Three services are measured consistently enough across municipalities to compare: electricity for lighting, weekly refuse removal, and a flush toilet connected to public sewerage. Together they give a reasonable picture of basic household service delivery.
Lowest electricity access
| Municipality | Province | Electricity for lighting | Formal dwellings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emadlangeni | KwaZulu-Natal | 72.1% | 81.7% |
| Umhlabuyalingana | KwaZulu-Natal | 80.3% | 90.0% |
| Bela Bela | Limpopo | 83.5% | 88.7% |
| Emalahleni (MP) | Mpumalanga | 84.1% | 88.0% |
| Matatiele | Eastern Cape | 84.5% | 75.8% |
| Phumelela | Free State | 84.8% | 82.9% |
| Kareeberg | Northern Cape | 86.4% | 85.2% |
| Thembelihle | Northern Cape | 86.8% | 68.1% |
| Ga-Segonyana | Northern Cape | 87.0% | 89.9% |
| Thaba Chweu | Mpumalanga | 87.0% | 83.1% |
| Msukaligwa | Mpumalanga | 87.2% | 84.5% |
| Cederberg | Western Cape | 87.3% | 75.1% |
Lowest refuse removal
Weekly refuse removal is largely an urban service. In deeply rural municipalities the figure is low because households dispose of waste themselves, not necessarily because a promised service has failed.
| Municipality | Province | Weekly refuse removal | Piped water inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Msinga | KwaZulu-Natal | 11.7% | 12.6% |
| Impendle | KwaZulu-Natal | 11.8% | 18.1% |
| Joe Morolong | Northern Cape | 14.6% | 18.0% |
| Nongoma | KwaZulu-Natal | 14.9% | 20.1% |
| Collins Chabane | Limpopo | 15.0% | 18.8% |
| Maphumulo | KwaZulu-Natal | 15.0% | 17.9% |
| Umzumbe | KwaZulu-Natal | 15.5% | 21.0% |
| Mkhambathini | KwaZulu-Natal | 15.7% | 23.8% |
| Winnie Madikizela-Mandela | Eastern Cape | 16.0% | 15.8% |
| Nkandla | KwaZulu-Natal | 16.2% | 17.8% |
| Makhuduthamaga | Limpopo | 16.4% | 18.9% |
| Ndwedwe | KwaZulu-Natal | 17.2% | 21.9% |
Reading these figures
Census figures describe households, not municipal performance directly. A municipality with dispersed rural settlement faces a genuinely harder task than a compact town. The figures are most meaningful compared between similar municipalities, and alongside the financial measures that show whether the money exists to close the gap.
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