Hessequa Local Municipality
Hessequa Local Municipality is a local municipality in Western Cape, covering 5 733 square kilometres. It falls within the Garden Route District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Albertinia, Gouritsmond, Heidelberg, Jongensfontein, Riversdale, Slangrivier, Still Bay and Witsand.
Census 2022 counted 71 918 residents, making it the 21st most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 199th of 257 nationally. That works out to 12.5 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 22 333 households, averaging 3.2 people each. 21.4% of residents are under 15 and 12.3% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 12.7% hold a higher education qualification and 2.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 17 seats across 4 parties, with DA holding the largest share at 9 seats (52.9%). DA governs the municipality. Mr Grant Riddles serves as executive mayor (DA), and Mr Albert de Klerk 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, Hessequa scores 100 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 R768.3 million in operating revenue against R689.6 million in expenditure, an operating surplus of R78.7 million. At the last census, 94.5% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 98.5% used electricity for lighting and 92.3% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- DA 9 52.9%
- ANC 6 35.3%
- PA 1 5.9%
- VF PLUS 1 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 | 140 197 | 130 038 | 119 965 | 112 850 | 101 568 |
| Service charges | 365 374 | 320 500 | 296 734 | 299 238 | 266 894 |
| Investment revenue | 46 305 | 43 386 | 29 341 | 19 380 | 14 048 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 68 053 | 63 785 | 67 557 | 65 117 | 63 358 |
| Other own revenue | 148 402 | 156 253 | 138 704 | 136 179 | 86 255 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 768 330 | 713 963 | 652 300 | 632 764 | 532 122 |
| Employee costs | 230 661 | 217 045 | 209 043 | 195 261 | 186 776 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 9 128 | 8 471 | 8 413 | 7 930 | 7 839 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 44 248 | 42 605 | 43 409 | 39 032 | 26 605 |
| Finance charges | 21 681 | 22 035 | 20 630 | 19 488 | 15 131 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 227 444 | 199 891 | 181 453 | 173 364 | 148 975 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 2 613 | 1 835 | 1 849 | 3 445 | 1 973 |
| Other expenditure | 153 821 | 164 309 | 140 147 | 134 487 | 112 067 |
| Total Expenditure | 689 597 | 656 191 | 604 943 | 573 007 | 499 366 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 78 733 | 57 773 | 47 357 | 59 757 | 32 757 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 161 096 | 45 295 | 34 542 | 73 800 | 20 738 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 591 | 438 | 270 | 123 | 108 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 240 420 | 103 505 | 82 169 | 133 680 | 53 603 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 240 420 | 103 505 | 82 169 | 133 680 | 53 603 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 237 139 | 123 231 | 84 150 | 114 546 | 95 037 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 142 818 | 42 674 | 32 241 | 72 527 | 20 133 |
| Borrowing | - | - | 34 499 | - | 55 643 |
| Internally generated funds | 93 729 | 80 120 | 16 292 | 42 018 | 19 261 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 236 547 | 122 793 | 83 033 | 114 546 | 95 037 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 529 808 | 572 920 | 487 055 | 429 329 | 414 223 |
| Total non current assets | 1 460 495 | 1 250 976 | 1 139 324 | 1 093 984 | 977 092 |
| Total current liabilities | 158 301 | 217 433 | 136 308 | 122 522 | 133 160 |
| Total non current liabilities | 259 658 | 271 477 | 271 473 | 260 855 | 255 199 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 1 572 345 | 1 334 985 | 1 218 598 | 1 139 936 | 1 002 956 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 1 295 910 | 754 505 | 392 634 | 448 611 | 1 171 967 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -235 881 | -122 378 | -82 798 | -110 877 | -95 033 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 945 | -4 275 | 37 909 | -3 558 | 90 000 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 1 548 495 | 1 042 766 | 710 422 | 682 845 | 1 422 566 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | 5 472 | 5 854 | - | 2 631 |
| Irregular expenditure | 106 | 13 | 5 412 | 2 | 121 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 12 | 11 | - | - | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 71 918 | 54 237 | 52 642 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 21.4% | 23.9% | 24.4% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 66.3% | 64.8% | 64.6% |
| Population over 65 | 12.3% | 11.2% | 11.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 50.8 | 54.3 | 54.9 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 93.1 | 94.8 | 94.1 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 3.0% | 0.7% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 14.1 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 18.9 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 2.8% | 3.4% | 4.6% |
| Matric | n/a | 30.2 | 23.5 |
| Higher education | 12.7% | 8.3% | 10.1% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 22 333 | 17 371 | 15 873 |
| Average household size | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 36.4 | 34.1 |
| Formal dwellings | 95.3% | 95.8% | 93.8% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 73.1 | 60.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 97.5% | 91.0% | 90.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 92.3% | 74.4% | 78.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 94.5% | 84.9% | 81.0% |
| Electricity for lighting | 98.5% | 98.3% | 94.9% |
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 | 17 583 | 16 998 | 16 943 | 16 643 | 16 643 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 17 530 | 16 945 | 16 890 | 15 651 | 15 651 |
| Inside the yard | 17 530 | 16 945 | 16 890 | 15 651 | 15 651 |
| 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 | 4 994 | 4 778 | 4 778 | 4 562 | 5 228 |
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 | 16 943 | 16 943 | 16 943 | 16 066 | 15 656 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 5 348 | 5 282 | 5 282 | 4 600 | 5 541 |
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 | 17 394 | 17 393 | 17 391 | 16 842 | 16 842 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 16 946 | 16 945 | 16 495 | 14 783 | 13 630 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 448 | 597 | 1 750 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 487 | 487 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 995 | 5 122 | 5 122 | 4 526 | 5 127 |
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 | 16 945 | 16 945 | 16 495 | 16 147 | 15 873 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 5 046 | 5 169 | 5 169 | 4 543 | 5 202 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 209 043 | 195 261 | 186 776 | 164 257 | 149 077 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 8 413 | 7 930 | 7 839 | 7 927 | 7 588 |
| Total Employee Positions | 390 | 535 | 498 | 564 | 528 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 34 | 40 | 4 | 4 | 37 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 8.7% | 7.5% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 7.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury