Have Your Say on Your Municipality’s Budget

CAN empowers South Africans to challenge unfair rate hikes and influence local spending, holding municipalities to account.

The Community Action Network (CAN), an initiative of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), is urging South Africans to review their local municipality’s draft budget for the upcoming financial year. These budgets may include above-inflation rates and tariff charge increases, adding a further tax burden to already struggling citizens and communities.

By law, every municipality must make its draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year available for public comment by no later than 31 March 2025, with a minimum 30-day window for public participation.

CAN is running a campaign to help communities across South Africa engage meaningfully with their municipal budgets.

According to Jonathan Erasmus, CAN Project Manager, the CAN team has developed a range of resources to support hardworking South Africans in making a real impact on their local budget processes.

“We’ve created a clear online timeline that explains how the budget process works, along with tools, tips, and easy-to-understand guides on how to make a submission on a municipal budget,” said Erasmus.

Among the resources are explainers on how to interpret municipal budgets using the Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (mSCOA), as well as a practical guide on what to object to and where to locate the relevant data in the mSCOA forms.

“Commenting on a municipal budget isn’t as simple as signing a petition. It requires more effort and understanding than many other public participation processes. We aim to make it easier by showing people exactly where to look and what to do,” Erasmus added.

The CAN team has also compiled links to every municipal website in South Africa, enabling residents to easily find their municipality and access the draft budget documents.

Julius Kleynhans, OUTA’s Executive Manager for Local Government, said history has shown that when communities collaborate and submit detailed, well-informed comments on municipal budgets, real change is possible.

“Sustained, formal pressure can influence rate increases and spending priorities. Even more is possible if more citizens get involved. We urge every South African to comment on their local budget – or support organisations that can do so on their behalf. Meaningful public participation is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Kleynhans.