Elections 2026
How is your municipality doing?
We are doing in depth reports on municipalities across the country ahead of the 2026 local elections.
Elections 2026: Dawid Kruiper Municipality battling water leaks and sewage spills
The Special Investigating Unit is looking into “allegations of serious maladministration” involving 24 contracts at the municipality
By Liezl Human
Feature | 23 July 2026
Tswaing municipality staff have been months without pay
Only the highest-earning workers have been paid since April
By Seth Thorne
News | 22 July 2026
Elections 2026: Amahlathi municipality is doing better on paper but residents yet to see the benefits
Infrastructure projects grind to a halt
By Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik and Steve Kretzmann
Feature | 22 July 2026
Time to pay up: a look at municipal debt
More than R161-billion owed for electricity, water and taxes
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 17 July 2026
Pietermaritzburg’s R1-billion transport flop
No buses operate on Msunduzi Municipality’s failed public transport system
News | 13 July 2026
Taps dry as municipality drowns in R1-billion debt
Residents of the Kai !Garib Local Municipality in the Northern Cape face collapsing services, frequent water interruptions, and potholed roads
By Liezl Human
Feature | 13 July 2026
Public Protector tells City of Cape Town to fix services at Langa Flats and Khayelitsha
Constitutional obligations were not met, investigation finds
News | 7 July 2026
Voter registration at 64%, four months before elections
Proportion of eligible voters who are registered has not changed since 2021
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 26 June 2026
Joburg watches R10-billion flow down the drain
Auditor-General publishes scathing report on City’s water management
By Seth Thorne
Brief | 24 June 2026