South Africa’s metropolitan municipalities are under fire for paying senior executives millions while service delivery collapses.
Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s latest report reveals that 16 top officials across eight metros pocketed more than R44 million in 2023-24 , even as many of their administrations failed audits and struggled financially.
Experts warn the mismatch between pay and performance points to systemic collusion, corruption, and a widening gap between municipal elites and the communities they are meant to serve.
The Fat Salaries
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City of Cape Town manager Lungelo Mbandazayo: ~R4.8 million/year
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City of Ekurhuleni manager Kagiso Lerutla: ~R4.8 million/year
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City of eThekwini manager Musa Mbhele: ~R3.8 million/year
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City of Joburg senior managers (including CFO): ~R4 million/year
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Nelson Mandela Bay reportedly increased top management salaries by 75% in recent years
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Tshwane executive directors: salary increment amounting to over R3.3 million/year
The Auditor-General’s Findings
Only Cape Town and Ekurhuleni received clean audits. Municipalities such as Johannesburg, eThekwini, and Nelson Mandela Bay faced audit setbacks and persistent governance issues.
The Experts’ Views
Themba Godi , leader of the African People’s Convention and former parliamentary standing committee on public accounts chair, said salaries and performance in the public service “have to a very large extent been a mismatch and it’s worse in municipalities and public entities.”
“Managers are allowed to get exorbitant salaries because they then collude in the corruption perpetrated by service providers and councillors.”
“Today, we see many municipalities are on the brink of collapse, but when you look at the salaries of their leading officials, they are very high.”
He called for a review of these high salaries, saying they should not be higher than that of the state president.
Prof Theo Neethling , a research fellow in political studies and governance at the University of the Free State, said the auditor-general’s report supports an increasing political narrative regarding poor accountability and deteriorating governance quality.
“The gap between substantial salaries and poor performance enhances views of a detached municipal elite and bolsters political critiques suggesting that the quality of governancerather than financial resourcesis central to failures in service delivery.”
The Bottom Line
R44 million for 16 officials. Only two clean audits. Services collapsing.
The gap between pay and performance has never been wider. And the public is paying the price.
