South Africa is the sixth African country with the largest population, counting approximately 60.5 million individuals as of 2021. In 2023, the largest city in South Africa was Cape Town. The capital of Western Cape counted 3.4 million inhabitants, whereas South Africa's second largest city was Durban (eThekwini Municipality), with 3.1 million inhabitants. Note that when observing the number of inhabitants by municipality, Johannesburg is counted as largest city/municipality of South Africa.

From four provinces to nine provinces

Before Nelson Mandela became president in 1994, the country had four provinces, Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal and 10 “homelands” (also called Bantustans). The four larger regions were for the white population while the homelands for its black population. This system was dismantled following the new constitution of South Africa in 1996 and reorganized into nine provinces. Currently, Gauteng is the most populated province with around 15.9 million people residing there, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 11.68 million inhabiting the province. As of 2022, Black African individuals were almost 81 percent of the total population in the country, while colored citizens followed amounting to around 5.34 million.

A diverse population

Although the majority of South Africans are identified as Black, the country’s population is far from homogenous, with different ethnic groups usually residing in the different “homelands”. This can be recognizable through the various languages used to communicate between the household members and externally. IsiZulu was the most common language of the nation with around a quarter of the population using it in- and outside of households. IsiXhosa and Afrikaans ranked second and third with roughly 15 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

Cairo, in Egypt, ranked as the most populated city in Africa as of 2025, with an estimated population of over 23 million inhabitants living in Greater Cairo. Kinshasa, in Congo, and Lagos, in Nigeria, followed with some 17.8 million and 17.2 million, respectively. Among the 15 largest cities in the continent, another one, Kano, was located in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. Population density trends in Africa As of 2023, Africa exhibited a population density of 50.1 individuals per square kilometer. Since 2000, the population density across the continent has been experiencing a consistent annual increment. Projections indicated that the average population residing within each square kilometer would rise to approximately 58.5 by the year 2030. Moreover, Mauritius stood out as the African nation with the most elevated population density, exceeding 627 individuals per square kilometre. Mauritius possesses one of the most compact territories on the continent, a factor that significantly influences its high population density. Urbanization dynamics in Africa The urbanization rate in Africa was anticipated to reach close to 45.5 percent in 2024. Urbanization across the continent has consistently risen since 2000, with urban areas accommodating only around a third of the total population then. This trajectory is projected to continue its rise in the years ahead. Nevertheless, the distribution between rural and urban populations shows remarkable diversity throughout the continent. In 2024, Gabon and Libya stood out as Africa’s most urbanized nations, each surpassing 80 percent urbanization. As of the same year, Africa's population was estimated to expand by 2.27 percent compared to the preceding year. Since 2000, the population growth rate across the continent has consistently exceeded 2.3 percent, reaching its pinnacle at 2.63 percent in 2013. Although the growth rate has experienced a deceleration, Africa's population will persistently grow significantly in the forthcoming years.

Population in largest city in South Africa was reported at 6324351 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in South Africa was reported at 14.26 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

This dataset is about cities in South Africa. It has 198 rows. It features 7 columns including country, population, latitude, and longitude.

South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City data was reported at 9,822,625.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 9,615,976.000 Person for 2016. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 3,628,124.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,822,625.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 2,136,849.000 Person in 1960. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 26.327 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 26.291 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 23.218 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.327 % in 2017 and a record low of 18.806 % in 1991. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

As of 2023, South Africa's population increased and counted approximately 62.3 million inhabitants in total, of which the majority inhabited Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western-Eastern Cape. Gauteng (includes Johannesburg) is the smallest province in South Africa, though highly urbanized with a population of over 16 million people according to the estimates. Cape Town, on the other hand, is the largest city in South Africa with nearly 3.43 million inhabitants in the same year, whereas Durban counted 3.12 million citizens. However, looking at cities including municipalities, Johannesburg ranks first. High rate of young population South Africa has a substantial population of young people. In 2024, approximately 34.3 percent of the people were aged 19 years or younger. Those aged 60 or older, on the other hand, made-up over 10 percent of the total population. Distributing South African citizens by marital status, approximately half of the males and females were classified as single in 2021. Furthermore, 29.1 percent of the men were registered as married, whereas nearly 27 percent of the women walked down the aisle. Youth unemployment Youth unemployment fluctuated heavily between 2003 and 2022. In 2003, the unemployment rate stood at 36 percent, followed by a significant increase to 45.5 percent in 2010. However, it fluctuated again and as of 2022, over 51 percent of the youth were registered as unemployed. Furthermore, based on a survey conducted on the worries of South Africans, some 64 percent reported being worried about employment and the job market situation.

