538 | 917 538 | 855 862 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 123 801 | 122 348 | 107 960 | 107 960 | 107 960 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 14 522 | 21 871 | 22 001 | 13 206 | 14 110 |
Electricity
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 838 820 | 837 345 | 831 235 | 828 768 | 822 613 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 783 | 11 228 | 14 412 | 14 753 | 11 520 |
Sewerage and sanitation
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 1 149 198 | 1 127 840 | 1 040 541 | 1 035 375 | 886 587 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 1 022 044 | 1 016 607 | 913 929 | 892 277 | 764 367 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 53 295 | 61 924 | 60 923 | 60 986 | 60 309 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 20 054 | 0 | 0 | 19 240 | 10 855 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 15 022 | 23 224 | 21 854 | 12 592 | 13 593 |
Solid waste services
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 1 796 026 | 1 449 824 | 1 449 624 | 1 227 420 | 1 182 997 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 22 370 | 35 804 | 30 102 | 18 283 | 19 924 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 17 613 853 | 15 756 481 | 15 844 916 | 14 852 303 | 13 555 280 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 180 681 | 163 541 | 168 115 | 166 266 | 162 088 |
| Total Employee Positions | 40 272 | 40 999 | 39 875 | 40 441 | 34 737 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 2 453 | 2 690 | 2 266 | 2 417 | 2 191 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 6.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 13 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 3 382 | 3 294 | 3 444 | 3 311 | 3 088 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 399 | 333 | 279 | 280 | 326 |
Published documents
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