Johannesburg – Growing frustration with deteriorating municipal services is encouraging South Africans to leave parts of Gauteng in search of better-managed towns and cities, with the Western Cape and other provinces emerging as alternative destinations.
The trend reflects mounting concerns about water and electricity outages, crumbling infrastructure, crime and poor municipal management, which are increasingly influencing residential property decisions.
According to BusinessTech, residents are looking beyond Gauteng as service delivery problems undermine the appeal of some of the province’s established residential areas.
Earlier Lightstone Property data reported by BusinessTech showed that 27% of homeowners who sold their properties and bought new ones in 2024 moved to another province, up from 16% in 2019.
Gauteng recorded a 10% decline in repeat buyers choosing to remain in the province, with Pretoria, Johannesburg, Roodepoort, Sandton and Centurion among the areas experiencing net outflows of homeowners.
Wider concerns
The Western Cape was the main beneficiary of this movement, attracting about 3,500 homeowners from Gauteng, according to the report.
The trend is also supported by wider concerns about municipal performance. In July 2026, BusinessTech reported on research by the Bureau for Economic Research highlighting the growing influence of local governance on residential and business investment decisions.
The BER said municipalities play a crucial role in economic growth because “all growth must take place somewhere”, warning that struggling metropolitan areas can weigh on the wider economy.
In Johannesburg, persistent water shortages and deteriorating infrastructure have intensified residents’ frustrations. Eyewitness News reported in March 2026 that city manager Floyd Brink attributed the challenges partly to infrastructure decay and rising demand.
“It’s legacy-related issues, infrastructure decay and the need to reinvest back into water infrastructure,” Brink said.
Competing trends
However, Gauteng’s population movement is not exclusively outward. The province continues to attract people seeking employment and relatively affordable housing, with BusinessTech reporting in August 2026 that moves from the Western Cape to Gauteng increased by 58.6% in 2025, according to the Wise Move Migration Report.
The competing trends highlight the importance of reliable municipal services, infrastructure maintenance and sound governance in determining where households settle and businesses invest.
For Gauteng municipalities, reversing the loss of residents and investment will depend not only on economic opportunities but also on their ability to provide dependable basic services and maintain public infrastructure.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
