With the 2026/2027 Local Government Elections taking place later this year, reliable access to municipal finance information is more important than ever. Government transparency in this regard empowers citizens to take action in holding their representatives accountable and make informed decisions when voting.
Government transparency in this regard empowers citizens...
However, information about municipal spending is often only available as spreadsheets or technical reports, making it difficult to quickly and easily find out how your municipality is spending your tax money.
This is where Municipal Money comes in. First launched in 2017, the Municipal Money project aims to make municipal spending data easily accessible and available to the public. OpenUp has been co-creating the platform with National Treasury since its inception.
...the Municipal Money project aims to make municipal spending data easily accessible and available to the public.
Municipal Money makes it easy to understand how your municipality spends public funds with a dashboard that is simple to navigate. You can either search for your municipality by name or find it by clicking on the map. Once you've selected your municipality, you’re taken to a dedicated scorecard packed with interactive charts and visuals. These let you dig into your municipality’s finances – learning how much money they bring in, and exactly how it is spent.
The next phase
In November 2025, the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) awarded a tender to OpenUp to lead the hosting, maintenance and updating support for Municipal Money for this next phase. The tender will fund the project until the end of 2028, allowing the OpenUp team to:
- Keep everything running smoothly so the site stays fast and reliable;
- Ensure that the site is accessible across all devices;
- Maintain a clean, consistent design that's easy to navigate;
- Build a sustainable, open digital infrastructure for the South African government; and
- Reach more people who need access to Municipal Money’s data and want to learn about their municipality.
This means that South African citizens using the dashboard can expect up-to-date spending data, a smooth user experience, as well as continued access to relevant and easy-to-understand municipal information. Know what you’re voting for in the 2026 Local Government Elections (and for all your civic activism in between) by visiting Municipal Money today!
...[users] can expect up-to-date spending data, a smooth user experience, as well as continued access to relevant and easy-to-understand municipal information.
