Greater Kokstad Local Municipality
Greater Kokstad Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 2 680 square kilometres. It falls within the Harry Gwala District Municipality. Its main centre is Kokstad.
Census 2022 counted 81 676 residents, making it the 49th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 195th of 257 nationally. That works out to 30.5 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 22 736 households, averaging 3.6 people each. 28.4% of residents are under 15 and 3.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 11.7% hold a higher education qualification and 2.2% have had no schooling.
The council has 19 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 12 seats (63.2%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Marcus Nevelle Lwanda Madikizela serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Sipho Raynold Zwane 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, Greater Kokstad scores 65 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of C, described as fair. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R528.6 million in operating revenue against R538.3 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R9.8 million. At the last census, 55.5% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.3% used electricity for lighting and 77.6% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 12 63.2%
- EFF 4 21.1%
- DA 2 10.5%
- AIC 1 5.3%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 152 376 | 150 626 | 132 158 | 129 591 | 124 301 |
| Service charges | 225 187 | 219 190 | 192 468 | 193 791 | 152 237 |
| Investment revenue | 12 272 | 10 921 | 7 437 | 3 611 | 3 948 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 113 682 | 93 847 | 85 864 | 79 579 | 84 889 |
| Other own revenue | 25 047 | 25 914 | 38 642 | 21 890 | 18 041 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 528 565 | 500 497 | 456 569 | 428 462 | 383 416 |
| Employee costs | 177 342 | 162 057 | 146 661 | 146 330 | 146 749 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 8 724 | 8 303 | 8 103 | 7 607 | 7 601 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 37 032 | 41 842 | 38 650 | 41 420 | 35 954 |
| Finance charges | 948 | 828 | 1 476 | 1 232 | - |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 189 906 | 165 506 | 146 791 | 126 379 | 116 649 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 5 278 | 4 515 | 115 | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 119 093 | 128 906 | 101 801 | 105 785 | 107 705 |
| Total Expenditure | 538 322 | 511 958 | 443 597 | 428 752 | 414 659 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -9 757 | -11 461 | 12 972 | -290 | -31 243 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 63 603 | 73 614 | 76 888 | 89 907 | 46 254 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | 12 497 | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 53 845 | 74 650 | 89 860 | 89 617 | 15 011 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 53 845 | 74 650 | 89 860 | 89 617 | 15 011 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 93 767 | 109 717 | 140 257 | 81 159 | 120 236 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 55 572 | 116 671 | 107 118 | 80 075 | 45 996 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 29 009 | -19 452 | 43 194 | 1 084 | 74 309 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 84 581 | 97 220 | 150 312 | 81 159 | 120 305 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 384 163 | 406 513 | 402 398 | 335 877 | 320 336 |
| Total non current assets | 1 010 224 | 949 099 | 907 609 | 854 025 | 788 444 |
| Total current liabilities | 292 322 | 305 856 | 323 979 | 286 249 | 304 675 |
| Total non current liabilities | 23 400 | 23 400 | 21 317 | 25 110 | 23 546 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 1 078 665 | 1 039 307 | 964 707 | 880 932 | 780 558 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 304 109 | 231 167 | 293 186 | 246 635 | 397 590 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -104 715 | -114 429 | -81 714 | -130 096 | -124 663 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 310 427 | 248 920 | 282 459 | 167 114 | 484 666 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 27 696 | 34 147 | - | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 714 | 4 569 | 9 913 | 21 907 | 49 713 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | 1 328 | - | 832 | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 81 676 | 76 753 | 65 981 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 28.4% | 32.9% | 30.6% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 68.1% | 64.9% | 66.7% |
| Population over 65 | 3.5% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 46.8 | 54 | 49.9 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 91.6 | 92.5 | 94.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.1% | 3.4% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 28.9 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 36.3 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 2.2% | 1.6% | 4.1% |
| Matric | n/a | 34.9 | 28.3 |
| Higher education | 11.7% | 9.5% | 10.5% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 22 736 | 24 397 | 19 140 |
| Average household size | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 43.7 | 41.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 90.3% | 86.3% | 83.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 56.7 | 36.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 79.5% | 66.2% | 65.0% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 77.6% | 72.7% | 74.0% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 55.5% | 27.0% | 36.1% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.3% | 88.6% | 80.7% |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 16 872 | 15 418 | 15 418 | 15 294 | 14 084 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 5 169 | 5 229 | 5 230 | 4 942 | 4 849 |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 8 752 | 8 539 | 8 401 | 10 401 | 10 401 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 365 | 4 427 | 5 230 | 4 942 | 4 849 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 146 661 | 146 330 | 146 749 | 135 028 | 127 619 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 8 103 | 7 607 | 7 601 | 7 582 | 7 202 |
| Total Employee Positions | 445 | 421 | 376 | 395 | 407 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 60 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 13.5% | 10.7% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 28 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury