Cederberg Local Municipality
Cederberg Local Municipality is a local municipality in Western Cape, covering 8 007 square kilometres. It falls within the West Coast District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Citrusdal, Clanwilliam, Elands Bay, Graafwater, Lamberts Bay, Leipoldtville and Wupperthal.
Census 2022 counted 55 108 residents, making it the 25th most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 219th of 257 nationally. That works out to 6.9 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 15 912 households, averaging 3.5 people each. 22.3% of residents are under 15 and 6.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.1% hold a higher education qualification and 3.3% have had no schooling.
The council has 11 seats across 5 parties, with CE holding the largest share at 4 seats (36.4%). It is governed by a coalition: CE/DA/VF PLUS Coalition. Dr Ruben Richards serves as executive mayor (CE), and Mr Gerrit Matthyse is municipal manager.
On this site’s financial health measure, which weighs the Auditor-General’s opinion alongside operating margin, liquidity, cash cover and irregular spending, Cederberg scores 86.2 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of A, described as strong. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “clean audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R503.7 million in operating revenue against R476.2 million in expenditure, an operating surplus of R27.5 million. At the last census, 73.1% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 87.3% used electricity for lighting and 71.4% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- CE 4 36.4%
- DA 4 36.4%
- ANC 1 9.1%
- PA 1 9.1%
- VF PLUS 1 9.1%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Clean audit | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 74 997 | 73 693 | 70 382 | 52 404 | 48 155 |
| Service charges | 215 962 | 190 639 | 169 309 | 171 807 | 151 562 |
| Investment revenue | 9 619 | 5 191 | 2 020 | 750 | 749 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 105 686 | 115 113 | 90 589 | 96 033 | 77 735 |
| Other own revenue | 97 411 | 68 863 | 38 520 | 24 621 | 23 601 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 503 674 | 453 498 | 370 820 | 345 615 | 301 802 |
| Employee costs | 138 386 | 130 819 | 124 857 | 132 380 | 123 803 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 6 355 | 6 081 | 5 698 | 5 000 | 5 572 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 33 693 | 41 916 | 24 715 | 26 850 | 22 298 |
| Finance charges | 15 150 | 14 961 | 13 042 | 12 206 | 11 585 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 137 531 | 116 430 | 103 046 | 102 223 | 89 258 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 164 | 198 | 358 | 244 | 489 |
| Other expenditure | 144 909 | 134 672 | 94 231 | 105 962 | 70 065 |
| Total Expenditure | 476 189 | 445 078 | 365 946 | 384 866 | 323 071 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 27 485 | 8 421 | 4 874 | -39 251 | -21 269 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 37 781 | 26 461 | 43 139 | 46 106 | 42 135 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | 5 550 | - | 2 849 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 65 266 | 40 432 | 48 013 | 9 705 | 20 866 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 65 266 | 40 432 | 48 013 | 9 705 | 20 866 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 46 206 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 27 053 | 8 822 | 19 262 | 35 462 | 41 023 |
| Borrowing | -5 346 | -13 003 | -2 802 | -3 242 | - |
| Internally generated funds | 24 498 | 3 790 | 2 077 | -2 307 | -14 183 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 46 206 | -391 | 18 537 | 29 914 | 26 841 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 170 127 | 123 084 | 79 026 | 66 755 | 53 896 |
| Total non current assets | 706 070 | 684 008 | 757 906 | 734 370 | 725 409 |
| Total current liabilities | 117 279 | 105 357 | 117 376 | 133 723 | 114 940 |
| Total non current liabilities | 126 729 | 123 166 | 102 849 | 91 679 | 89 129 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 632 188 | 578 568 | 616 707 | 575 723 | 575 236 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 327 570 | 322 930 | 183 609 | 207 715 | 5 182 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -72 411 | -70 640 | -45 459 | -31 540 | -51 025 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 316 417 | 313 549 | 166 927 | 187 989 | -36 093 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 1 513 | 975 | 2 369 | - | 1 749 |
| Irregular expenditure | 10 295 | 16 604 | 36 233 | 35 204 | 12 794 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 0 | 1 164 | 3 912 | 8 199 | 3 511 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 55 108 | 52 949 | 49 768 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 22.3% | 26.0% | 25.6% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 71.7% | 68.0% | 68.0% |
| Population over 65 | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 39.5 | 47 | 47 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 96.5 | 102.3 | 100.9 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.0% | 1.4% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 10.5 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 13.8 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 3.3% | 5.7% | 7.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 23.2 | 19.4 |
| Higher education | 6.1% | 7.6% | 4.9% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 15 912 | 15 279 | 13 513 |
| Average household size | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 35 | 32 |
| Formal dwellings | 75.1% | 78.1% | 87.1% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 56.8 | 48.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 88.3% | 83.0% | 82.6% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 71.4% | 68.6% | 57.8% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 73.1% | 74.3% | 75.1% |
| Electricity for lighting | 87.3% | 90.3% | 88.8% |
Service delivery
National Treasury, non-financial census of municipalities
Water
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 9 319 | 7 837 | 7 837 | 7 820 | 7 744 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 8 819 | 7 337 | 7 337 | 7 320 | 7 244 |
| Inside the yard | 7 469 | 7 226 | 7 226 | 7 209 | 7 014 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 111 | 111 | 111 | 111 | 110 |
| More than 200m from yard | 1 239 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 397 | 2 640 | 2 640 | 2 251 | 2 040 |
Electricity
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 8 695 | 8 123 | 7 873 | 7 873 | 8 305 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 250 | 2 487 | 2 487 | 2 115 | 2 040 |
Sewerage and sanitation
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 6 798 | 6 339 | 5 765 | 5 671 | 4 618 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 5 167 | 5 074 | 4 854 | 4 780 | 4 112 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 487 | 487 | 512 | 512 | 127 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 765 | 399 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 330 | 2 536 | 2 536 | 2 160 | 1 951 |
Solid waste services
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 10 775 | 5 948 | 5 948 | 5 873 | 5 512 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 395 | 2 650 | 2 650 | 2 262 | 2 008 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 124 857 | 132 380 | 123 803 | 108 883 | 95 900 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 5 698 | 5 000 | 5 572 | 5 570 | 5 392 |
| Total Employee Positions | 370 | 361 | 350 | 341 | 362 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 24 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 1.9% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 6.6% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury