The City of Johannesburg on Wednesday confirmed that from 1 July, water would increase by 12.5%, sanitation by 11%, electricity by 8.63%, refuse removal by 6.2%, and property rates by 3.6%.

The increases, which had previously formed part of the city’s budget and public participation process, have now been approved by council as part of the 2026/2027 budget and will take effect with the approved Property Rates Policy.

The city said the tariff adjustments were informed by key cost drivers, including increases in bulk electricity and water purchases, ongoing infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, and the need to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the municipality.

The confirmation follows stakeholder engagement sessions held on 9 and 10 June.

The city said the engagements formed part of its “ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and customer education” after council approved the final budget and associated tariff adjustments.

According to the city,

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President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is determined to overhaul local government systems, improve accountability and strengthen service delivery.

“We must declare the days of patronage and factional politics in local government over,” Ramaphosa said. “The people of South Africa want to see councils fixing potholes and delivering water, not fighting over who gets one or another tender.”

ALSO READ: Taxi fares rise as fuel hikes squeeze commuters

He was addressing the National Council of Provinces’ Taking Parliament to the People programme at the Spirit Word Church in Stilfontein, on Friday.

“Local government is critical in ensuring that people have water and sanitation, electricity, roads, clinics and community services,” Ramaphosa said.

“When local government works, when municipalities are well-managed and deliver on their mandates, cities, towns and villages thrive.”

He said government had prioritised interventions to address the country’s water crisis, including establishing the National Water Crisis Committee

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A volatile situation has unfolded in Diepkloof on Saturday morning as residents clashed with police during protest action over electricity outages.

Community members, frustrated by the lack of power, vowed not to back down until supply is restored. Police fired ammunition toward the crowd as protesters retaliated, escalating tensions in the area.

Residents say they want answers directly from City Power about when electricity will return. Many expressed anger at what they describe as

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Rural homes headed by women in South Africa have many problems getting water, sanitation and energy. Electricity from the grid, flush toilets and piped water are’t always available.

Without all of these essential services, families are likely to struggle to produce enough food to meet their daily needs for a healthy life. 

Water, energy and sanitation are all needed for growing food, cooking and storing it, and keeping it free from contamination.

We are research specialists in food systems and public policy. Using statistics from the 2022 South African General Household Survey, we looked at how water and sanitation influence food security in 2 369 female-headed households in South Africa’s poorest provinces, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

We also looked into how energy acts as a link or pathway through which water and sanitation affect food security.

We chose to research the plight of rural, women-led families because even though these women have some access to land and grow crops, they face many problems in growing enough food for their families to survive.

These problems include inadequate

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The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has delivered a R65 billion no frills budget, with an improved credit rating and outlook, radically increased spending on maintenance as well as plans to get hostels and informal settlements to pay for the service they receive.

“From the outset, we seek to present a realistic budget outlook that can be practically implemented and monitored, taking into consideration the current state of our city’s environment,” finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi said as he delivered the budget and the Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework.

Dlabathi noted that the budget spelt out how priorities announced by Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza in this State of the City Address almost two months ago would be funded.

Ahead of the delivery of the budget speech, Xhakaza who recently survived a motion of no confidence, took to the podium to announce that the budget, the first under his multi-party coalition

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