Municipality awarded the best-run in South Africa for second year in a row

·3 Oct 2026

Swartland Municipality has been named the best-performing local municipality in South Africa for the second consecutive year, taking top honours at the 2026 Municipal Performance Awards.

The awards, presented on 1 October 2026 at the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) Annual Convention at Sun City, recognised municipalities that demonstrate strong financial management, governance, and service delivery.

Ratings Afrika partnered with SAPOA and the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) for the awards, which were launched in 2025.

The 2026 event was held as SAPOA celebrated its 60th anniversary under the theme “Elevating Property. Elevating South Africa. 60 Years & Beyond.”

Swartland received the Best-Performing Municipality First-Place award after improving its score on the Ratings Afrika Municipal Financial Sustainability Index (MFSI) from 77 out of 100 in the previous assessment to 80 out of 100 for the 2025/2026 financial year.

The score placed Swartland at the top of the MFSI among the municipalities assessed by Ratings Afrika.

Ratings Afrika assessed municipal sustainability across several areas, including operating performance, liquidity management, debt governance, budget position, affordability and infrastructure development.

“Swartland has demonstrated exceptional leadership, sound governance, and a strong commitment to delivering meaningful results for its community,” Ratings Afrika said.

The organisation said the municipality had “consistently demonstrated what can be achieved when performance, accountability and excellence are placed at the heart of local government”.

“Having also been a joint winner of the Municipal Performance Award in 2025, Swartland has once again demonstrated a sustained level of performance that places it among the country’s leading local municipalities,” it said.

Swartland Municipality covers about 3,700 square kilometres in the Western Cape and serves more than 140,000 residents.

The area starts roughly 50 kilometres north of Cape Town and includes Malmesbury, Darling, Piketberg, Moorreesburg, Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel.

Municipality welcomes external views of its performance

Ratings Afrika said the municipality’s performance demonstrated the importance of combining effective leadership with sound financial management, accountable governance and a continued focus on service delivery.

“Strong municipalities are fundamental to South Africa’s economic and social development,” it said.

“For communities to thrive and the country to grow, municipalities must be able to deliver reliable services, maintain, and invest in infrastructure,” it said.

“They must also manage public finances responsibly, remain accountable to their communities and uphold high standards of governance.”

The latest award follows the FW de Klerk Foundation’s Local Government Report Card earlier this year, which examined municipalities on service delivery and infrastructure, financial management, integrity and inclusion, giving Swartland a score of 90 out of 100.

The foundation placed Swartland first among the local governments surveyed for its report card and highlighted the municipality’s administrative stability and functioning council.

It noted that the council was able to make decisions efficiently without becoming paralysed by political or administrative disputes, a problem that has affected municipalities elsewhere in South Africa.

The report also identified areas where Swartland could improve, reinforcing that strong performance does not mean the municipality has no challenges.

Swartland Municipal Manager Joggie Scholtz said the municipality welcomed independent assessments because they provided an external view of its performance.

“We value these independent assessments because they demonstrate that it is possible to manage an effective local government with limited resources in South Africa,” Scholtz said.

“They also provide an objective view of the areas in which Swartland is performing well and those in which we must continue to improve, particularly as external pressures increasingly affect the day-to-day functioning of municipalities.”