Checked 27 October 2026
Where the facts in this claim come from
Every fact on the claim page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
What does the evidence show?
Why it is Verified
The Auditor-General's 2024-25 report lists these figures on its Cape Town page. It says the City's electricity losses meant that some money it could have charged for was not billed and collected.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: PDF page 217 (printed page 213), City of Cape Town dashboard, 'Distribution losses over administration': 'Water losses R0,48bn (0 years more than 30% norm)'; 'Electricity losses R2,42bn (4 years more than 10% norm)'. PDF page 218 (printed page 214), paragraph 3: 'Distribution losses, particularly electricity losses, resulted in billable revenue not being invoiced and collected.' PDF page 14: in 2024-25 the eight metros lost an estimated R9,89bn in water (39% average) and R17,28bn in electricity (20% average) (context).
City of Cape Town. Published 1 April 2026.
Where to look: Printed page 122 (PDF page 63), report of the Auditor-General, 'Material losses', paragraph 17: 'material electricity losses of R1,06 billion (2023-24: R915.54 million) was incurred, which represents 11,23% (2023-24: 11,00%) of total electricity purchased' (date is the PDF creation date, 1 Apr 2026)
What did the council do, and when?
Who ran the council
Mayor: Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA). Council run by DA. From Nov 2021 to present.
SABC News. Published 18 November 2021.
Where to look: Paragraph 1 (the City elected Hill-Lewis as mayor); paragraph 4 (141 votes out of 224 councillors present in the 231-seat council); paragraph 5 (embedded City post: 'today, 18 November 2021, during a full Inaugural Meeting of the Council')
Daily Maverick. Published 19 November 2021.
Where to look: Paragraph 1: Hill-Lewis 'was on Thursday elected Cape Town's executive mayor by 141 votes out of 224 ballots returned'
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 23 May 2022.
Where to look: Page 4 of 6, 'Total Party Seats' table: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE 135 (83 ward, 52 PR); page 6 of 6: total 231 seats (no printed date; date is the PDF creation date, 23 May 2022)
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: PDF page 182 (printed page 178), table 'Instability in key leadership positions': City of Cape Town, mayor incumbents over the past four years: 1
EWN. Published 20 August 2026.
Where to look: Headline ('... in final council address') and paragraph 3 ('In his final address to council for the term on Thursday, Hill-Lewis ...')
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