The best and worst municipalities in South Africa in 2017
The latest South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) for municipalities shows that the City of Cape Town has retained the top spot as the best and most trusted municipality in the country.
However, despite keeping its crown, the SAcsi showed that overall satisfaction is down from 2016, in line with the trend seen across all municipalities.
“It has been almost a year since the hotly-contested 2016 Municipal Elections, and the index completed last month reveals that South African citizens’ satisfaction with their municipalities has hit a three-year low with an industry average of 59.3,” said research group, Consulta.
South Africa’s eight metropolitan councils are included in the 2017 SAcsi for municipalities namely; Cape Town, Buffalo City, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Johannesburg, Mangaung, Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane.
Cape Town’s overall SAcsi score of 68.5 places it well ahead of the industry average, however the Mother City’s score is down from 70.3 in 2016 and 71.9 in the previous year.
Buffalo City, on the other end of the spectrum, has consistently received the lowest score with 47.2 in 2017, which is a slight decline from 47.6 in 2016 and marginally higher than its 2015 score of 47.1.
| # | Municipality | 2016 score | 2017 score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 70.3 | 68.5 | -1.8 |
| 2 | Ekurhuleni | 58.0 | 59.8 | +1.8 |
| Industry Average | 59.3 | |||
| 3 | Nelson Mandela Bay | 53.8 | 59.0 | +5.2 |
| 4 | eThekwini | 61.2 | 57.8 | -3.4 |
| 5 | Tshwane | 59.5 | 57.7 | -1.8 |
| 6 | Johannesburg | 54.6 | 57.0 | +2.4 |
| 7 | Manguang | 52.9 | 51.3 | -1.6 |
| 8 | Buffalo City | 47.6 | 47.2 | -0.4 |
Most trusted municipality
The SAcsi further revealed that Cape Town citizens have the greatest trust in their municipality.
The municipality achieved a score of 72.4 compared to the industry average of 64.9 however, this is a considerable decline (4.7) when compared to the metropolitan council’s 2016 score of 77.1.
The lowest trust index score was 51.4 for Buffalo City, which further declined from 52.6 in 2016.
| # | Municipality | 2016 score | 2017 score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 77.1 | 72.4 | -4.7 |
| 2 | Nelson Mandela Bay | 57.5 | 67.4 | +9.9 |
| 3 | Tshwane | 62.7 | 65.2 | +2.5 |
| Industry Average | 64.9 | |||
| 4 | Johannesburg | 58.0 | 64.6 | +6.6 |
| 5 | eThekwini | 65.0 | 63.0 | -2.0 |
| 6 | Ekurhuleni | 61.7 | 62.8 | +1.1 |
| 7 | Manguang | 58.8 | 56.4 | -2.4 |
| 8 | Buffalo City | 52.6 | 51.4 | -1.2 |
“The 2016 Municipal Elections were a watershed moment for post-democracy politics in South Africa and people’s shifting sentiment was reflected in how they voted,” said Professor Adré Schreuder, founder and CEO of Consulta.
“Municipalities that saw significant changes in leadership increased their overall SAcsi scores, with the exception of Tshwane, which declined possibly due to lingering structural challenges.”
How municipalities have changed since the 2016 elections
Schreuder highlighted how public perceptions and trust in the major municipalities have shifted since the 2016 municipal elections, which saw three major losses for the ruling ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay, Johannesburg and Tshwane.
- Cape Town – “While Cape Town remains the clear leader, it still experienced a decline in trust. This may be related to the current water crisis, increasing migration into the province, and infrastructure maintenance falling behind.”
- Johannesburg – “Johannesburg was one of the most aggressively contested municipalities. While Johannesburg failed to meet expectations, its quality scores have improved substantially since last year. The metro has made a big effort to improve and meet expectations in a short space of time.”
- Tshwane – “Tshwane has struggled with a transition of power. The new administration has been focussed on investigating corruption by the previous administration, as a result citizens have not seen improvement.”
- Ekurhuleni – “Ekurhuleni is another strongly contested, strategic Gauteng metro and whoever ascends to its leadership will want to keep citizens happy at all costs. Certain promises made to workers haven’t come to fruition.”
- eThekwini – “Unfortunately, the eThekwini district has been marred by political infighting and violence. Citizens are well-served in vital services, but political instability amplifies the facilities and services that need attention, such as roads, storm water drainage, cleanliness of parks and street lights.”
- Mangaung – “It seems that Mangaung is a missed opportunity that wasn’t given strong attention by election candidates. Existing and aspiring leaders need to take advantage of this area by delivering better services and engaging better with citizens.”
- Nelson Mandela Bay – “The region has been a key target of political change for several years prior to the 2016 Municipal Elections. A change in leadership has yet to allay concerns about the overall management of the municipality, but citizens feel they are being treated more fairly.”
- Buffalo City – “Buffalo City has struggled to provide even the most basic services for all its citizens. This has been exacerbated by the perception that corruption goes unchecked. The municipality is an excellent opportunity for anyone who would want to demonstrate an ability to deal with mismanagement and corruption.”
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