South Africa has three spheres of government: national, provincial and local. Knowing which sphere handles a service saves contacting the wrong office, because responsibilities are divided rather than shared.
Which sphere does what
| Local government (municipalities) | Water and sanitation, refuse, municipal roads and stormwater, rates and municipal billing, by-law enforcement, municipal electricity distribution in many areas |
| Provincial government | Provincial health facilities, provincial schools, provincial roads, and oversight of municipalities through Cooperative Governance departments |
| National government | National departments and entities, including Home Affairs, SARS, SASSA and national policing |
The local government tiers
Local government itself has two structures. Eight metropolitan municipalities each run all municipal services for a large urban area with no district above them. Everywhere else uses district municipalities made up of local municipalities, which share responsibilities between them.
That split is not uniform. Water services in particular sit with the district in some areas and the local municipality in others, so it is worth asking which authority is the service authority for the function you need.
Browse by province
- Gauteng municipalities — Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni
- Western Cape municipalities — City of Cape Town
- KwaZulu-Natal municipalities — eThekwini
- Eastern Cape municipalities — Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City
Browse by structure
- Metropolitan municipality contact details
- District municipality contact details
- Local municipality contact details
- Councillor contact details South Africa
Start with your municipal account
The municipality named on your account is the authority responsible for your property, and it is the most reliable starting point. Town and suburb names do not reliably indicate the municipality, particularly near metro boundaries.
Oversight and escalation
Municipal maladministration complaints can be taken to the Public Protector on 0800 112 040 or [email protected]. Municipal governance concerns can be raised with your Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance, and electricity supply disputes with NERSA via nersa.org.za.
FAQs
- Which sphere handles water and refuse? Local government, through your municipality.
- Who oversees municipalities? Provincial Cooperative Governance departments, with the Public Protector handling maladministration complaints.
- How do I identify my municipality? By the name on your municipal account, not by your town or suburb name.