Elections 2026
How is your municipality doing?
We are doing in depth reports on municipalities across the country ahead of the 2026 local elections.
Metro voters stayed home in 2021. Will this time be different?
In all metros, most registered voters didn’t go to the polls
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 16 October 2026
Elections 2026: Affordable housing – has the City of Cape Town done enough?
The City’s plans for 28,400 affordable homes may pay off but it won’t be soon
By Matthew Hirsch, Alice Scott and Daniel Steyn
Feature | 14 October 2026
Elections 2026: even the province couldn’t fix this municipality
Ditsobotla in North West has been failing for years
By Seth Thorne
Feature | 12 October 2026
Tshwane silent on Bronkhorstspruit’s discoloured water
Residents say they are worried about possibly getting water-borne illnesses
Brief | 9 October 2026
Ekurhuleni police force employed convicted killers, Parliament told
Damning draft report presented to SCOPA lists critical governance and financial failures across five cities
Feature | 8 October 2026
Deputy minister takes action on broken wastewater treatment plant
Jack Bloom visits Klerksdorp Wastewater Treatment Works, which has not worked since 2023
By Seth Thorne
News | 6 October 2026
Elections 2026: this village in the Langkloof orchards is strewn with rubbish
Residents of Louterwater in Kou-Kamma municipality complain of uncollected waste, persistent sewage overflows and inconsistent water supply
Feature | 5 October 2026
Durban and Joburg worst hit by water outages
These are the metros where long interruptions are most common
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 2 October 2026
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