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Joburg SA's most productive metro

Johannesburg - Johannesburg was the most productive metro, and George the most productive municipality in the country, according to the results of a municipal productivity index (MPI) released by the company Municipal IQ on Wednesday.

However, the provinces the two fall in also had the most service delivery protests in the last year, researchers found.

"It is interesting that the top-rated provinces on the MPI, the Western Cape and Gauteng, are also the most protest afflicted," according to a statement accompanying the results.

"Given that these provinces are home to some of South Africa's largest metropolitan municipalities, where more than half (53%) of this year's protests have taken place, the data suggests that many protests are probably fuelled by disappointed work-seekers, given that unemployment levels in protest wards are significantly above the national as well as the metro averages."

They noted that many of the protests took place in informal settlements, where poverty was a pressing issue.

They also found the recession played a part in the results, due to diminished spending by municipalities and shrinking revenue bases.

Western Cape municipalities outperformed those of other provinces, followed by Gauteng, with the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coming in at eight and ninth place.

Rural and former "homeland" provinces had poor revenue streams and a dearth of capacity, but had also been better insulated from the recession than the higher-spending areas.

Topping the list of least productive municipalities was Nyandeni in the Eastern Cape, followed by Maphumulo in KwaZulu-Natal.

"It is interesting that the top-rated provinces on the MPI, the Western Cape and Gauteng, are also the most protest afflicted," read a statement accompanying the results.

"Given that these provinces are home to some of South Africa's largest metropolitan municipalities, where more than half (53%) of this year's protests have taken place, the data suggests that many protests are probably fuelled by disappointed work-seekers, given that unemployment levels in protest wards are significantly above the national as well as the metro averages."

They noted that many of the protests took place in informal settlements, where poverty was a pressing issue.

They also found the recession played a part in the results, due to diminished spending by municipalities and shrinking revenue bases.

Western Cape municipalities outperformed those of other provinces, followed by Gauteng, with the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coming in at eighth and ninth place.

Rural and former "homeland" provinces had poor revenue streams and a dearth of capacity, but had also been better insulated from the recession than the higher-spending areas.

Topping the list of least productive municipalities was Nyandeni in the Eastern Cape, followed by Maphumulo in KwaZulu-Natal.
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