South Africans Losing Faith as Basic Services Crumble, New Survey Warns

South Africans encounter their government most directly at the tap, the clinic queue, the potholed road and the refuse bin. When those things work, trust holds. When they fail, it erodes, and the latest National Quantitative Tracker Report for Quarter 4 of 2025/26 shows just how far that erosion has gone.

Seventy-nine percent of respondents believe the country is moving in the wrong direction. Only 18% hold a positive view. Those numbers are not abstract polling figures; they reflect the daily frustrations of people who wait for water, navigate broken roads and deal with unresponsive public offices.

Citizens are forming their judgments on lived experience. They assess whether services are reliable, whether leadership is visible, whether institutions respond and whether government acts with integrity and urgency. The Tracker Report does identify pockets of stronger approval. Half of respondents express positive views on access to clean drinking water, 49% on solid waste removal and 47% on the reliability of electricity supply. Public approval also holds up in the provision of social grants, efforts to combat and treat HIV, AIDS and TB, and the delivery of basic education. These results show that sustained progress is possible when systems are well-coordinated, implementation is focused and institutions are held accountable.

By contrast, confidence in the maintenance of municipal infrastructure sits at just 35%. Perceptions of community inclusion and consultation in development processes stand at 31%. The data makes a pointed argument: service delivery is not only about building infrastructure. It is equally about maintaining it, communicating clearly about it and ensuring that communities feel genuinely heard in decisions that shape their lives.

Trust in local leadership is under particular strain. Only 29% of citizens believe premiers and mayors are performing their duties effectively. Just 27% feel ward councillors are doing their jobs well. Those ratings are not fixed. They can improve if public leadership becomes more visible, more accessible and more willing to be held to account.

With the 2026 Local Government Elections approaching, rebuilding public trust must become a deliberate and sustained programme of action across the public sector. For citizens to participate meaningfully in democratic processes, they need confidence that those processes deliver real benefits in their everyday lives. Confidence will not improve through messaging alone. It must be earned through visible improvements in services and in the lived experience of ordinary people.

The ongoing review of the White Paper on Local Government is one concrete reform opportunity to address the root causes of municipal dysfunction and strengthen the sphere of government closest to communities. The White Paper must support a system that is financially sustainable, professionally led and accountable. Most importantly, it must translate into measurable improvements in citizens’ lives, including better governance, stronger accountability, improved infrastructure management, more meaningful community participation and more reliable service delivery.

The principles of Batho Pele call on public servants to listen actively, communicate clearly, act with professionalism and courtesy, uphold service standards and provide redress where they fall short. These values are rooted in the legacy of Nelson Mandela, whose life was defined by selfless service to the people of South Africa. Government’s legitimacy is earned not through words but through tangible action that protects human dignity, advances accountability and places people at the centre of every decision. Further guidance on these principles is available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/rebuilding-public-trust-through-delivery-and-accountability

Building a capable, ethical and developmental state requires sustained commitment. A capable state plans effectively, maintains infrastructure, uses data to solve problems and equips public servants with the skills and support to deliver. An ethical state acts decisively against corruption, protects public resources and enforces consequence management. A developmental state reduces inequality, expands opportunity and ensures that no one is left behind.

Despite low institutional trust, a majority of South Africans continue to demonstrate resilience. The Tracker Report shows that 51% remain proud to be South African and 58% are confident about a shared, positive future. That national pride is a foundation worth building on. Public trust is not rebuilt through promises made but through promises kept, in every ward, every service centre, every repaired road, every functioning tap and every citizen treated with dignity. The question the 2026 elections will ultimately answer is whether enough of those promises have been kept to matter.