How to compare municipalities fairly over time
Compare the same measure, source definition and reporting period, then check municipality type and missing records. A larger total or a higher Financial resilience score alone does not establish better services or better political leadership.
By Pothole Portal · Independent interpretation of public evidence
Check the period and the responsibilities
Finance uses municipal financial years, while the initial Stats SA services workbook uses its published reference years. Each topic has its own available periods. A retrieval timestamp tells you when we captured the evidence, rather than when the activity happened.
Metropolitan, local and district municipalities have different responsibilities. A municipality that does not provide water should not be scored as if it had reported serving zero consumers. Financial totals also reflect the scale of each municipality.
Coverage can change the apparent trend
Trends & History shows reporting coverage and gaps. A total can change because different municipalities reported in different years. Where available, use the consistent reporting cohort to hold the set of municipalities fixed.
Do not combine incompatible historical accounting schemas or treat local and district geographic overlap as additional population. Boundary changes and revised source records can affect a time series. Follow exact observations and sources before attributing a change to a policy or administration.
Sources and definitions
- Pothole Portal: history and coverage methodology
- Treasury source definitions
- Stats SA P9115 publication series
Source publication dates and data coverage differ. For a municipality’s figures, check the observation period and original evidence rather than assuming this guide establishes the latest available data.
Explore the evidence
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