Three spheres, three jobs.

South Africa has three spheres of government — national, provincial, and local (municipal). The Constitution assigns each sphere different jobs. This is why calling the President about a pothole doesn't work.

The rule of thumb

• Municipal: anything physical on your street. Roads, water pipes, streetlights, refuse, robots, city clinics, city buses, city bills.
• Provincial: hospitals, schools, provincial roads, licensing, housing lists, Gautrain.
• National: policing (SAPS), grants (SASSA), driver licences, national highways (SANRAL), Eskom generation.

The tricky bits

Some jobs are shared. Ambulances and libraries are constitutionally provincial but delivered by the City in practice. Clinics split between the City and Gauteng. Electricity distribution depends on where you live in Joburg.