The number of consumer units using municipal bucket toilets fell from 60 557 in 2017 to 42 612 in 2018. This represents a 29,6% decrease in a single year, according to the latest Non-financial census of municipalities report. In 2014, the total was 85 718. The bucket toilets1 mentioned here are those that municipalities provide to communities located   read more »

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) provides scientific knowledge that enables society to understand complex socio-economic phenomena. It draws its mandate from the Statistics Act, 1999 (Act No 6 of 1999) and POPI Act 2013 (Act 4 of 2013). Stats SA strives to excel in the following five competencies: Intellectual capability to lead the scientific work   read more »

Spending and income play an important role in determining local government’s ability to deliver services. The ability of a municipality to generate its own income is an important sign of its independence. The Quarterly Financial Statistics of Municipalities (QFSM) survey collects data on municipal operating expenditures and incomes on a quarterly basis. The December 2018   read more »

If South Africa were a suburb of 100 households, 22 would be beneficiaries of government’s indigent programme. Stats SA’s recent Non-financial census of municipalities provides insight into those households that struggle to afford access to basic services.   Fact 1: 22% of households are classified as indigent In 2001 South Africa adopted a policy intended   read more »

Did you know that 90% of an estimated 59 million tonnes of general waste produced in South Africa in 2011 ended up in landfills, while only 10% was recycled?1 The rapid growth in solid waste and the fact that there is a shortage of suitable land to dispose of waste means that South Africa is   read more »

Eskom announced earlier this year that it would roll out power cuts to several defaulting municipalities.1 The inability of particular municipalities to honour debt payments has been a thorn in the flesh of local government administration. The following are a few key facts about municipal debt, from Statistics South Africa’s latest Financial census of municipalities   read more »

In April, government reaffirmed its commitment to renewable energy. The Department of Energy signed agreements with 27 independent power producers (IPPs), effectively unlocking R56 billion that will be invested in renewable energy projects across the country, predominantly in rural areas. Jeff Radebe, the Minister of Energy, outlined the importance of moving forward with renewable energy   read more »

Turn on a tap. Switch on a light. Take a bus to work. Your daily life is filled with hundreds of small instances where you depend, in some form or another, on services that your city provides, be it running water, electricity or public transport. Which South African municipalities spend the most, per resident, on   read more »

Stats SA’s most recent release of its Non-financial census of municipalities (NFCM)1 report shows an increase in the number of indigent households across the country. South Africa’s 278 municipalities registered 3,56 million indigent households in 2016, the highest number on record since figures were first published by Stats SA in 2004. To put it into   read more »

The recent power blackout in Msunduzi municipality again highlights the importance of electricity supply. Large parts of Pietermaritzburg were plunged into darkness for about a week when saboteurs, suspected to be striking workers, disrupted the city’s power grid2. It might be common knowledge that municipalities are involved in power distribution in South Africa, but many   read more »