The best-run municipality in South Africa revealed
For 14 years in a row, this South African municipality has been named the best in the country - and they're at the top again.
When it comes to good governance in South Africa, we don’t exactly expect a gold medal performance from most municipalities.
Yet every year, the Ratings Afrika Municipal Financial Sustainability Index (MFSI) pulls out its financial stethoscope and checks which municipalities still have a strong heartbeat.
This year, one region has basically been doing cartwheels while everyone else is limping to the finish line.
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The best-run municipality in South Africa is...
The West Coast District Municipality has once again been named South Africa’s best-run municipality and not just by accident.
This region has been flexing its governance muscles consistently since 2011.
The MFSI doesn’t hand out trophies for fun. They evaluate municipalities based on six strict criteria:
- Operational performance
- Liquidity
- Debt management
- Budgeting practices
- Affordability
- Infrastructure development
The index uses audited financial statements to see who’s actually walking the talk. A sustainable municipality is one that can deliver services, maintain infrastructure, and handle financial shocks (like economic downturns or natural disasters) without suddenly slapping citizens with monster tax hikes.
What makes this municipality so great?
The West Coast District, which covers 31,000 square kilometres from Cape Town’s northern edge up to the Northern Cape border and serves nearly 500,000 residents, has proven why it’s top of the class with:
- 14 consecutive clean audits (yes, fourteen!)
- 100% capital project expenditure record
- Strong financial discipline and effective governance
Two of its local municipalities, Saldanha Bay and Swartland, also tied for first place among SA’s local municipalities.
According to Ratings Afrika, no other metro even comes close to matching Cape Town’s performance, with the City of Cape Town averaging a score of 70 out of 100
Strong governance, solid infrastructure, and efficient management have made the region a magnet for investment and new residents.
While the West Coast is out here winning gold medals, the rest of the country is struggling to qualify.
The national average score for 107 municipalities was a low 36 out of 100 (the same as the last two years).
Now why does this matter? Well, good municipal management isn’t just about pretty spreadsheets, it means better roads, cleaner streets, reliable services, and less panic every time a storm hits.
The West Coast’s success is proof that with strong leadership and accountability, service delivery doesn’t have to be a distant dream.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
1. Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
2. Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
3. Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
4. Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606.
5. Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
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