INSIGHT | Vote for services over slogans in 2026 elections

South African municipalities are crumbling under the weight of incompetence and corruption, shattering public trust and demanding urgent political renewal.

Over three decades into democracy, the failure to deliver basic services like water, electricity and sanitation has turned local government into a symbol of betrayal.

Communities across SA endure daily indignities from municipal neglect.

Water outages plague metros like Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, while sewage spills contaminate streets in places like Msunduzi, Matjhabeng and Emfuleni, naming just a few.

Auditor-general reports reveal a grim picture: in 2024/2025, major cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni disputed their audits, delaying accountability and exposing fruitless expenditure.

Protests erupt regularly because promises ring hollow as 65% of municipalities are “at risk,” with 35 classified as distressed in recent assessments.

This isn’t bad luck; it’s systemic rot where infrastructure crumbles due to under-maintenance and debt spirals.

At the heart lies rampant corruption and financial chaos.

Irregular, fruitless and wasteful spending dominates, fuelled by poor supply chain management and cadre deployment that prioritises loyalty over skills.

Dominant party structures treat municipalities as extension offices for national agendas

Political interference from provincial and national levels overrides local needs, undermining Section 151’s autonomy vision.

Weak internal controls let graft flourish, with only 13% of municipalities achieving clean audits in 2024.

In my view, this ethical collapse isn’t accidental, it’s a deliberate hijacking by dominant parties protecting their fiefdoms, leaving citizens to pay the price through higher tariffs and taxes for subpar services.

Dominant party structures treat municipalities as extension offices for national agendas, diverting funds and stalling decisions.

This hierarchical meddling creates bureaucratic quagmires, where local leaders fear defying party bosses.

Coalition governments have worsened this in metros like Johannesburg, breeding instability and inept mayors focused on power grabs over pothole fixes.

As an opinion, this top-down control mocks devolution principles, turning empowered local spheres into puppets.

No wonder trust plummets; voters see elections as theatre when real power resides in Luthuli House or the Union Buildings.

Two decades of restructuring, from the 1998 White Paper to recent reviews, have flopped.

Salga urges funding overhauls and professionalisation in the 2026 state of the nation address, yet implementation lags.

The National Treasury flags financial distress from unproductive wage bills and poor revenue collection.

Reforms falter because they ignore political wills, oversight exists but goes unenforced.

Frankly, these are Band-Aids on a gaping wound; without axing corrupt officials, no policy saves the day.

Not all is doomed as Western Cape standouts like Swartland, Saldanha Bay, Swellendam and Hessequa top national rankings for clean audits, funded budgets and reliable services.

Cape Town, despite disputes and it being forgetful about surrounding townships, leads metros in performance.

These prove competence triumphs strong leadership, ethical procurement and community engagement deliver.

Emulating them nationwide could reclaim trust, but it demands ditching patronage for merit.

Political renewal isn’t optional; it’s survival.

First, enforce clean audits with zero tolerance, dispute them like Cape Town did, but resolve swiftly via independent tribunals.

Second, overhaul funding: ring-fence grants for infrastructure, tie allocations to performance metrics.

Third, ban cadre deployment; appoint managers via open, skills-based processes.

Fourth, reform governance to stabilise coalitions, perhaps government-of-local-unity models with clear mandates.

Fifth, empower communities through participatory budgeting and recall mechanisms for failing councillors.

Parties must pledge renewal: professionalise leadership, crush corruption, restore autonomy.

Voters, demand it; otherwise, freedom’s promise dies in sewage-flooded streets.

The 2026 elections appear as judgment day, choose renewal or resign to decline.

Half-measures in service delivery and promises won’t cut it.

Voters must perpetuate the status quo or reject entrenched parties propping up this rot and demand multi-party coalitions with ironclad service delivery pacts, no more horse-trading for posts over pipes.

Professionalise administration: ban political interference in hiring, enforce qualifications for municipal managers and tie councillor perks to audit outcomes.

The government must act decisively. Ring-fence utility revenues, slashing leaks and prioritising infrastructure.

Empower independent oversight: let auditor-general reports trigger automatic interventions, with criminal probes for fruitless expenditure.

Restructure funding, more equitable grants, less reliance on debt and devolve real power to wards via participatory budgeting, echoing indigenous governance models where communities held leaders accountable.

Without this, protests will escalate into unrest.

Lastly, private businesses too must step up via public-private partnerships for infrastructure, but only under strict anti-corruption firewalls.

Fellow South Africans, this crisis isn’t inevitable, it’s engineered by leaders who forgot “ngoobani abantu?” (who are you serving?).

Demand renewal now: vote for services over slogans in 2026, petition for clean audits and hold coalitions to deliver key performance indicators (KPIs).

Pretoria’s decay mirrors the nation’s soul, restore it, or watch democracy erode further.

The imperative is clear: political renewal or perpetual protest.

Let’s choose renewal that will stick like glue on service delivery and job creation from all provinces.

Dr Sandiso Mahlala, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, head of department, economic and management sciences