Municipalities spend R1.6bn on consultants (opens original article in a new tab)

Municipalities spent R1.6bn on consultants in 2024/2025, with 61% of financial statements having material misstatements linked to consultant work, highlighting skills shortages and governance issues.

• Municipalities spent R1.6bn on consultants in 2024/2025, up from R586m in 2014/2015.
• 61% of financial statements had material misstatements linked to consultant work, with skills shortages as the main reason.
• 225 municipalities used consultants in 2024/2025, up from 179 a decade ago.
• 40% of municipalities had concerning financial health, with 25% assessed as unfavourable.