The performance of local municipalities in South Africa is the indicator of the country’s heartbeat. Local municipalities are the closest institution to citizens, reflecting in great measure levels of citizen engagement - as recipients but also as contributors.
 
In addition, local government shows, like no other indicator, the health of public institutions at the most atomised level. Local municipalities are universes, where the historic legacy of the country and the current democratic dynamics converge to give a clear picture of the status quo.
 
The 2019 Government Performance Index is a continuation of GGA’s local government research, which began in 2016. This year, we were able to compare the state of South Africa’s municipalities with our previous index and have found a significant variation in the municipal landscape, and some shifts within the rankings.
 
The ranking shows that the top three performing municipalities are Mossel Bay (Western Cape), Senqu (Eastern Cape) and Swartland (Western Cape).  The top performer, Mossel Bay, is led by the DA and the municipality ranked second, Senqu is ANC-led.
 
The majority (60%) of the municipalities in the top 20 are in the Western Cape; Mossel Bay, Swartland, Bergrivier, Cape Agulhas, Prince Albert, Swellendam, Cederberg, Matzikama, Overstrand, Witzenberg, Hessequa and Langeberg.
 
GGA’s ranking assessed 213 municipalities, using data on 15 indicators across three themes: administration, economic development and service delivery.
 
The data was sourced from a number of publicly available sources, including Statistics South Africa, the Gaffney Local Government Year Book 2013-2015: this data is obtained from the national census and the Auditor General’s reports.
 
Our observations and comparisons pave the way to start conversations about practical strategies for the improvement of local government, including raising awareness of universal governance principles for the public service, the benchmarking of good practices against those in other countries, and once again, robust citizen engagement.

Report by Good Governance Africa