Years of deteriorating services, broken infrastructure, and mounting public frustration have pushed Ekurhuleni to a breaking point, with residents across both affluent and less affluent areas enduring persistent power outages and water disruptions.
The metro’s financial position has collapsed over the past decade, according to Izak Berg from the Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa.
“Ten years ago they had 7 billion rand in reserves. In 10 years we have depleted that,” Berg said. “I can put it to you that most of that money went missing because of fraud and corruption and it must be investigated.”
Current payment levels stand at 85% to 88%, but Berg warned the metro has budgeted for a 90% collection rate. “If we don’t reach it we can’t render all services in the city,” he said.
Berg highlighted widespread overpaying for goods, citing invoices showing the metro paying more than double market prices. “You can buy it at more than half the price at Makro or one of those businesses. We are overpaying in this metro. You cannot believe it because everybody wants a piece of the pie.”
The situation is not limited to townships. Berg described raw sewage running down Nelson Mandela Drive in Alberton, noting the same conditions in Tembisa. “It’s happening across the board,” he said.
Rising electricity costs are compounding the crisis. Nersa has approved another 9.01% increase effective July 1. “The Minister of Electricity has also confirmed that electricity has become too expensive but nothing gets done to reduce the prices,” Berg said. “People don’t have enough money to pay for all the services — they must still put food on the table.”
Berg also blamed provincial government for non-functional traffic lights on provincial roads, saying letters to both the department and the premier have met with “a lack of interest.”
Ekurhuleni, a 2,000-square-kilometre area considered a prized manufacturing hub responsible for roughly 11% of South Africa’s manufacturing output, now faces an uncertain future. “If we don’t sort it out, there will not be enough money to render the services in metros,” Berg said.