George Local Municipality
294 929
Population
Census 2022
5 191
Square kilometres
56.8 per km2
85 931
Households
55
Council seats
Coalition governed
George Local Municipality is a local municipality in Western Cape, covering 5 191 square kilometres. It falls within the Garden Route District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of George, Haarlem, Herolds Bay, Uniondale, Victoria Bay and Wilderness.
Census 2022 counted 294 929 residents, making it the 6th most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 83rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 56.8 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 85 931 households, averaging 3.4 people each. 22.9% of residents are under 15 and 8.2% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 13.9% hold a higher education qualification and 2.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 55 seats across 8 parties, with DA holding the largest share at 24 seats (43.6%). It is governed by a coalition: DA/ACDP/VF+ Coalition. Browen Johnson serves as executive mayor (DA), and Godfrey Louw 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, George scores 80.2 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of B, described as sound. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “clean audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R3.4 billion in operating revenue against R3.4 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R15.6 million. At the last census, 81.3% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.5% used electricity for lighting and 88.3% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- DA 24 43.6%
- ANC 10 18.2%
- PA 6 10.9%
- PBI 5 9.1%
- VF PLUS 4 7.3%
- GOOD 3 5.5%
- EFF 2 3.6%
- ACDP 1 1.8%
Office bearers
Executive Mayor
Browen Johnson
DA
Deputy Mayor
Gert van Niekerk
FF+
Speaker
Sean Snyman
DA
Chief Whip
Jackie von Brandis
Municipal Manager
Godfrey Louw
Chief Financial Officer
Riaan du Plessis
Mayoral Committee
Daniel Cronje
MMC: Community Safety and Mobility
Mayoral Committee
Donovan Gultig
MMC: Civil Engineering Services
Mayoral Committee
Erica Brown
MMC: Community Services [Parks, Refuse and Environment]
Mayoral Committee
Gert Niehaus
MMC: Planning and Development [Planning, Building Control, Property and Agriculture]
Mayoral Committee
Iona Kritzinger
MMC: Financial and Strategic Services [IDP, Performance Management, Economic Development and Tourism]
Mayoral Committee
Jayze Jantjies
MMC: Human Resources
Mayoral Committee
Jean Safers
MMC: Human Settlements
Mayoral Committee
Johan du Toit
MMC: Corporate Services
Mayoral Committee
Melvin Roelfse
MMC: Community Services [Social Development, Sport, Libraries and Customer Care]
Mayoral Committee
Monique Simmers
MMC: Electrical Engineering Services
Senior Management
Asathi Ngejane
Chief Risk Officer
Senior Management
Bevan Ellman
Director: Corporate Services
Senior Management
Jannie Koegelenberg
Director: Civil Engineering Services
Senior Management
JP Russouw
Chief Audit Executive
Senior Management
Lamees Fortuin
Chief of Staff: Office of the Executive Mayor
Senior Management
Ms Lee-Anne Meiring
Director: Community Safety and Mobility
Senior Management
Louise Stevens
Chairperson: Audit Committee
Senior Management
Mahlatse Phosa
Director: Human Settlement, Planning and Development and Property Management
Senior Management
Michael Rhode
Director: Electrotechnical Services
Senior Management
Simnikiwe Mbekushe
Deputy Director: Human Settlements
Communications
Chantel Edwards
Manager: Communication and IGR
Communications
Melissa Dreyer
Public Relations: Office of the Executive Mayor
Communications
Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe
Senior Communications Official
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 | 478 380 | 443 330 | 384 703 | 347 220 | 322 755 |
| Service charges | 1 713 213 | 1 481 324 | 1 296 512 | 1 221 984 | 1 090 607 |
| Investment revenue | 116 822 | 100 632 | 60 659 | 15 419 | 16 368 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 705 334 | 686 499 | 644 948 | 570 643 | 614 980 |
| Other own revenue | 345 867 | 276 584 | 301 310 | 262 104 | 176 421 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 3 359 617 | 2 988 369 | 2 688 131 | 2 417 370 | 2 221 131 |
| Employee costs | 720 226 | 670 061 | 645 081 | 599 156 | 585 295 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 27 697 | 25 564 | 25 557 | 23 783 | 21 853 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 283 029 | 216 787 | 188 175 | 166 335 | 158 415 |
| Finance charges | 83 071 | 64 228 | 45 065 | 36 701 | 40 399 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 1 019 051 | 912 397 | 729 898 | 696 851 | 585 701 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 103 415 | 85 765 | 45 757 | 87 691 | 160 383 |
| Other expenditure | 1 138 744 | 967 643 | 995 792 | 783 095 | 672 040 |
