The municipal electricity debt crisis in South Africa
Sifiso Mofokeng, Semano Mosolodi, Nhlanhla Sibusiso Malinga, Simon Matome Nkgapele & Andile Gumede
Abstract
This paper aims to raise awareness of the municipal electricity debt crisis in South Africa and provide an analytical understanding of the administrative, financial, and governance factors driving it. It further develops a framework to improve municipal electricity debt management, revenue generation, and collection in support of sustainable service delivery. The study adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on secondary data published between 2018 and 2026 and applying thematic analysis to examine the systemic factors, patterns, and trends contributing to the rise in municipal electricity debt. The findings indicate that South Africa’s municipal electricity debt crisis is a systemic outcome of sustained Public Financial Management (PFM) failures, driven by administrative inefficiencies, weak financial governance, political interference, socioeconomic constraints, and poor policy enforcement rather than isolated technical problems. In response, the paper proposes a PFM-grounded municipal electricity debt management framework that integrates improved administrative systems, credible budgeting, strengthened governance and accountability, effective credit control, and the alignment of social policy with revenue management. These elements collectively aim to support long-term financial sustainability and reliable service delivery. The core contribution of the study lies in advancing a coherent, practice-oriented model that links financial governance reform with pro-poor service delivery imperatives, thereby moving beyond descriptive accounts toward an integrated strategy for long-term municipal financial sustainability.
Keywords
governance, revenue collection, service delivery, public financial management
Author information & Contribution
Sifiso Mofokeng. Corresponding author. PhD in Public Administration, Nelson Mandela University. Email: s217450857@mandela.ac.za
Semano Mosolodi. Master of Governance and Transformation, University of the Free State. Email: 2017278165@ufs4life.ac.za
Sibusiso Malinga. Master of Public Administration, Durban University of Technology. Email: 21908896@dut4lifeac.onmicrosoft.com
Simon Matome Nkgapele. PhD in Administration. Student, University of Limpopo. Email: nkgapelesimon@gmail.com
Andile Gumede. Bachelor of Public Administration Honours, Stellenbosch University. Email: 29160855@sun.ac.za
"Author 1 and Author 2 conceptualized and finalized the research framework. Author 3 and Author 4 drafted and revised the manuscript. Author 5 gathered, analyzed and interpreted the data. All authors contributed to the writing of the final version of the manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not Applicable
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The author declares the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing this paper. In particular, the author relied on Grammarly to rephrase sentences, ensuring that spelling and grammar were handled correctly. In addition, Figure 4 was handwritten and typed into Gemini AI for image generation and design. The author takes full responsibility for ensuring proper review and editing of content generated using AI.
Notes
Acknowledgement
References
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Cite this article:
Mofokeng, S., Mosolodi, S., Malinga, N.S., Nkgapele, S.M. & Gumede, A. (2026). The municipal electricity debt crisis in South Africa. International Review of Social Sciences Research, 6(1), 277-304. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353337
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