This is the bold argument made by independent policy researcher Kevin Tutani, who believes that critical vacancies and poor management, rather than a lack of funding, are at the core of collapsing service delivery.
In his newly released paper, Decisively Resolving Municipal Distress, Tutani proposes that unless government begins attracting top talent by offering performance-linked pay packages, municipalities will remain trapped in a cycle of dysfunction, corruption and waste.
Tutani notes that municipal revenue surged from approximately $10.4 billion in 2010 to over $28 billion in 2024. This represents an average annual growth rate of 9%, outpacing inflation and population growth. Despite this, residents continue to endure deteriorating services.
He says the problem lies in how these funds are managed. One in four critical positions, such as municipal managers, financial officers, and technical directors, are currently vacant, while many of those who occupy these roles are not suitably qualified. In some municipalities like Tshwane, the vacancy rate in key roles is closer to 40%.
Tutani cites research from Stellenbosch University that found most senior municipal officials leave their posts within two years, often moving to the private sector in search of better pay. This high turnover, combined with low capacity, has severely eroded institutional memory and weakened governance across the country.
To reverse the decline, Tutani proposes paying top officials more than their private-sector counterparts, but linking half of their salary to actual performance. Those who meet or exceed their targets would be rewarded with bonuses, while those who fail to deliver would see their pay reduced.
He also calls for real-time public access to municipal financial data. If residents could track daily expenditure, he argues, they would be better equipped to identify irregularities and report them to oversight bodies such as the Auditor-General or the Special Investigating Unit.
Tutani supports the national government’s plan to merge smaller municipalities, arguing that this could help consolidate skills and reduce administrative costs. However, he insists that without urgent reforms in hiring and accountability, structural changes alone will not be enough.
According to Tutani, SA’s municipalities don’t lack money, they lack the right people and systems to manage it. “We must invest in skilled leadership,” he says, “or the crisis will only deepen.”
--ChannelAfrica--
