More basic services are being extended to municipalities’ constituencies, but fewer of these services are being provided for free.

This is according to the 2014 annual Non-financial census of municipalities report, which provides municipal data on various services (i.e. electricity, water, sewerage and sanitation, and solid waste management), details on indigents, and information on municipal employment.

Basic services

From 2010 to 2014, the number of consumer units receiving the four basic services increased.

The provision of water increased by 3,9% between 2013 and 2014 nationally. The highest provincial increases were recorded in Limpopo (6,9%) and North West (5,8%).

Over a five-year period (2010 to 2014), the number of consumer units receiving electricity also went up throughout the country from 8,6 million to 10,5 million. The increase in electricity provision by municipalities has enabled many communities to have this facility in their homes for the first time.

The number of consumer units receiving sewerage and sanitation services increased nationally, from 9,2 million in 2010 to 10,4 million in 2014.

The report also shows that there was an increase in the number of consumer units supplied with solid waste management services, from 8,6 million in 2010 to 8,9 million in 2014.

Free basic services

Despite the increase in the provision of basic services, there were decreases in the number of units receiving free basic services for three of the four services provided. Compared with 2013, 495 164 fewer consumer units received free water in 2014; 163 525 fewer consumer units received free electricity; and 56 746 fewer consumer units received free solid waste management services. However, 43 126 more consumer units received free sewerage and sanitation services in 2014 compared with 2013.

Municipalities use different mechanisms to determine if consumer units qualify for free basic services. In many cases, the decrease in the consumer units receiving free basic services can be attributed to municipalities switching from a broad-based approach to an income-based self-targeting approach.

Over a five-year period, using water as an example, the percentage of consumer units receiving free water (as a percentage of total water) shows no increase. In most provinces, the percentage decreased.

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