Stats Sa Reports Drop In Free Basic Services Across Municipalities

Stats SA says it has noted a drop in free basic services rendered in municipalities, compared to 10 years ago.

According to its non-financial census of municipalities for the year ended 30 June 2023, only three provinces showed the highest proportion of households that benefited from free basic water services. They are the Western Cape, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape.

The data shows that over 15 million households received water from municipalities in South Africa, with only 2.5 million households with access to free basic water services.

Stats SA Chief Director for Government Financials, Moses Mnyaka, explains, "The area where there is of concern is a drop in the free basic services. And it's only solid waste that has reflected an increase. There are factors behind that and the most common one that is driving it is more related to the renewal of membership because communities are expected to reregister as indigent households at the municipalities on an annual basis."