CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE — As South Africa edges closer to the local government elections, the newly released 2026 Municipal Report Card by the FW de Klerk Foundation offers a critical, evidence-based look at local governance. Moving beyond political promises, the assessment evaluates how effectively municipalities translate legal power and funding into reliable services and accountable administration for their residents.
Ismail Joosub, Manager of Constitutional Advancement at the FW de Klerk Foundation, explained that the report assessed 50 municipalities—comprising eight metros and 42 local municipalities—against 100 tests of performance and constitutional accountability. The evaluation is built on five core pillars: services and infrastructure, finances, governance, integrity, and constitutional inclusion. Joosub emphasized that the assessment is strictly nonpartisan and grounded in Section 152 of the Constitution, which mandates sustainable services, development promotion, safe and healthy environments, and community involvement.
Top and Bottom Performers Reveal Systemic Realities
Swartland Local Municipality emerged as the top performer in the sample, scoring an impressive 90 out of 100. Joosub noted that Swartland’s success stems from a systemic approach rather than reliance on a single mayor. The municipality achieved its 13th clean audit, maintained a revenue collection rate in the 90s, held 11 months of cost coverage, and retained permanent senior management with amazing capital spending and minimal electricity losses. This institutional resilience directly supports its grain and agro-processing economy, allowing businesses to employ more and move goods faster. However, Joosub acknowledged that a high average score does not mean everyone benefits equally, as deep poverty and service delivery challenges still affect large portions of the population.
Conversely, Maluti-a-Phofung in the Free State, which includes Harrismith and QwaQwa, scored the lowest at 24 out of 100. The municipality presented a “perfect storm” of systemic failure where one weak system damages the next. Its 2024/25 consolidated financial statements were unavailable for audit through required processes. The municipality operated with an unfunded budget, low collection rates, large bulk service areas, and broken payment arrangements. Furthermore, all seven of its documented wastewater systems were critically low, illustrating how failure feeds failure and severely damages trust in the local economy.
Metro Dynamics: Scale vs. Resilience
The report also highlighted the contrasting dynamics within major metros, proving that scale and resilience are not the same thing. Johannesburg scored 49.5 out of 100 and was classified as deteriorating. Despite possessing excellent technical capacity, the city struggled with an unfunded adjusted budget, previously operating with as little as 17 days of operating cash. It also faced enormous water losses, a billion-rand asset renewal backlog, political churn, and a complex web of separate entities that hindered service delivery.
In contrast, Cape Town scored 81 out of 100, benefiting from financial breathing room, strong rate collection, steady leadership, and clear planning. Joosub cautioned, however, that Cape Town remains scarred by spatial inequality, with informal settlements experiencing vastly different service delivery levels than wealthier communities. The real measure of a metro, he noted, is not what it spends, but what residents can rely on in their everyday lives.
Accountability and the Upcoming Elections
With 247 municipalities being contested in the upcoming elections—less than 20 days away—the foundation urges voters to demand tangible accountability. Joosub stressed that neither political leaders, who set priorities and pass budgets, nor administrators, who manage assets and execute decisions lawfully, can hide behind one another when municipalities repeatedly fail. He warned that municipal collapses are rarely sudden; the warning signs begin years in advance, and political leaders must intervene early rather than waiting for paper plans to fail.
Addressing the shifting political landscape of coalitions and independent candidates, Joosub advised voters to look past the noise. Voters should demand to know a party’s path to power, who they intend to coalesce with, and exactly how that power will translate into basic services like running water and pothole-free roads.
Finally, Joosub warned against the growing trend of “private coping,” where wealthy residents pay municipal rates but also fund private security and services. He described this as a form of double taxation that leaves the poor to suffer most, emphasizing that effective local citizenship cannot be bought twice. “Local government is not a private club,” Joosub concluded, urging communities to organize and demand the healthy public participation that the Constitution demands.
