Rates Watch continues to make progress with appeals across multiple municipalities, with several appeal outcomes now concluded and others still awaiting review. Here’s a snapshot of the latest developments across key metros.
Behind the ombudsman’s impressive performance figures lies a crippling crisis: too few investigators, too many billing errors and a city administration in freefall.
The 2025/26 Budget adopted by the City of Cape Town in 26 June 2025 has, since publication of its first draft in March 2025, elicited a substantial public response, most of which was severely critical of the budget.
The City of Johannesburg has urged property owners to pay their municipal bills ahead of the festive season to avoid spending their holidays without essential
services such as water and electricity.
There is little comfort for the owners of smallholdings in Tshwane whose property taxes have quadrupled after being reclassified as residential by the metro council
The city is giving you a chance to clear your municipal debt.
In a landmark decision, the Constitutional Court confirmed that municipalities cannot levy excessive or arbitrary property rates.
In November 2024, the Supreme Court of Appeal (court) set a precedent for Valuation Appeal Boards (VABs) in South Africa, reaffirming the importance of providing clear and reasoned decisions.
The purpose of this newsletter is to bring to your notice a few important industry related matters.
In crumbling Johannesburg, community associations, piece by piece, are helping to save the city from its own downward spiral.
Civil society asks if former incumbent Floyd Brink is as good as it gets for the troubled Johannesburg City Council.
The City is helping residents with their municipal debt and encourages customers to make use of the support available to lighten the load, increase the culture of payment and make sure the metro’s debt levels stay stable to enable service delivery.
The ANC has resolved, once again, to try to fix local government ahead of the upcoming elections. And once again, it is overwhelmingly likely to fail, mainly through the actions of its own members.
For the first time in South Africa’s history, the financial health of the nation’s municipalities will take centre stage on a national platform, not for criticism but for celebration.
A legal battle in Cape Town between property owners and the City will clarify what municipalities can charge residents.