SA had 3.6 million indigent households in 2020, a 6.4% enhance over 2019, in keeping with the Non-financial Census of Municipalities, 2020, launched on Tuesday.
While the Auditor-General’s (AG) newest report on the monetary state of municipalities paints a dire image of mismanagement and declining service supply, the StatsSA census factors to some beneficial outcomes.
The chart under reveals the quantity of ‘consumer units’ (factors of supply) receiving some sort of municipal service. The quantity of items receiving water providers jumped greater than 50% since 2006, and the quantity receiving electrical energy jumped greater than 60% over the identical interval.
Source: StatsSA
An apparent conclusion when inserting the AG’s municipal findings alongside StatsSA’s non-financial census is that extra persons are receiving providers, however at an enormous monetary value to the nation. What will not be disclosed in the StatsSA census is the standard of the providers delivered, which the AG has began to incorporate as half of its audit opinion. Fewer municipalities are receiving clear audits, and budgets are being cannibalised to cowl rising employees and councillor wage prices. That leaves much less for upkeep and different bills important to service supply.
According to StatsSA, the quantity of shopper items receiving free fundamental providers decreased for all providers besides electrical energy between 2019 and 2020.
“According to 2020 estimates, there were 3.6 million indigent households as identified by municipalities. Out of this total, 2.7 million indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for water, while 2.1 million benefited from free basic electricity provided by municipalities. The report further reveals that 2.0 million indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for sewerage and sanitation and 2.4 million indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for solid waste management,” says StatsSA.
The purpose for the decline in free fundamental providers in areas apart from electrical energy is because of fewer customers registering for these providers. StatsSA supplied no clarification for the decline in registrations free of charge fundamental providers between 2019 and 2020.
Some 22.1% of SA’s 12.8 million ‘consumer units’ relied on free fundamental sewage and sanitation providers (towards 23.5% in 2019), 26% (2019: 27.1%) acquired free stable waste administration providers, and 19% (2019: 19.4%) acquired free fundamental electrical energy. Of the 14.1 million ‘consumer units’ throughout the nation in 2020, 24% (2019: 25%) acquired free water providers.
The census reveals 134 592 indigent households had been supplied with photo voltaic house energy techniques in 2020, up from about 131 000 in 2019. More than half of these photo voltaic techniques have been offered in Gauteng, adopted by the Eastern Cape.
Source: StatsSA
The Free Basic Services coverage launched by authorities in 2001 permits for:
- 6 kilolitres of free fundamental water per family per 30 days
- 50 kilowatt hours of free fundamental electrical energy per family per 30 days
- R50 common subsidy for sewerage and sanitation
- R50 common subsidy for stable waste administration.
Fewer municipal staff
The quantity of individuals employed by municipalities decreased from 333 412 in 2019 to 311 364 in 2020, a decline of greater than 6%. StatsSA says there have been 23 230 individuals occupying posts on the administration degree (together with mayoral and councillor positions) in all South African municipalities, excluding vacancies, with 14 209 of these posts stuffed by males whereas girls occupied the remaining 9 021 posts. There was a 43.2% lower in the quantity of funded vacant posts from 53 569 in 2019 to 30 426 in 2020 (together with mayoral and councillor’s positions).