Johannesburg was the wealthiest city in Africa as of 2021. South Africa's biggest city held *** billion U.S. dollars in private wealth, while Cape Town followed with *** billion U.S. dollars. The country led the ranking of wealthiest nations in Africa. The wealth value referred to assets such as cash, properties, and business interests held by individuals living in each country, less liabilities. Moreover, government funds were excluded.

Abstract

This study covers Cape Town, one of four African cities surved between 2013 and 2019 by the African Center for Cities. The African Center for cities is based at the University of Cape Town and is a partner of the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP).

The HCP studies include household data on food insecurity, household food purchasing dynamics, nutritional discounting taking place in households, foods consumed and multidimensional measures of poverty. The household data is complimented with household member data and food retailer (vendor) data, including infomation on vendor employees.

The Hungry Cities Partnership is an international network of cities and city-based partner organizations which focuses on the relationships between rapid urbanization, informality, inclusive growth and urban food systems in the Global South.

Geographic coverage

The household sample is deisgned to be representative of the city of Cape Town.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

Households and Vendors in Cape Town.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

Household sampling: the sample for the 2013 Food Security Study was designed to be two-stage and stratified, using a random probability sample of 2,500 Cape Town households .Enumeration areas were taken from Statistics SAs master lists and used as the primary sampling unit. Households were the secondard sampling unit. Strafitication was done by income group of the household. Some areas were over-sampled to improve accuracy. In each of the drawn EAs, six households were systematically selected, with the exception of the EAs in DuNoon (where 10 households were systematically selected). Starting points were allocated to ensure coverage of the entire EA. The household was defined by everyone who regularly "ate from the same pot".

Vendor sampling: The survey team documentation reads as follows: A strategy of maximum variation sampling was used to ensure a mix of commercial, formal residential, informal residential, mixed formal and informal residential, and industrial retail sites. In these areas, the main street served as the primary site of research. Informal food vending businesses were selected randomly. In total, 1,018 food vendors were interviewed over a three-week period.

For more on sampling see the study documentation.

Sampling deviation

In cases, xenophobic violence made vendor interviews dangerous in some areas.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

There are two questionnaires per city, a household questionnaire and a vendor questionnaire. The household questionnaire has a subsection for household members (persons), and the vendor quesitonnaire has a subsection for employees. Answers to these subsections are supplied in separete datafiles, which can be matched to (merged with) the questoinnaire as necessary.

Vendor surveys were administered to the person directly responsible for the running of the business using handheld tablets. The household survey was administered to a senior adult member of the household, someone who could speak for the household.

Note that for the household questionnaire, the question 8 section changed slightly for Cape Town, in that the answers are not stored in 'wide' format like the other cities. Rather, if a respondent provided more than one answer, additional variables were created. This is why the dataset has less variables and the question 8 section looks different. Only up to three locations were recorded in section 8, even if the repondent mentioned more than 3 sources of food.

Cleaning operations

Datafiles were received by DataFirst in SPSS (.sav) and Excel (.xlsx) format. Variables had to be named and variable labels were taken from question text. Variables were named accoriding to question number and subject matter, in a hierachical fasion.

An effort was made to keep question numbers consistent across cities where the same questions were asked for the 2013-2019 surveys. For the vendor data, Cape Town, Maputo and Nairobi had almost identical questionnaires and so the question numbers were naturally the same across these cities (harmonized). For the household data, Maputo, Nairobi and Windhoek were similar and could be harmonized. This means users could try stack these datafiles. The Cape Town household questionnaire was more different to the others, and variable names would required adjusting to match with the other cities.

