SA cities in a ‘death spiral’, deputy finance minister warns

South Africa’s main municipalities, with the exception of Cape Town, are in a “death spiral”, spending way too much money on administrative staff and too little on maintaining and building infrastructure, Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen has warned.

“Salary bills have grown much faster than inflation, faster than revenue, and far faster than service outputs,” he told the Cape Town Press Club on Wednesday.

“The result is a state that looks busy, that delivers less, consuming more in salaries and symbolism, while investing less in infrastructure that actually keeps our cities alive.”

Management shortcomings are clearly evident in Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub, and many of the country’s 256 other municipalities.

Residents have to contend with patchy refuse collection and regular water and electricity outages – problems that have triggered a number of violent protests.

Turning the situation around will require urgent and coordinated interventions to ensure officials are held