The South African municipal landscape is not collapsing in a single moment of crisis. It is eroding in slow motion.
Hundreds of local councils operate as if the constitution demanded their existence but not their viability. They table unfunded budgets, default on debt, preside over the decay of water and electricity networks and survive largely on fiscal transfusions from the centre. The auditor-general’s warnings that only a small fraction of municipalities are functionally stable no longer sound like outliers; they describe the system.
In his address to parliament, the deputy president struck a familiar tone, emphasising government is working to stabilise service delivery,…
Longest Wine Route: The Cape Winelands is home to the longest wine route in
the world, with numerous vineyards and wine estates.