Johannesburg: The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has unveiled a real-time dashboard aimed at tracking key performance indicators of all 11 of the province's municipalities. The tool, known as the Gauteng Smart City Performance Monitor, will monitor crucial areas, including governance, financial management, infrastructure delivery, climate resilience, and disaster preparedness. The dashboard will further provide residents with access to municipal performance data, enabling communities to monitor progress and strengthen accountability in service delivery.
According to South African Government News Agency, integrated technology platforms, including CCTV networks, the LIMIT land invasion monitoring system, and smart water management dashboards, form part of Gauteng's broader digital transformation journey aimed at building responsive and data-driven municipalities. The dashboard is a part of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy (LGTS), adopted in October 2024 to address persistent service delivery bottlenecks. The LGTS serves as a coordinated framework to address longstanding challenges facing municipalities while advancing the vision of building smart and resilient municipalities.
Through Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) platforms, facilitated by Gauteng COGTA, provincial government, municipalities, and strategic stakeholders have strengthened collaboration to tackle persistent service delivery constraints. Early gains from this approach are becoming increasingly evident, including resolved audit findings increasing from 35% in the third quarter of 2023/24 to 55% during the same period in 2024/25. Non-compliance findings dropped, while two municipalities maintained clean audits. Staffing and capacity improvements were also noted, with the filling of senior management positions increasing from 70% in March 2025 to 86% in March 2026.
Despite this progress, significant challenges remain. Municipal debtors reached R173.3 billion by March 2026, while Eskom debt increased to R31.27 billion. Gauteng continues to work with municipalities to strengthen revenue collection, improve financial controls, and accelerate infrastructure investment. Infrastructure and service delivery interventions remain central to the turnaround programme. Municipalities continue implementing measures to reduce non-revenue water losses, improve maintenance expenditure, and strengthen water management systems.
New interventions aimed at reducing water losses, protecting infrastructure, and improving service delivery outcomes continue to be prioritised under the Local Government Turnaround Strategy. The Gauteng Provincial Government maintains that the LGTS is not a once-off intervention but an ongoing programme aimed at rebuilding municipal capability, strengthening accountability, and improving service delivery outcomes. Through the strategy, Gauteng continues to fix the basics while building smart cities of the future, anchored in integration, innovation, digital transformation, and cooperative governance.
Speaking at a progress report briefing on municipal performance, Gauteng COGTA MEC Jacob Mamabolo reiterated the importance of working together to resolve challenges. He emphasized the need for greater integration and coordination to resolve the 13 priority challenges identified by Premier Panyaza Lesufi during the State of the Province Address. Mamabolo expressed encouragement that national, provincial, and local governments are increasingly recognizing the strength in collaboration to address complex challenges that hamper service delivery.