Not a single metropolitan municipality in South Africa achieved a clean audit for the 2024/25 financial year, according to the latest Auditor-General (AG) reports, with the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) warning that this failure points to an entrenched crisis in local government. Metros represent 54% of total local government expenditure and serve millions of citizens, therefore, Outa says their financial regression directly threatens both community service delivery and the national economy.

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke warns that Johannesburg's financial governance is deteriorating, with significant challenges in service delivery and accountability threatening…

Auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke has raised the alarm over what she described as “concerning regressions” in the audit outcomes of the country’s eight metros.