Garden Route District Municipality
Garden Route District Municipality is a district municipality in Western Cape, covering 23 331 square kilometres. It coordinates 7 local municipalities: Bitou, George, Hessequa, Kannaland, Knysna, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn. It takes in 42 recognised towns and settlements, among them Albertinia, Boggoms Bay, Brandwag, Brenton, Brenton-on-Sea, Buffels Bay, Calitzdorp, De Rust.
Census 2022 counted 838 457 residents, making it the 3rd most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 28th of 257 nationally. That works out to 35.9 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 255 977 households, averaging 3.3 people each. 22.2% of residents are under 15 and 10.2% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 13.7% hold a higher education qualification and 2.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 34 seats across 5 parties, with DA holding the largest share at 17 seats (50.0%). It is governed by a coalition: Coalition DA/ICOSA. Mr Marais Kruger serves as executive mayor (DA), and Mr Monde Stratu 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, Garden Route scores 68.1 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of C, described as fair. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “clean audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R459.2 million in operating revenue against R490.7 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R31.5 million. At the last census, 85.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.9% used electricity for lighting and 88.8% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- DA 17 50.0%
- ANC 10 29.4%
- ICOSA 3 8.8%
- GOOD 2 5.9%
- PBI 2 5.9%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 8 389 | - | - | - | - |
| Investment revenue | 16 541 | 12 400 | 10 253 | 8 271 | 8 822 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 211 404 | 196 854 | 189 810 | 183 567 | 179 338 |
| Other own revenue | 222 899 | 225 520 | 215 857 | 204 598 | 190 850 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 459 233 | 434 774 | 415 921 | 396 435 | 379 010 |
| Employee costs | 314 575 | 308 454 | 280 163 | 275 308 | 256 939 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 13 953 | 11 983 | 12 306 | 11 829 | 11 210 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 7 565 | 6 435 | 5 766 | 4 605 | 4 171 |
| Finance charges | 435 | 4 664 | 148 | 28 | 55 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 46 480 | 51 625 | 51 426 | 44 148 | 40 398 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 8 904 | 5 805 | 4 642 | 5 296 | 2 052 |
| Other expenditure | 98 786 | 79 172 | 79 533 | 74 405 | -314 826 |
| Total Expenditure | 490 697 | 468 139 | 433 984 | 415 618 | -1 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -31 464 | -33 365 | -18 064 | -19 183 | 379 010 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 2 563 | 13 072 | 3 765 | - | - |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 2 493 | 13 | 3 284 | 57 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -26 408 | -20 280 | -11 015 | -19 126 | 379 010 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -26 408 | -20 280 | -11 015 | -19 126 | 379 010 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 60 895 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 2 934 | 8 046 | 3 149 | - | - |
| Borrowing | 45 817 | -13 | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 12 143 | -8 033 | -3 149 | -4 029 | -4 294 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 60 895 | 0 | - | -4 029 | -4 294 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 230 168 | 230 014 | 155 407 | 180 479 | 219 692 |
| Total non current assets | 339 864 | 355 895 | 315 923 | 295 430 | 286 149 |
| Total current liabilities | 88 995 | 85 416 | 74 887 | 64 453 | 77 275 |
| Total non current liabilities | 264 922 | 262 380 | 141 634 | 143 987 | 138 170 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 216 115 | 238 113 | 254 809 | 267 469 | 290 396 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 35 572 | 109 259 | 15 467 | 223 738 | 73 504 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | 17 167 | -46 318 | -28 287 | -8 144 | -16 061 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 63 000 | 116 912 | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 272 555 | 336 668 | 123 584 | 357 652 | 227 195 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 20 930 | 11 965 | 6 943 | - | 1 367 |
| Irregular expenditure | 37 471 | 35 065 | 16 567 | 19 752 | 25 154 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 96 | 92 | 57 | - | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 838 457 | 611 278 | 574 265 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 22.2% | 25.4% | 25.9% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 67.6% | 66.8% | 66.3% |
| Population over 65 | 10.2% | 7.8% | 7.8% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 47.9 | 49.7 | 50.7 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 94.4 | 96.2 | 95.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 3.7% | 1.4% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 22.5 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 29.9 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 2.4% | 2.9% | 3.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 33.9 | 28 |
| Higher education | 13.7% | 9.0% | 10.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 255 977 | 189 345 | 164 103 |
| Average household size | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 36.1 | 33.9 |
| Formal dwellings | 89.0% | 85.7% | 83.8% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 69.5 | 55 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 93.7% | 88.7% | 85.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 88.8% | 88.8% | 86.4% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 85.0% | 75.8% | 71.8% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.9% | 95.6% | 91.1% |
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? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inside the yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Electricity
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sewerage and sanitation
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Solid waste services
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the municipality provide? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 280 163 | 275 308 | 256 939 | 211 069 | 222 005 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 12 306 | 11 829 | 11 210 | 11 467 | 11 053 |
| Total Employee Positions | 624 | 619 | 560 | 546 | 599 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 55 | 48 | 1 | 0 | 53 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 8.8% | 7.8% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 8.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 27 | 26 | 21 | 21 | 25 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Published documents
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