--- title: "South Africa Cities Sentiment Report: Tshwane leads Joburg lags" description: Our latest SA Cities Sentiment Report, based on 300,000 public posts, reveals which metros are leading public sentiment in South Africa and why. image: https://dataeq.com/hubfs/sa-metros-report-net-sentiment-news-img.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://dataeq.com/resources/news/sa-cities-and-metro-sentiment-report-tshwane-leads-joburg-lags#main-content) [![DataEQ Logo](https://dataeq.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DataEQ_Logo_FOR%20USE%20ON%20DARK%20BACKGROUND.png?width=120&height=43&name=DataEQ_Logo_FOR%20USE%20ON%20DARK%20BACKGROUND.png)](https://dataeq.com/) - [About](https://dataeq.com/about-us) - Solutions Show submenu for Solutions - [Marketing](https://dataeq.com/solutions/marketing) - [Risk & Compliance](https://dataeq.com/solutions/compliance-and-risk) - [Customer Experience](https://dataeq.com/solutions/customer-experience) - [Customer Service](https://dataeq.com/solutions/customer-service) - Resources Show submenu for Resources - [Reports](https://dataeq.com/resources/reports) - [Quarterly Insights](https://dataeq.com/quarterly-insights-reports) - [Case Studies](https://dataeq.com/resources/case-studies) - [News](https://dataeq.com/resources/news) - [Knowledge Base](https://dataeq.com/knowledge-base) - Agentic AI Show submenu for Agentic AI - [AI Agent](https://dataeq.com/agentic-ai-agent) - [AI Agent Assessment](https://dataeq.com/agentic-ai-customer-service-assessment) - [What is DataEQ's AI Agent?](https://dataeq.com/what-is-the-dataeq-ai-agent) - [Consulting](https://dataeq.com/consulting) - [Careers](https://dataeq.com/careers) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [About](https://dataeq.com/about-us) - Solutions Show submenu for Solutions - [Marketing](https://dataeq.com/solutions/marketing) - [Risk & Compliance](https://dataeq.com/solutions/compliance-and-risk) - [Customer Experience](https://dataeq.com/solutions/customer-experience) - [Customer Service](https://dataeq.com/solutions/customer-service) - Resources Show submenu for Resources - [Reports](https://dataeq.com/resources/reports) - [Quarterly Insights](https://dataeq.com/quarterly-insights-reports) - [Case Studies](https://dataeq.com/resources/case-studies) - [News](https://dataeq.com/resources/news) - [Knowledge Base](https://dataeq.com/knowledge-base) - Agentic AI Show submenu for Agentic AI - [AI Agent](https://dataeq.com/agentic-ai-agent) - [AI Agent Assessment](https://dataeq.com/agentic-ai-customer-service-assessment) - [What is DataEQ's AI Agent?](https://dataeq.com/what-is-the-dataeq-ai-agent) - [Consulting](https://dataeq.com/consulting) - [Careers](https://dataeq.com/careers) Request a demo [All posts](https://dataeq.com/resources/news/all) 4 June, 2025 # South Africa Cities Sentiment Report: Tshwane leads Joburg lags In a revealing new analysis from DataEQ, the City of Tshwane emerged as the best-performing metro in South Africa in terms of public sentiment, while Johannesburg ranked lowest—highlighting a widening trust gap in municipal service delivery.   ![Request report](https://hubspot-no-cache-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/25676464/interactive-242068162806.png)   ---   The [Pulse of the People](https://dataeq.com/resources/reports) quarterly report analysed nearly 300,000 public online mentions between December 2024 and February 2025 across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, and eThekwini. Using a hybrid intelligence approach that combines AI with human verification, the report captures how South Africans feel about their cities—and why. Tshwane recorded the least negative sentiment, driven by praise for clean water access, proactive leadership, and visible service improvements such as cleanup campaigns and law enforcement. In contrast, Johannesburg drew the highest level of public dissatisfaction, with residents expressing deep frustration over persistent power outages, water shortages, collapsing infrastructure, security concerns and limited communication from city officials. ## City Sentiment Rankings: Tshwane Ranks First   ![Screenshot 2025-06-02 at 13.43.59](https://dataeq.