The Tshwane Metro’s latest debt report, for the period between April and end July 2025, shows that residents, businesses and even government departments owe the Metro a staggering R25,9 billion for services such as electricity, water and property rates.
Although this is a slight improvement from R26,4 billion in June, the debt burden remains extraordinarily high and undermines the Metro’s ability to effectively deliver basic services such as power and water.
The largest portion of the debt consists of interest on historical debt, accounting for 28,6% of the total. This indicates that payments are customarily late, leading to ever-accumulating interest.
Unpaid water bills comprise 21,9% of the debt, while arrears on property rates make up 19,3%. Outstanding electricity bills represent 12,7% of the debt, and other services such as waste removal and municipal fees a further 17,5%.
Together, these components comprise more than 82% of the total debt. What exacerbates the situation is that R17,8 billion of the debt has been outstanding for more than a year – which means the Metro will most likely never recover those funds, as most of this debt is considered non-collectable.
Although more and more residents have started making payment arrangements, it is not enough to avert a full-blown debt crisis. If this trend continues, the Metro’s financial stability could turn into chaos, and service delivery will deteriorate even further.
The time has come for the Metro to implement more stringent measures to prevent further accumulation of municipal debt and to take decisive action to recover outstanding amounts.
Residents who have entered payment arrangements must be held accountable, and the Metro simply has to ensure that its debt does not continue to grow.
This enormous debt burden is a threat to every Tshwane Metro resident.
When billions remain non-collectable, the Metro’s capacity to finance basic services, such as water, power, road maintenance and waste removal, dries up.
The consequences are already visible in taps running dry, power outages and crumbling road infrastructure.
Without decisive intervention, the Metro will not only collapse financially, but also fail to fulfil its constitutional duty to create a liveable environment for its people.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) will not stand idly by and watch as the Tshwane Metro goes over the financial edge, but will keep exerting pressure until accountability and proper service delivery are the norm once again.
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