King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 3 019 square kilometres. It falls within the OR Tambo District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Mqanduli and Mthatha (Umtata).
Census 2022 counted 476 558 residents, making it the 8th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 57th of 257 nationally. That works out to 157.9 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 114 580 households, averaging 4.2 people each. 31.8% of residents are under 15 and 5.9% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 12.5% hold a higher education qualification and 10.2% have had no schooling.
The council has 73 seats across 10 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 48 seats (65.8%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Nyaniso Nelani serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Ngamela Pakade 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, King Sabata Dalindyebo scores 40.2 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 R1.7 billion in operating revenue against R1.8 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R141.2 million. At the last census, 42.4% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.1% used electricity for lighting and 43.3% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 48 65.8%
- UDM 11 15.1%
- EFF 5 6.8%
- ATM 3 4.1%
- CI 1 1.4%
- DA 1 1.4%
- INDEPENDENT 1 1.4%
- ISANCO 1 1.4%
- MRRA 1 1.4%
- AIC 1 1.4%
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 | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 308 846 | 290 508 | 267 055 | 276 613 | 244 824 |
| Service charges | 727 806 | 676 118 | 573 046 | 562 781 | 498 028 |
| Investment revenue | 7 228 | 4 788 | 4 466 | 1 063 | 1 361 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 478 310 | 453 868 | 428 334 | 383 773 | 459 594 |
| Other own revenue | 152 971 | 169 728 | 160 331 | 221 880 | 111 883 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 1 675 160 | 1 595 010 | 1 433 231 | 1 446 110 | 1 315 689 |
| Employee costs | 633 615 | 595 830 | 551 265 | 541 016 | 511 375 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 32 910 | 31 601 | 29 394 | 28 613 | 28 252 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 121 768 | 242 642 | 126 350 | 160 799 | 164 836 |
| Finance charges | 36 536 | 22 388 | 12 803 | 18 912 | 29 142 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 608 744 | 526 066 | 406 228 | 418 135 | 332 150 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 1 557 | 37 141 | 9 715 | 44 461 | 826 |
| Other expenditure | 381 202 | 415 701 | 270 108 | 309 845 | 253 919 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 816 332 | 1 871 369 | 1 405 863 | 1 521 781 | 1 320 500 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -141 171 | -276 359 | 27 368 | -75 671 | -4 811 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 166 577 | 179 098 | 130 273 | 106 642 | 109 873 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 25 406 | -97 261 | 157 642 | 30 971 | 105 062 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 25 406 | -97 261 | 157 642 | 30 971 | 105 062 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 180 242 | 234 249 | 239 654 | 27 029 | 93 233 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 108 996 | 69 438 | 234 841 | 24 256 | 76 466 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 8 021 | 2 223 | 4 452 | 2 660 | -1 049 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 117 018 | 71 661 | 239 293 | 26 916 | 75 417 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 706 202 | 523 170 | 402 297 | 338 332 | 271 677 |
| Total non current assets | 2 335 755 | 2 294 206 | 2 425 761 | 2 596 177 | 3 834 506 |
| Total current liabilities | 796 750 | 627 308 | 472 997 | 492 966 | 421 088 |
| Total non current liabilities | 56 754 | 58 889 | 39 820 | 66 595 | 92 704 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 2 163 047 | 2 228 439 | 2 157 599 | 2 343 977 | 3 487 330 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 1 077 308 | 57 044 | -151 620 | -644 679 | 206 252 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -909 041 | -196 579 | -125 254 | -105 212 | -39 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -2 082 | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 227 414 | -58 004 | -206 021 | -644 005 | 284 382 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 86 493 | 39 308 | 197 723 | 165 521 | 3 646 |
| Irregular expenditure | 50 531 | 25 404 | 8 868 | 1 309 871 | 9 285 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 37 090 | 17 216 | 8 236 | 4 601 | 19 563 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 476 558 | 488 349 | 450 287 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 31.8% | 34.2% | 35.0% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 62.3% | 61.8% | 60.0% |
| Population over 65 | 5.9% | 4.0% | 5.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 60.5 | 61.8 | 66.8 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88.5 | 87 | 85.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.6% | 1.8% | 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 | 10.2% | 15.7% | 14.0% |
| Matric | n/a | 22 | 18.4 |
| Higher education | 12.5% | 9.5% | 10.5% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 114 580 | 115 894 | 104 878 |
| Average household size | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 55.9 | 57.3 |
| Formal dwellings | 84.6% | 51.8% | 60.2% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 65.4 | 55.6 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 47.6% | 23.5% | 27.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 43.3% | 21.5% | 24.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 42.4% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.1% | 84.4% | 73.3% |
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 | 62 559 | 57 997 | 57 597 | 57 597 | 57 283 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 13 342 | 10 309 | 12 266 | 11 353 | 11 713 |
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 | 40 346 | 34 172 | 34 172 | 34 172 | 34 172 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 860 | 860 | 860 | 860 | 770 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 551 265 | 541 016 | 511 375 | 478 499 | 436 754 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 29 394 | 28 613 | 28 252 | 27 393 | 27 538 |
| Total Employee Positions | 2 362 | 2 205 | 1 510 | 1 602 | 1 970 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 296 | 895 | 16 | 108 | 693 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 12.5% | 40.6% | 1.1% | 6.7% | 35.2% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 29 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 14 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury