THE FUSE

South Africa’s local government crisis is no longer an annual warning by the Auditor-General reports or municipal budget reports. It is clearly visible in the daily lives of residents: taps without water or with dirty water, sewage in the streets and rivers, electricity blackouts and incorrect rates and taxes accounts, roads that are not repaired, and waste removal failures. The latest National Treasury MFMA Compliance Report 2024/25, together with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s warning to the City of Johannesburg in April 2026, confirms what communities have known for years: too many municipalities are financially distressed, poorly governed and drifting away from their constitutional purpose of basic service delivery.