Missing values of 97, 98, and 99 were converted to -97, -98 and -99. There were some question numbers wrong in the vendor data questionnaires (typos) that were corrected.

Data appraisal

It seems that there is slight mismatch between the Cape Town household questionnaire provided and the lists in the datafile, for an example see the question 15 income sources.

In the Cape Town household data, data was not collected for the quetion 10.c and 10.d, about crops and time to travel to crops.

In general, the lists change subtly between cities, for example the lists of foods in question 8 of the household data. As such the user should take caution when comparing across cities, and refer to the questionnaires. When the lists differed, list item letters (a-z) were left in the variable name as a second way for the user to check that the data match the questionnaire in the expected way. In Cape Town an answer to questions 15a and b "support from relatives" was captured although it does not reflect in the questionnaire.

In 2024, Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) ranked first in the crime index among African cities, with a rating of roughly ** index points. The six most dangerous areas on the continent were South African cities. The index estimates the overall level of crime in a specific territory. According to the score, crime levels are classified as very high (over 80), high (60-80), moderate (40-60), low (20-40), and very low (below 20). South Africa’s crime situation According to the crime index ranking, ************ was the most dangerous country in Africa in 2023, followed by ***************** and ******. Murder and organized crime are particularly widespread in South Africa. In 2023, the country had one of the highest murder rates globally, registering around ** homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Moreover, South Africa’s crime scene is also characterized by the presence of organized criminal activities, for which the country ranked third in Africa. Reflecting these high levels of crime, a survey conducted in 2023 showed that around ** percent of South Africans were worried about crime and violence in the country. Crime risks in Africa The African continent hosts some of the most dangerous places worldwide. In 2023, *********** and the ******************************** were the least peaceful countries in Africa, according to the Global Peace Index. Worldwide, they ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. Terrorism is a leading type of crime perpetrated in Africa. Home to Boko Aram, Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of terrorism-related deaths globally. Furthermore, Burkina Faso had the highest number of fatalities in the world. Human trafficking is also widespread, predominantly in West Africa. The most common forms of exploitation of victims of trafficking in persons are forced labor and sexual exploitation.

In early 2018, Cape Town, South Africa nearly ran of water. It was one of the first major cities, but will not be the last, to confront this crisis. By the year 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban settings. Sustaining the demand for clean water, healthy air, and flourishing natural ecosystems to support these communities will be one of the great challenges of this generation. Compounding this challenge is the existential threats brought by historically unprecedented changes in climate. Notably, some parts of cities are, have been, and will continue to be more stressed than others. These inequalities in environmental condition lead directly to disparities in health. They are created by a variety of historical and contemporary actions that affect where people live, work, and play; who participates in decision-making processes; and where environmental risks are created.

Amidst the COVID-19 vaccination, Twitter is one of the most popular platforms for discussions about the COVID-19 vaccination. These types of discussions most times lead to a compromise of public confidence toward the vaccine. The text-based data generated by these discussions are used by researchers to extract topics and perform sentiment analysis at the provincial, country, or continent level without considering the local communities. The aim of this study is to use clustered geo-tagged Twitter posts to inform city-level variations in sentiments toward COVID-19 vaccine-related topics in the three largest South African cities (Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg). VADER, an NLP pre-trained model was used to label the Twitter posts according to their sentiments with their associated intensity scores. The outputs were validated using NB (0.68), LR (0.75), SVMs (0.70), DT (0.62), and KNN (0.56) machine learning classification algorithms. The number of new COVID-19 cases significantly positively correlated with the number of Tweets in South Africa (Corr = 0.462, P < 0.001). Out of the 10 topics identified from the tweets using the LDA model, two were about the COVID-19 vaccines: uptake and supply, respectively. The intensity of the sentiment score for the two topics was associated with the total number of vaccines administered in South Africa (P < 0.001). Discussions regarding the two topics showed higher intensity scores for the neutral sentiment class (P = 0.015) than for other sentiment classes. Additionally, the intensity of the discussions on the two topics was associated with the total number of vaccines administered, new cases, deaths, and recoveries across the three cities (P < 0.001). The sentiment score for the most discussed topic, vaccine uptake, differed across the three cities, with (P = 0.003), (P = 0.002), and (P < 0.001) for positive, negative, and neutral sentiments classes, respectively. The outcome of this research showed that clustered geo-tagged Twitter posts can be used to better analyse the dynamics in sentiments toward community–based infectious diseases-related discussions, such as COVID-19, Malaria, or Monkeypox. This can provide additional city-level information to health policy in planning and decision-making regarding vaccine hesitancy for future outbreaks.

Malaysia Tourist Arrival: Sightseeing In Cities: South Africa data was reported at 84.100 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 80.400 % for 2014. Malaysia Tourist Arrival: Sightseeing In Cities: South Africa data is updated yearly, averaging 84.100 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2015, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.000 % in 2013 and a record low of 50.000 % in 2003. Malaysia Tourist Arrival: Sightseeing In Cities: South Africa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Tourism Malaysia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Malaysia – Table MY.Q009: Tourist Arrivals By Major Activities Engaged.

District Municipalities 2018 is a shapefile and attributes information of all the district municipalities in South Africa. In the hierarchy of local government structure, the District Municipalities are contained within Provinces, then District Municipalities contain Local Municipalities. District Municipalities 2018 was published in the Year 2018 after the municipal boundaries had minor technical adjustments. The district (Category C) municipalities are municipalities that are comprised of local (Category B) municipalities. The Metropolitan (Category A) Municipalities are municipalities with the major cities as the core (e.g. City of Johannesburg) and they are outside the District Municipalities. When the boundaries of local municipalities change and affect the boundary of district municipalities, the new district municipal boundary is generated. In the District Municipalities 2018 shapefile there are 44 District Municipalities and 8 Metropolitan Municipalities. Note that Metropolitan Municipalities are included in the District Municipalities shapefile to ensure that the layer is continuous throughout the country. If the Metropolitan Municipalities were left out, there will be void spaces in the layer.

South Africa Residential Real Estate Market Report is Segmented by Property Type (Villas & Landed Houses, Apartments & Condominiums), by Price Band (Affordable Housing, Mid-Market, and Luxury), by Business Model (Sales and Rental), by Mode of Sale (Primary (New-Build), and More), and by Key Cities (Cape Town, Johannesburg, and More). The Report Offers Market Size and Forecasts in Value (USD) for all the Above Segments.

Johannesburg was the wealthiest city in Africa as of 2021. South Africa's biggest city held 239 billion U.S. dollars in private wealth, while Cape Town followed with 131 billion U.S. dollars. The country led the ranking of wealthiest nations in Africa. The wealth value referred to assets such as cash, properties, and business interests held by individuals living in each country, less liabilities. Moreover, government funds were excluded.

Abstract

The Gauteng-City Region Observatory (GCRO) commissioned Data World to conduct its Second Quality of Life Survey, with surveys being conducted in second half of 2011.

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) was established in 2008 as a partnership between the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) and the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), with local government in Gauteng also represented. The objective of the GCRO is to inform and assist the various spheres of the Gauteng government in building and maintaining the province as an integrated and globally competitive region.

The Second Quality of Life Survey must comprehensively represent the whole of Gauteng, which consists of 10 municipalities, which in turn covers 508 wards. Data World was contracted to undertake 15000 surveys across this sphere. Among the main aims of the Quality of Life Survey, is to inform the GCRO as well as provincial government and other relevant parties with regards to the perceived states of the municipalities within Gauteng, with focus on the quality of the lives of people who live within these municipalities.

Geographic coverage

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory Quality of Life Survey 2011 covers the whole of Gauteng and also areas with GCR 'footprints' in the four neighbouring provinces of Free State, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Analysis unit

The units of analysis in theGauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) Quality of Life Survey are households and individuals

Universe

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory Quality of Life Survey 2009 covered all household residents of Gauteng and selected areas of the four neighbouring provinces of Free State, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

For the purpose of this study, multi-stage cluster sampling was used as no sampling frame containing all members in the universe or population exists. The sample was drawn in stages, with wards being selected at the first stage, dwelling units within the wards being selected in the second stage and respondents selected at the third stage.

Phase 1 The wards formed the primary sampling units (PSUs). A random starting point(s) was used as a method to select the dwelling units to be surveyed. A total number of 602 wards in 4 provinces (Gauteng 448 wards), (Mpumalanga 72 wards), (North-West 70 wards) and (Free State 12 wards) were completed. A total of 6639 interviews were completed in these wards.

Phase 2 During the second phase, the field teams were required to complete a certain number of interviews, depending on the population size of that particular ward. The teams had to complete for an example in ward X 3 interviews and in ward Y they had to complete 33 interviews. This meant that the field teams had different target number of interviews that they needed to complete in all the pre-selected wards. Ward maps were obtained before fieldwork commenced, and random starting points were identified, marked and numbered on the map. This allowed for the random selection of one (if more than one existed) starting point. The field managers concerned will firstly identify where the starting point(s) is/are on the ground. Oncethat has been established he/she will from the starting point count 20 households from the starting point moving to his/her left. The 20th household that he/she has selected was the household were the interviews was supposed to take place Thereafter, the next 20th household was selected and approached until the target number of interviews was obtained.

The following process of household selection was adhered to: From the starting point 20 houses were counted in a ward. However, if there were: • 1-5 target number of interviews to be completed in a ward; 01 starting point was used; • 6-10 target number of interviews to be completed in a ward; 02 starting points were used; • 11-15 target number of interviews to be completed in the ward; 03 starting points were used; • 16-20 target number of interviews to be completed in the ward; 04 starting points were used; • 21-25 target number of interviews to be completed in the ward; 05 starting points were used; and • 25 and above target number of interviews to be completed in a ward; 06 starting points were used In the case of a household refusal or if a selected respondent was mentally disabled, the household was immediately substituted with the household on the left. If still there was no interview completed then another substitution, going to the right of the originally selected household, was done. In case of non-contact whereby there was no-one home after two visits at two different times (afternoon and evenings) on the same day, the same substitution method was followed. Therefore, at least two-revisits at different times were done in cases where selected dwelling units, households or individuals were not at home i.e. non-contact. However, in some cases households visited after 19:00 on the day were substituted as agreed to in order to ensure that all the target number of households would be completed in the allocated time per ward.

Phase 3 For the purpose of this study, one randomly selected household respondent was selected per household. All household members qualified if they met the following criteria: • Resident(s) of the household irrespective of nationality but excluding nonresidents and visitors; and • 18 years of age or older • In the event of a child headed household (all household members are under 18 years old), the oldest child was assumed to be the head of household, and should be interviewed If more than one eligible person was found per dwelling unit, the ideal and most practical and accurate method of random selection of an individual was the use of a KISH grid. One individual per household was selected using the KISH grid after a comprehensive listing exercise was completed of all eligible individuals at the dwelling unit. Once the respondent had been selected the fieldworker will follow up only that person per household. If selected, substitutions could not be made where there were refusals or non-contact over a period of a day after two or more re-visits on the same day.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey instrument (questionnaire) which was used was provided by the GCRO. The instrument was similar to the questionnaire used for the initial Quality of Life survey, with new questions being added only where questions from the previous survey were removed. This was done with the intention of keeping the duration of the survey the same as the initial one. The survey instrument was a 20 page questionnaire, broken up into 12 sections. The bulk of the possible answers were pre-defined, such that most of the survey could be answered using a combination of tick-boxes or by writing down a number answer from a predefined set. To this end there are not many open - ended questions in the survey.

The survey instrument was reformatted by Data World to ensure optimal flow, as well as to cater for the technology platform which was used to conduct the surveys.

Data appraisal

The survey company, Data Research Africa, utilised a range of quality control measures during fieldwork for the survey. In the field, fieldworkers checked completed questionnaire schedules immediately after interviews to ensure that all questions were answered and relevant skips were followed. The checked questionnaires were then handed to field or office managers who, whilst in field, performed a second quality check on each questionnaire. They focused on skip patterns, as well as on ensuring that answers corresponded with previous responses and followed a logical process.

