Elections 2026
How is your municipality doing?
We are doing in depth reports on municipalities across the country ahead of the 2026 local elections.
Elections 2026: This municipality is pouring sewage into the Vaal River
Streams that feed the river are being contaminated by failing wastewater treatment in Matlosana municipality
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
Feature | 30 September 2026
Cape Town Airbnb hosts could pay triple rates
Short-term letting properties may be subject to commercial rates
News | 28 September 2026
Elections 2026: How this North West town went from boom to bust
Matlosana municipality is under a financial recovery plan after years of mismanagement
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
Feature | 28 September 2026
Elections 2026: This failing town is knee-deep in sewage
Tswaing municipality in the North West spends money on court battles and consultants
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
Feature | 24 September 2026
Elections 2026: This town only gets water for an hour a day
Kou-Kamma Local Municipality says it needs R210-million to upgrade and maintain water and sanitation infrastructure
Feature | 21 September 2026
Raw sewage is flowing in nearly every metro
Sewage treatment scores have dropped in seven out of eight metro municipalities
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 18 September 2026
Makhanda’s decade-long struggle for reliable water
Upgrades to the water treatment plant to solve the crisis that started in 2015 are yet to be completed
By Sindisiwe Tshona and Loyiso Dyongman
News | 16 September 2026
Elections 2026: N1 town’s decade of decay
Beaufort West municipality says it does not have enough money to fix its ageing infrastructure. But the problem is self-inflicted
Text by Mary-Anne Gontsana. Photos by Ashraf Hendricks.
Feature | 16 September 2026
Video: Joburg’s water crisis, explained
We unpack why taps are dry
By Seth Thorne and Ihsaan Haffejee
Video | 14 September 2026