Inkosi uMtubatuba Local Municipality
Inkosi uMtubatuba Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 1 970 square kilometres. It falls within the uMkhanyakude District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Mtubatuba and St Lucia.
Census 2022 counted 215 869 residents, making it the 24th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 107th of 257 nationally. That works out to 109.6 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 35 421 households, averaging 6.1 people each. 33.7% of residents are under 15 and 4.8% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.2% hold a higher education qualification and 14.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 45 seats across 9 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 21 seats (46.7%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Mxolisi Mthethwa serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr TV Xulu 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, Mtubatuba scores 43.4 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 R346.1 million in operating revenue against R369.3 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R23.2 million. At the last census, 29.3% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 97.3% used electricity for lighting and 25.9% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 21 46.7%
- ANC 14 31.1%
- EFF 4 8.9%
- ACDP 1 2.2%
- AIC 1 2.2%
- DA 1 2.2%
- INDEPENDENT 1 2.2%
- NFP 1 2.2%
- UDM 1 2.2%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 59 716 | 57 380 | 50 785 | 55 348 | 59 596 |
| Service charges | 5 822 | 5 638 | 3 734 | 5 401 | 7 269 |
| Investment revenue | 2 070 | 2 240 | 1 346 | 1 159 | 1 719 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 260 753 | 295 668 | 230 763 | 201 633 | 232 707 |
| Other own revenue | 17 715 | 31 712 | 17 573 | 24 347 | 18 479 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 346 075 | 392 639 | 304 201 | 287 888 | 319 769 |
| Employee costs | 146 820 | 133 673 | 127 684 | 106 756 | 89 076 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 18 462 | 17 219 | 17 393 | 16 013 | 15 925 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 36 471 | 37 384 | 35 466 | 32 859 | 29 078 |
| Finance charges | 2 592 | 2 198 | 3 646 | 1 655 | 743 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 1 744 | 6 675 | 15 596 | 33 106 | 9 804 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | 33 | 211 | 537 | 689 |
| Other expenditure | 163 181 | 174 261 | 180 077 | 153 318 | 161 183 |
| Total Expenditure | 369 269 | 371 443 | 380 073 | 344 244 | 306 497 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -23 193 | 21 195 | -75 871 | -56 356 | 13 272 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 38 044 | 44 955 | 47 334 | 51 113 | 33 850 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 14 851 | 66 150 | -28 537 | -5 244 | 47 122 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 14 851 | 66 150 | -28 537 | -5 244 | 47 122 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 166 582 | 939 879 | 812 354 | 763 274 | 706 929 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 85 954 | 558 830 | 519 181 | 493 450 | 385 336 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 80 628 | 381 049 | 293 173 | 269 824 | 186 051 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 166 582 | 939 879 | 812 354 | 763 274 | 571 388 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 60 682 | 39 308 | 44 181 | 38 002 | 77 087 |
| Total non current assets | 601 686 | 586 001 | 492 764 | 477 999 | 450 700 |
| Total current liabilities | 172 336 | 150 128 | 174 501 | 119 402 | 93 782 |
| Total non current liabilities | - | - | - | - | - |
| Community wealth/Equity | 475 181 | 409 030 | 390 981 | 401 843 | 386 882 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 123 661 | 16 442 | 18 707 | 15 012 | 16 407 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 125 791 | 17 073 | 25 130 | 15 011 | 16 406 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 62 750 | 37 856 | 58 247 | 46 058 | 34 403 |
| Irregular expenditure | 131 530 | 274 546 | 101 151 | 23 894 | 179 490 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 2 024 | 2 655 | 1 092 | 5 315 | 2 969 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 215 869 | 202 176 | 175 425 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 33.7% | 40.8% | 39.4% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 61.5% | 55.3% | 56.2% |
| Population over 65 | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 62.6 | 80.9 | 78 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 87.8 | 89.3 | 86.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.0% | 3.2% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 39 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 46.9 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 14.8% | 11.6% | 19.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 36.7 | 28.4 |
| Higher education | 6.2% | 7.0% | 5.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 35 421 | 41 792 | 34 905 |
| Average household size | 6.1 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 52.3 | 52.8 |
| Formal dwellings | 92.8% | 75.2% | 80.5% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 79.4 | 62.8 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 29.8% | 13.6% | 20.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 25.9% | 7.8% | 13.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 29.3% | 11.5% | 22.1% |
| Electricity for lighting | 97.3% | 85.7% | 65.1% |
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? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 28 447 | 28 019 | 28 019 | 27 939 | 25 608 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 86 | 24 | 156 | 171 | 171 |
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 | 6 900 | 4 348 | 4 348 | 3 948 | 4 958 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 98 | 46 | 46 | 93 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 127 684 | 106 756 | 89 076 | 86 501 | 79 283 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 17 393 | 16 013 | 15 925 | 16 275 | 14 436 |
| Total Employee Positions | 442 | 342 | 269 | 269 | 210 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 56 | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 12.7% | 12.3% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 40 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 19 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury