2GreenThere is good news worth celebrating for everyone who lives in and around Paarl. Drakenstein Municipality, which covers Paarl, Wellington and the surrounding area, has been ranked among South Africa's five most financially sustainable municipalities in the 2025 Municipal Financial Sustainability Index. As a proudly Paarl-based team, we think that is worth a mention.
What the ranking says
The index is compiled by Ratings Afrika, an independent governance ratings agency. It assesses the financial health of South Africa's 120 largest local municipalities and eight metros, using audited financial results for the year to June 2025, and scores each across six areas: operating performance, liquidity, debt governance, budget practices, affordability and infrastructure development.
Only five local municipalities scored more than 70 points, and Drakenstein was one of them, alongside Hessequa, Overstrand, Saldanha Bay and Swartland. All five are in the Western Cape.
The headline
Drakenstein, home to Paarl, is officially one of the five best-run municipalities in the country by financial sustainability, out of more than 120 assessed.
A remarkable turnaround
What makes it more impressive is how far the municipality has come. Drakenstein sat in 51st place on the index back in 2017. After a financial turnaround plan from 2019, it climbed to 34th by 2021, and now into the national top five. Ratings Afrika singled it out for the single biggest improvement of any municipality on the index over the past six years.
Why it matters for Paarl homeowners
Municipal finances can feel abstract, but sound, well-run local government shows up in the things homeowners actually notice: reliable water and refuse services, maintained roads and infrastructure, and steady investment in the area. It is also one of the quieter drivers of property values, because people want to buy and build in a town that is well managed.
In short, Paarl and the wider Winelands remain a genuinely good place to own a home and invest in it, garden included. We have looked after more than 250 gardens across Paarl and the Winelands for years, and we are a registered, approved contractor at the Val de Vie and Pearl Valley estates. News like this is a reminder of why we love being based here.
Congratulations to Drakenstein Municipality and everyone who made the turnaround happen. If you would like a hand keeping your own patch of Paarl looking its best, our garden and landscaping services are just a message away.