Property Prices Track Municipal Audits

Cape TownCape Town house prices rose 11.5%, Buffalo City’s just 2.7%.

The Auditor-General gave Cape Town the only clean metro audit, and Buffalo City a qualified one.

Statistics South Africa’s index shows prices up 8.0% across eight metros in the year to May 2026.

Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay broke the pattern, growing 5.3% and 4.9% despite qualified audits.

South Africa votes in local elections on 4 November.

How each outlet framed it

Daily Maverick: tests whether property prices track municipal audit results, using Stats SA RPPI, FNB barometer and the Auditor-General's findings