Johannesburg spends R21 billion on salaries while trash piles up in the streets and infrastructure crumbles

• Johannesburg spends more than R20 billion a year on employee costs, while its infrastructure investment has collapsed and trash piles up in the streets.
• The city's financial crisis is exacerbated by a R13 billion gap between billed revenue and cash received, and a growing salary bill that now accounts for 40% of cash paid to the city.
• The city's agreement with the South African Municipal Workers' Union is estimated to cost R10 billion over three years, and the CDE has called for the city to explain what will be cut or deferred to pay for it.