Budget 2025: Maile cracks the whip on GP municipalities

By Thebe Mabanga

Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile has cracked the whip on the province’s municipalities, urging them to table funded budget and has warned that residents can expect steep increases in the municipal rates in the years ahead as municipalities move towards cost reflective tariffs.

Maile tabled the 2025/2026 budget at the Gauteng provincial legislature on Tuesday and called on municipalities to table budgets that are “credible, relevant, and sustainable,” as well as fully funded. 

Maile announced that based on tabled budgets so far, which are due for adoption by the end of this month, only four municipalities have tabled funded budgets.

He identified these as the City of Johannesburg, the City of Tshwane, Midvaal Local Municipality and Mogale City Local Municipality.

“The remaining municipalities tabled unfunded budgets, which is a serious concern.”

This would include the province’s other metro, the City of Ekurhuleni, which tabled its R65 billion