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-06-02%20at%2013.43.59.png?width=480&height=136&name=Screenshot%202025-06-02%20at%2013.43.59.png) *“This report shows just how closely public trust is tied to lived experience,” said Sarah Lamb, Head of Client Services at DataEQ. “Residents are highly engaged—and they’re holding municipalities accountable in real time. If delivery falls short, so does sentiment. That’s especially true for a city like Johannesburg, which is preparing to host the G20 Summit. With the world watching, the stakes are even higher—service delivery failures aren’t just local issues, they’re reputational risks on the global stage.”* ### Key Findings: - **Tshwane** had the highest proportion of positive conversation (15%) and the lowest negative sentiment (24%). - **Joburg** had the highest volume of criticism, with 34% of conversation expressing negative sentiment and only 4% offering praise. - **Water** was the most discussed issue, accounting for just under half of all service delivery complaints in Cape Town and eThekwini. ## **What drives public sentiment towards South Africa's cities?**   ![Screenshot 2025-06-02 at 13.24.32](https://dataeq.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-06-02%20at%2013.24.32.png?width=1666&height=580&name=Screenshot%202025-06-02%20at%2013.24.32.png) ## Report Overview The report, which provides city-by-city sentiment ranking emphasises that residents respond positively to visible, tangible improvements, particularly in essential services. Campaigns and positive reputational announcements alone were not enough—delivery on the ground is what truly moved public opinion.   Label your data with confidence and safety ![ISO IEC 270012022 Logo-1](https://dataeq.com/hubfs/ISO%20IEC%20270012022%20Logo-1.png) ![gdpr-logo](https://dataeq.com/hubfs/gdpr-logo.svg) ![popia-logo](https://dataeq.com/hubfs/popia-logo.svg) ![pdpl-logo](https://dataeq.com/hubfs/pdpl-logo.svg) ***About us*** [Our company](https://dataeq.com/about-us) [Contact us](https://dataeq.com/contact-us) ***More info*** [Careers](https://dataeq.com/careers) [News](https://dataeq.com/resources/news) ***Privacy*** [Privacy policy](https://dataeq.com/privacy) [Privacy policy UK](https://dataeq.com/privacy-uk) [Terms & conditions](https://dataeq.com/terms-and-conditions) ***Let's connect*** [contact@dataeq.com](mailto:contact@dataeq.com) ***Login*** [Analyse](https://analyse.dataeq.com/api/login) [Engage](https://engage.dataeq.com/) [![DataEQ\_Logo\_FOR USE ON LIGHT BACKGROUND.png (1)-1](https://dataeq.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DataEQ_Logo_FOR%20USE%20ON%20LIGHT%20BACKGROUND.png%20(1)-1.png?width=100&height=35&name=DataEQ_Logo_FOR%20USE%20ON%20LIGHT%20BACKGROUND.png%20(1)-1.png "DataEQ_Logo_FOR USE ON LIGHT BACKGROUND.png (1)-1")](https://dataeq.com/) Copyright © 2026, DataEQ ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "DataEQ", "url" : "https://dataeq.com/resources/news/author/dataeq" }, "dateModified" : "2025-08-22T15:01:45.936Z", "datePublished" : "2025-06-04T09:51:22.000Z", "headline" : "South Africa Cities Sentiment Report: Tshwane leads Joburg lags", "image" : [ "https://dataeq.com/hubfs/sa-metros-report-net-sentiment-news-img.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://dataeq.com/resources/news/sa-cities-and-metro-sentiment-report-tshwane-leads-joburg-lags", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://dataeq.com/hubfs/DataEQ_Logo_FOR%20USE%20ON%20DARK%20BACKGROUND.png" }, "name" : "DataEQ Consulting" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Article", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : [ "DataEQ" ] }, "datePublished" : "2025-06-04T09:51:22+0000", "description" : "Our latest SA Cities Sentiment Report, based on 300,000 public posts, reveals which metros are leading public sentiment in South Africa and why.", "headline" : "South Africa Cities Sentiment Report: Tshwane leads Joburg lags", "image" : "https://dataeq.com/hubfs/sa-metros-report-net-sentiment-news-img.jpg", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://dataeq.com/hubfs/DataEQ_Logo_FOR%20USE%20ON%20DARK%20BACKGROUND.png" }, "name" : "DataEQ" }, "url" : "https://dataeq.com/resources/news/sa-cities-and-metro-sentiment-report-tshwane-leads-joburg-lags" } ```