Interviews were conducted with multiple stakeholders in South Africa so as to investigate barriers and opportunities for energy services delivery to informal settlements in the country during the 2010s, although account was also taken of the historical and political context that impacts on energy delivery in South Africa. The interviews were conducted in South Africa, and took place in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Polokwane. The interviews are with multiple categories of stakeholders, namely: 1.) the electricity supply industry; 2.) the national government; 3.) the provincial government; 4.) the municipal government; 5.) academics; and 6.) NGO/civil society actors. The range of interviewee categories was aimed at constructing a rounded and in-depth qualitative picture of barriers and opportunities for energy service delivery in situations of housing and settlement informality.Energy is a critical enabler of development. Energy transitions, involving changes to both systems of energy supply and demand, are fundamental processes behind the development of human societies and are driven by technical, economic, political and social factors. Historical specificities and geography influence the character of energy transitions. In a world that is experiencing unprecedented urban growth, modern urbanised societies are highly dependent on energy. By 2030, more than 50% of people in developing countries are expected to live in cities, which is a figure set to grow to 66% by 2050. This urbanisation trend is even more prominent in South Africa, where 64% of its population already live in urban areas and is expected to rise to 70% by 2030. South African cities are highly dependent on energy, and access to and the provision of energy services affects urban energy transitions. Furthermore, access to affordable and reliable energy services is fundamental to reducing poverty and advancing economic growth. In response to this, many cities in South Africa and beyond have adopted sustainable energy provision strategies and solutions as a way of promoting economic development and greening of urban economies. However, Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA)'s State of the Energy in South African Cities report (2015) identifies that much remains to be done in order to transform South African cities towards a more sustainable urban energy profile, which is in turn aimed at improving welfare, supporting economic activity, creating 'green collar' and other jobs, and reducing carbon emissions. The project's focus on urban energy transitions is therefore both timely and necessary. Cities in South Africa are notable for their central role in the governance of energy. Municipalities are constitutionally mandated to serve as electricity distributors and are responsible for maintaining infrastructure, providing new connections and setting minimum service level standards as well as pricing and subsidies levels for poor consumers. Therefore, municipalities have become major actors in urban energy infrastructures. Nonetheless, systemic change is hampered by: a.) the lack of integrated energy strategies; b.) the declining performance of energy supply networks in South Africa; c.) the high carbon intensity of South Africa's energy supply, at a time when South Africa is actively seeking to decarbonize the economy; d.) a stalled level of electrification in certain poor urban areas in South African cities; and e.) the continued prevalence of energy poverty, even in grid-connected South African urban households. A key issue is the continued prevalence of a focus on energy supply, as opposed to the broader and more complex notion of energy services. It is clear that municipal processes and systems will have to change in order for energy transitions to occur. This project investigates the dynamics and co-evolution of municipal processes so as to create pathways to new, greener and fairer urban energy configurations. The project establishes a dialogue between work on socio-technical transitions and on energy geographies to analyze and identify energy transition pathways towards municipal-scale energy services regimes. The project's embeddedness in ongoing urban energy transition work will provide an evidence-base for co-designing pathways for energy services provision in South Africa's cities, alongside exploring opportunities in new energy configurations for transformations to urban green economies. This research project consists of SA research partners (the University of Cape Town's Energy Research Centre) and UK partners (King's College London; the University of Manchester; Plymouth University and the University of Sussex), together with the local energy transition expertise of Sustainable Energy Africa. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out, with a mixture of face-to-face individual interviews, and interviews of pairs of respondents on occasions when both interviewees worked in the same office or unit. Due to the nature of the research topic and of the universe of potential interviewees, purposive sampling was utilised so as to select interviewees from across a range of interviewee categories (the electricity supply industry (4 interviews), national government (5 interviews), provincial government (3 interviews), municipal government (10 interviews), academics (7 interviews), and NGO/civil society actors (11 interviews)). All interviews were conducted in South Africa, and in English.