| Total Expenditure | 3 375 235 | 2 942 446 | 2 675 324 | 2 393 613 | 2 224 086 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -15 619 | 45 923 | 12 807 | 23 757 | -2 955 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 952 679 | 575 669 | 400 438 | 214 630 | 82 917 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | 58 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 937 060 | 621 592 | 413 245 | 238 445 | 79 962 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 937 060 | 621 592 | 413 245 | 238 445 | 79 962 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 1 401 167 | 948 498 | 722 909 | 452 598 | 191 181 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 870 303 | 523 249 | 200 796 | 195 852 | 76 951 |
| Borrowing | 457 417 | 284 043 | 234 206 | 124 294 | 33 256 |
| Internally generated funds | 73 448 | 141 206 | -90 137 | 132 452 | 80 975 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 1 401 167 | 948 498 | 344 865 | 452 598 | 191 181 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 1 708 598 | 1 611 746 | 1 097 787 | 853 652 | -124 540 |
| Total non current assets | 5 928 377 | 4 821 566 | 4 029 045 | 3 490 639 | 36 607 |
| Total current liabilities | 1 174 330 | 1 260 943 | 1 128 562 | 746 025 | -106 442 |
| Total non current liabilities | 1 216 027 | 727 197 | 178 250 | 189 947 | 48 128 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 6 045 905 | 4 445 172 | 3 817 624 | 3 408 319 | -29 611 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 6 949 078 | 7 336 581 | 5 041 024 | 3 645 685 | 3 587 981 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -715 683 | -405 293 | -700 371 | -13 965 | -4 055 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 345 434 | 5 418 | -49 387 | -39 209 | -41 476 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 7 935 848 | 7 780 585 | 4 883 798 | 4 062 132 | 3 542 450 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 27 440 | 31 271 | - | 3 288 | 84 134 |
| Irregular expenditure | 59 982 | 40 042 | 173 | 15 382 | 5 533 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 254 | - | - | 729 | 22 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 294 929 | 208 237 | 193 672 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 22.9% | 25.7% | 26.3% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 68.9% | 67.9% | 67.3% |
| Population over 65 | 8.2% | 6.3% | 6.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 45.2 | 47.2 | 48.6 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 96.7 | 97.6 | 96.9 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 4.1% | 1.7% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 20.7 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 27.6 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 2.4% | 2.9% | 3.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 35.5 | 29.1 |
| Higher education | 13.9% | 9.9% | 11.3% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 85 931 | 62 722 | 53 549 |
| Average household size | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 35.2 | 33.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 87.3% | 83.9% | 83.9% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 66.7 | 49 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 93.4% | 92.1% | 88.0% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 88.3% | 93.3% | 88.1% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 81.3% | 71.5% | 70.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.5% | 97.5% | 91.0% |
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 | 73 289 | 72 364 | 67 512 | 65 863 | 44 869 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 70 802 | 69 877 | 65 137 | 63 501 | 42 497 |
| Inside the yard | 61 921 | 60 996 | 58 497 | 57 217 | 39 220 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 6 830 | 6 830 | 6 640 | 6 284 | 3 277 |
| More than 200m from yard | 2 051 | 2 051 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 488 | 13 856 | 13 825 | 15 148 | 16 045 |
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 | 55 391 | 54 566 | 50 780 | 48 559 | 48 218 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 14 878 | 18 834 | 18 834 | 19 730 | 19 032 |
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 | 72 364 | 71 272 | 60 569 | 59 276 | 42 465 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 61 921 | 60 996 | 51 525 | 50 372 | 38 463 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 5 508 | 5 504 | 5 840 | 5 713 | 1 630 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 811 | 811 | 829 | 811 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 637 | 1 474 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 228 | 13 499 | 13 513 | 14 730 | 16 045 |
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 | 68 463 | 67 222 | 53 409 | 44 136 | 44 103 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 318 | 13 613 | 13 595 | 14 853 | 16 045 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 645 081 | 599 156 | 585 295 | 533 150 | 520 124 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 25 557 | 23 783 | 21 853 | 22 516 | 22 017 |
| Total Employee Positions | 1 593 | 1 567 | 1 368 | 1 298 | 2 029 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 301 | 302 | 13 | 13 | 166 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 18.9% | 19.3% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 8.2% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury