Civil rights organisation AfriForum found in its 2019 analysis of Gauteng municipalities that Midvaal was the top performer with a score of 7.5 out of ten.

The Johannesburg metro achieved 6.5, while the Tshwane metro achieved a score of 7.

The organisation said the Midvaal municipality had received clean audits from the Auditor-General (AG) for the past few years, proving that it could be trusted with residents’ money.

This municipality also has a low unemployment rate and satisfactory service delivery.

AfriForum community affairs strategic adviser Dr Eugene Brink, meanwhile, pointed out that a number of municipalities had performed dismally.

For example, the AG’s audit for Emfuleni – which includes Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark – could not be finalised because the necessary information was never submitted.

Additionally, AfriForum’s analysis found that the poor service delivery, lack of employment opportunities and misappropriation of finds by the Meragong City municipality – which includes Carletonville – compelled people to move away from the area, hurting the municipality’s status even further.

However, Brink stated that Gauteng was a wealthy province with more watchdog organisations than others, which affected the municipalities’ performances positively.

“Aspects such as housing, level of education, drinking water and access to electricity are stronger than in most other provinces.”

AfriForum found that crime and unemployment, however, remained significant problems in Gauteng.

Analyses for North West and the Western Cape would be published next.