iLembe District Municipality
iLembe District Municipality is a district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 3 270 square kilometres. It coordinates 4 local municipalities: KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Maphumulo and Ndwedwe. It takes in the towns and settlements of Dolphin Coast/Ballito, Isithebe, KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Ndwedwe and Nkwazi/Zinkwazi Beach.
Census 2022 counted 782 661 residents, making it the 7th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 35th of 257 nationally. That works out to 239.3 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 187 182 households, averaging 4.2 people each. 28.9% of residents are under 15 and 6.3% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 8.1% hold a higher education qualification and 10.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 13 seats across 5 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 7 seats (53.8%). It is governed by a coalition: n/a. Mr Thobani Shandu serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Sazi Mbhele 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, iLembe scores 59.9 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 R1.7 billion in operating revenue against R1.8 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R130.6 million. At the last census, 41.2% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 97.7% used electricity for lighting and 50.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 7 53.8%
- IFP 3 23.1%
- ACTIONSA 1 7.7%
- DA 1 7.7%
- EFF 1 7.7%
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 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 430 149 | 362 464 | 311 582 | 274 742 | 240 946 |
| Investment revenue | 38 023 | 42 895 | 24 876 | 12 460 | 10 822 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 911 323 | 874 577 | 797 346 | 692 980 | 745 473 |
| Other own revenue | 293 589 | 197 507 | 107 962 | 64 812 | 51 007 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 1 673 083 | 1 477 443 | 1 241 766 | 1 044 994 | 1 048 248 |
| Employee costs | 313 429 | 290 473 | 261 523 | 246 668 | 245 949 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 11 068 | 10 744 | 10 514 | 8 842 | 8 921 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 144 266 | 136 611 | 129 381 | 142 860 | 137 954 |
| Finance charges | 3 080 | 3 530 | 6 545 | 10 108 | 6 999 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 190 676 | 171 695 | 134 339 | 119 761 | 238 721 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 42 389 | 40 906 | 38 290 | 35 465 | 37 082 |
| Other expenditure | 1 098 800 | 791 265 | 842 513 | 548 156 | 401 195 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 803 707 | 1 445 223 | 1 423 106 | 1 111 859 | 1 076 822 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -130 624 | 32 220 | -181 340 | -66 865 | -28 574 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 318 025 | 191 113 | 287 418 | 238 198 | 241 227 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | 3 677 | 5 815 | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 187 401 | 227 010 | 111 893 | 171 333 | 212 652 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | 131 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 187 401 | 227 010 | 111 893 | 171 333 | 212 783 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 399 935 | 242 423 | 274 015 | 234 890 | 240 932 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 278 156 | 166 860 | 250 855 | 209 469 | 209 395 |
| Borrowing | 12 511 | - | - | - | 4 142 |
| Internally generated funds | 109 268 | 75 563 | 23 160 | 24 182 | 23 613 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 399 935 | 242 423 | 274 015 | 233 650 | 237 150 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 536 860 | 668 307 | 402 847 | 466 678 | 394 216 |
| Total non current assets | 3 330 193 | 3 079 205 | 2 979 743 | 2 845 407 | 2 760 598 |
| Total current liabilities | 302 278 | 368 053 | 241 084 | 304 748 | 221 366 |
| Total non current liabilities | 23 041 | 25 125 | 31 503 | 17 247 | 116 894 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 3 541 734 | 3 354 333 | 3 110 084 | 2 990 815 | 2 819 600 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 245 177 | 364 779 | 358 205 | 1 033 727 | 765 984 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -429 452 | -260 664 | -298 369 | -241 643 | -239 670 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -12 915 | -12 495 | -90 953 | -29 188 | -40 015 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 194 366 | 369 805 | 176 138 | 1 309 607 | 68 979 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | - | 14 747 | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 37 420 | 496 | 6 348 | 48 120 | 38 465 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | - | - | 11 753 | 4 376 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 782 661 | 657 612 | 606 809 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 28.9% | 31.8% | 33.8% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.8% | 62.5% | 61.3% |
| Population over 65 | 6.3% | 5.6% | 5.0% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 54.3 | 60 | 63.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 90.2 | 92.3 | 90.9 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.5% | 1.8% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 30.6 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 37.2 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 10.8% | 11.1% | 15.4% |
| Matric | n/a | 32.8 | 26.7 |
| Higher education | 8.1% | 6.3% | 5.8% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 187 182 | 191 369 | 157 690 |
| Average household size | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 47.1 | 45.8 |
| Formal dwellings | 87.6% | 73.9% | 64.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 69.6 | 56.5 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 44.6% | 20.4% | 26.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 50.7% | 32.5% | 34.4% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 41.2% | 18.3% | 23.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 97.7% | 84.9% | 71.4% |
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 | 151 150 | 149 738 | 139 873 | 138 337 | 133 458 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 148 340 | 146 928 | 137 063 | 135 527 | 130 648 |
| Inside the yard | 58 559 | 57 147 | 57 147 | 55 735 | 55 735 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 85 824 | 85 824 | 75 835 | 75 835 | 74 913 |
| More than 200m from yard | 3 957 | 3 957 | 4 081 | 3 957 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 065 | 1 781 | 1 800 | 1 741 | 1 701 |
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 | 150 516 | 148 598 | 133 612 | 131 361 | 131 361 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 30 266 | 28 348 | 28 348 | 26 962 | 26 962 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 4 653 | 4 653 | 4 653 | 4 653 | 4 653 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 113 719 | 113 719 | 98 733 | 97 868 | 97 868 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 065 | 980 | 970 | 1 013 | 1 091 |
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) | 261 523 | 246 668 | 245 949 | 204 678 | 220 780 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 10 514 | 8 842 | 8 921 | 8 877 | 8 604 |
| Total Employee Positions | 769 | 769 | 593 | 651 | 731 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 157 | 148 | 6 | 96 | 168 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 20.4% | 19.3% | 1.0% | 14.8% | 23.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury