Populations of small towns in the Free State, Eastern Cape and North West are contracting
Local government countrywide is in crisis and many municipalities have either failed or are on the brink of failure.
The trends indicated by this monitor are worrying. The population of almost every municipality in the Free State is contracting, as is almost all of the Eastern Cape except Nelson Mandela Bay. The trend is the same for much of the North West and KwaZulu-Natal. There are seldom any consequences for a municipality that refuses to carry out this most basic of functions or the officials responsible for decision-making
One has to ask where the revenue from consumption is going, if not to pay Eskom. It is not clear. In many poorly run municipalities the equitable share grant and other conditional grants are used to pay often inflated salaries, and service providers — including Eskom — are simply not paid. In such places the money is also not going to service delivery, which has long since ground to a halt.
Where would you rather live or own a business, in a municipality with unpredictable and periodic electricity or a metro with a third less load-shedding than the rest of the country?
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