The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, the traditional birthplace of the ANC, is grappling with a deepening governance and service delivery crisis, marked by water shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and unauthorised expenditure totalling R8.81 billion.
Residents are growing increasingly impatient. In March, the Mangaung Concerned Citizens called for the resignation of Mayor Gregory Nthatisi over allegations of irregular hiring practices. Demands for accountability have intensified as new data reveals the extent of the municipality’s financial and operational failures.
Mangaung is one of only two metros the ANC governs outright, the other being Buffalo City Metro. However, the municipality has consistently received qualified audits from the Auditor General in recent years due to material inaccuracies in its financial statements.
According to Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke, Mangaung spent 111% of its budget in the 2023–2024 financial year—11% more than it received—while delivering only 45% of the services it should have. In 2019, the metro was placed under national government intervention to rescue it from its dire financial situation.
Spending on repairs and maintenance sits at just 2%, far below the statutory requirement of 8%. Although Mangaung receives approximately R6 billion as a municipality, it allocates only R792 million to capital expenditure—the refurbishment of the city’s crumbling infrastructure.
The water and sanitation situation remains under severe strain. Aging infrastructure and high water losses mean the municipality has the second-highest water loss due to leaks in the country, second only to the City of Johannesburg. Water losses exceed 48%, equating to an estimated R340 million wasted annually. Weak revenue management and inadequate maintenance have compounded the crisis.
On the sewage front, conditions have also deteriorated. Mangaung accounts for R8.81 billion, or 33.7%, of unauthorised expenditure—the second-highest of any metro nationwide, again trailing only Johannesburg.
Speaking from the township of White City, community members report that water infrastructure has been damaged by the very people supposed to provide services, including water tankers. Residents allege that politicians are using tankers to supply townships far from the intact infrastructure of the central business district.
The Mangaung Concerned Citizens have placed blame directly on the mayor and top leadership. The municipality continues to face ongoing water shortages, inconsistent waste collection, and deteriorating infrastructure.