Harry Gwala District Municipality
Harry Gwala District Municipality is a district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 10 388 square kilometres. It coordinates 4 local municipalities: Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Greater Kokstad, Johannes Phumani Phungula and Umzimkhulu. It takes in the towns and settlements of Creighton, Himeville, Ixopo, Kokstad, Underberg and uMzimkhulu.
Census 2022 counted 563 893 residents, making it the 12th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 47th of 257 nationally. That works out to 54.3 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 115 068 households, averaging 4.9 people each. 33.5% of residents are under 15 and 6.0% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.7% hold a higher education qualification and 7.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 11 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 8 seats (72.7%). It is governed by a coalition: n/a. Mr ZD Nxumalo serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Gamakulu Ma-Art Sineke 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, Harry Gwala scores 53.1 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of D, described as under strain. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R656.2 million in operating revenue against R732.9 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R76.6 million. At the last census, 29.4% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.2% used electricity for lighting and 33.4% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 8 72.7%
- EFF 2 18.2%
- DA 1 9.1%
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 | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 76 533 | 72 558 | 77 674 | 61 560 | 67 765 |
| Investment revenue | 28 012 | 21 988 | 10 858 | 5 104 | 3 011 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 534 708 | 477 532 | 452 460 | 453 939 | 430 342 |
| Other own revenue | 16 989 | 19 807 | 19 422 | 15 181 | 10 879 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 656 242 | 591 885 | 560 414 | 535 784 | 511 997 |
| Employee costs | 261 756 | 256 039 | 245 707 | 238 376 | 217 969 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 7 581 | 6 932 | 6 988 | 7 239 | 7 813 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 116 317 | 236 930 | 93 063 | 81 505 | 79 359 |
| Finance charges | - | 2 | 113 | 307 | 995 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 58 827 | 33 598 | 33 421 | 44 661 | 27 868 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | 15 290 | 15 100 | 17 000 |
| Other expenditure | 288 393 | 255 958 | 239 848 | 253 530 | 224 706 |
| Total Expenditure | 732 875 | 789 459 | 634 430 | 640 717 | 575 710 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -76 633 | -197 574 | -74 016 | -104 933 | -63 713 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 317 693 | 332 319 | 283 338 | 311 860 | 302 857 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | 3 888 | 12 781 | 4 693 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 241 060 | 134 745 | 213 210 | 219 708 | 243 837 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 241 060 | 134 745 | 213 210 | 219 708 | 243 837 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 349 075 | 309 604 | 269 118 | 290 905 | 296 457 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 276 005 | 298 048 | 247 146 | 261 067 | 268 028 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 73 070 | 11 555 | 17 809 | 17 056 | 28 430 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 349 075 | 309 604 | 264 955 | 278 124 | 296 457 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 308 794 | 243 572 | 194 402 | 112 963 | 104 165 |
| Total non current assets | 3 218 981 | 2 997 178 | 2 927 288 | 2 759 748 | 2 551 972 |
| Total current liabilities | 187 569 | 135 087 | 151 972 | 114 341 | 101 219 |
| Total non current liabilities | 34 976 | 30 536 | 27 735 | 28 545 | 42 646 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 3 363 268 | 3 262 762 | 2 941 983 | 2 729 825 | 2 512 272 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 1 475 602 | 1 800 799 | 1 502 609 | 173 391 | -102 204 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -349 075 | -309 604 | -268 843 | -290 905 | -251 425 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 1 335 957 | 1 615 836 | 1 283 993 | -65 652 | -312 958 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 34 469 | 127 976 | 9 692 | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 241 846 | 147 693 | 288 282 | 550 480 | 68 557 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 112 | 2 | 63 | 8 218 | 8 199 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 563 893 | 510 865 | 460 526 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 33.5% | 40.0% | 37.9% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.5% | 55.9% | 57.1% |
| Population over 65 | 6.0% | 4.2% | 4.9% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 65.4 | 79 | 75.1 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88 | 88.3 | 86.7 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.0% | 2.0% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 7.6% | 10.2% | 9.8% |
| Matric | n/a | 23.5 | 19.2 |
| Higher education | 6.7% | 6.4% | 5.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 115 068 | 123 705 | 112 148 |
| Average household size | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 53.9 | 55.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 66.2% | 41.7% | 41.3% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 67.4 | 59.7 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 37.1% | 18.4% | 20.6% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 33.4% | 23.1% | 20.8% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 29.4% | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.2% | 81.0% | 62.5% |
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 | 90 045 | 90 045 | 89 814 | 88 726 | 73 593 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 89 048 | 89 048 | 89 048 | 87 960 | 72 827 |
| Inside the yard | 19 957 | 19 957 | 19 957 | 19 957 | 19 232 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 67 899 | 67 899 | 67 899 | 66 811 | 52 403 |
| More than 200m from yard | 1 192 | 1 192 | 1 192 | 1 192 | 1 192 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 066 | 1 253 | 1 167 | 2 513 | 1 362 |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 122 973 | 122 973 | 122 973 | 122 973 | 100 947 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 15 435 | 15 435 | 15 435 | 15 435 | 15 366 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 8 553 | 8 553 | 8 553 | 8 553 | 8 553 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 98 069 | 98 069 | 98 069 | 98 069 | 76 944 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 916 | 916 | 916 | 916 | 84 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 066 | 1 253 | 1 167 | 2 513 | 1 362 |
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) | 245 707 | 238 376 | 217 969 | 190 401 | 173 695 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 6 988 | 7 239 | 7 813 | 7 702 | 6 952 |
| Total Employee Positions | 527 | 424 | 401 | 396 | 393 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 94 | 5 | 6 | 48 | 49 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 17.8% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 12.1% | 12.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 42 | 41 | 39 | 39 | 39 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury