pline, and misgovernment. In August 1997, the director general of public
service and administration reported that three provincial administrations
were on the verge of collapse (the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the
Northern Province), that four others were experiencing serious difficul-
ties, and that only Gauteng and the Western Cape were functioning rela-
tively well. The central government had to bail out the provinces because
they had huge deficits and were hopelessly in debt. 29
273