As South Africa heads towards the local government elections, Cutting Edge takes a closer look at the state of service delivery in the City of Johannesburg — and asks whether the city’s financial resources are translating into the services residents need. From informal settlements and townships to established suburbs, communities across Johannesburg are confronting many of the same challenges: unreliable water supplies, sewage flowing through streets, damaged infrastructure and long-standing maintenance problems. Residents say that even when problems are reported, their complaints often go unanswered. Billions of rands are allocated to municipalities each year for infrastructure and basic services. Yet on the ground, there remains a visible gap between what is budgeted and what communities experience. Cutting Edge examines Johannesburg’s finances, its infrastructure and maintenance backlog, and the challenges facing the city as it tries to keep pace with growing demand. Professor Zondi Mkhabela weighs in on the city’s finances and argues that integrated public-private partnerships may be needed to urgently tackle the infrastructure backlog. He also looks at the impact coalition politics can have on the ability of a city government to deliver services. For residents, these are not simply questions of budgets and political structures. They are daily realities that affect access to water, sanitation, housing and basic dignity. And with voter turnout already low in the previous local government elections, Cutting Edge asks whether growing frustration with service delivery could further influence residents’ willingness to participate in the upcoming polls.

This Heritage Month, tradition meets personal choice. Meet the young women embracing Amatshitshi in a changing world. What does it mean to honour your roots while choosing your own path?

An investigation into allegations of assault at Erasmus School in Vosloorus, Gauteng. Learners and parents accuse private security personnel of using excessive force on pupils. We hear from the learners and parents affected, the security personnel involved, COSAS, a legal expert and the Gauteng Department of Education. But why were private security guards brought into the school in the first place and who is responsible for protecting learners when those meant to provide security are accused of becoming a threat?

This story revisits the aftermath of the devastating 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods, which claimed more than 400 lives and displaced thousands. In Ntshongweni, west of Durban, 17 flood-affected families were left living in makeshift shacks in the bush, without electricity and with limited access to basic services. Residents described years of hardship, insecurity, crime and frequent encounters with snakes and other wildlife. The story highlighted their struggle for safe and dignified housing, as well as concerns about the lack of support from local leadership. Since the broadcast, there has been intervention from the eThekwini Municipality, with temporary emergency housing units now being built for the families. While these structures are a significant improvement on the shacks they were living in, the residents are still waiting for the permanent homes they were promised.

They came to Gert Sibande Perdekop TVET College to learn and build a future in agriculture. Students say they have been left without the practical training they need and some have been unable to graduate.

In 2025, we covered the Rabie Ridge land invasion, where a failed housing project pushed residents to occupy land without basic infrastructure. Returning a year later, little has changed. After three years without water, electricity, or proper sanitation, community members are still left improvising their own basic services.

Cutting Edge visits Maqashiya Village in Nkandla, where generations of residents say they have lived without basic services, including running water, proper roads, electricity and formal housing. Many elderly residents rely on social grants to support their families, while years of unfulfilled promises have left some questioning whether voting can bring change. Following our intervention, local authorities and Social Development visited the community, delivering food parcels to more than 20 families and identifying vulnerable households for further assistance. The story asks whether these interventions will bring lasting change to a community that feels forgotten

Cutting Edge investigates disturbing allegations of sexual abuse, manipulation and exploitation involving self-proclaimed pastors and traditional healers.