Laingsburg Local Municipality
Laingsburg Local Municipality is a local municipality in Western Cape, covering 8 784 square kilometres. It falls within the Central Karoo District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Laingsburg and Matjiesfontein.
Census 2022 counted 11 366 residents, making it the 30th most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 254th of 257 nationally. That works out to 1.3 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 3 314 households, averaging 3.4 people each. 24.6% of residents are under 15 and 7.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.0% hold a higher education qualification and 5.9% have had no schooling.
The council has 7 seats across 4 parties, with DA holding the largest share at 3 seats (42.9%). It is governed by a coalition: PA/ANC/KDF Coalition. Mrs Aletta Theron serves as executive mayor (DA), and Mr Jafta Booysen 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, Laingsburg scores 22.5 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “adverse audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R101.5 million in operating revenue against R117.7 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R16.3 million. At the last census, 84.5% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 92.3% used electricity for lighting and 80.0% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- DA 3 42.9%
- ANC 2 28.6%
- KDF 1 14.3%
- PA 1 14.3%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Adverse audit | Adverse audit | Adverse audit | Adverse audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 5 657 | 5 025 | 5 163 | 4 657 | 4 454 |
| Service charges | 33 749 | 27 678 | 17 961 | 23 103 | 20 173 |
| Investment revenue | 1 617 | 1 265 | 381 | 280 | 285 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 26 360 | 32 065 | 23 572 | 24 450 | 29 026 |
| Other own revenue | 34 085 | 38 412 | 19 758 | 4 881 | 22 730 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 101 469 | 104 444 | 66 834 | 57 371 | 76 669 |
| Employee costs | 35 473 | 33 342 | 26 040 | 30 401 | 29 731 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 3 677 | 3 607 | 2 766 | 3 172 | 3 104 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 12 985 | 13 361 | 5 399 | - | 7 096 |
| Finance charges | 3 470 | 2 518 | 0 | 75 | 1 083 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 15 594 | 14 073 | 11 000 | 14 266 | 12 290 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 98 | - | 15 | 178 | 336 |
| Other expenditure | 46 427 | 53 529 | 23 038 | 12 747 | 39 881 |
| Total Expenditure | 117 722 | 120 430 | 68 258 | 60 838 | 93 521 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -16 253 | -15 986 | -1 424 | -3 467 | -16 853 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 28 248 | 41 510 | 11 833 | 9 607 | 21 200 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | 116 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 11 995 | 25 523 | 10 409 | 6 139 | 4 463 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 11 995 | 25 523 | 10 409 | 6 139 | 4 463 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 23 755 | 22 493 | 12 047 | 22 376 | 43 292 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 49 917 | 57 759 | 11 874 | 22 376 | 40 239 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | - | - | 173 | - | (1) |
| Total sources of capital funds | 49 917 | 57 759 | 12 047 | 22 376 | 40 238 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 37 081 | 19 004 | 28 745 | 12 077 | 28 460 |
| Total non current assets | 332 466 | 324 723 | 221 220 | 210 947 | 199 946 |
| Total current liabilities | 28 684 | 20 720 | 25 622 | 32 237 | 42 665 |
| Total non current liabilities | 35 414 | 39 527 | 24 797 | 13 614 | 13 121 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 305 450 | 283 480 | 199 546 | 171 034 | 168 157 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 24 403 | 33 652 | 20 512 | 104 006 | 30 149 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -20 881 | -36 237 | -10 560 | -7 866 | 2 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -184 | 51 | - | - | -2 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 10 048 | -57 | 4 814 | 68 482 | -24 110 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 6 918 | 25 035 | 38 100 | 30 535 | 10 299 |
| Irregular expenditure | 26 271 | 45 125 | 3 721 | 5 400 | 13 861 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 1 900 | 1 544 | 682 | 1 633 | 729 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11 366 | 8 895 | 8 289 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 24.6% | 21.7% | 26.5% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 68.3% | 70.3% | 66.3% |
| Population over 65 | 7.1% | 8.0% | 7.2% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 46.4 | 42.3 | 50.9 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 95.1 | 98.7 | 99.5 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 3.1% | 1.6% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 17.9 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 22 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 5.9% | 9.2% | 11.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 26.3 | 16.7 |
| Higher education | 6.0% | 1.7% | 8.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 3 314 | 2 862 | 2 408 |
| Average household size | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 31.8 | 31 |
| Formal dwellings | 96.2% | 97.5% | 96.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 61 | 36.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 95.6% | 82.7% | 82.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 80.0% | 79.5% | 59.5% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 84.5% | 56.5% | 66.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 92.3% | 88.8% | 79.3% |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 2 823 | 1 483 | 1 455 | 1 455 | 1 455 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 2 543 | 1 370 | 1 342 | 1 342 | 1 342 |
| Inside the yard | 2 543 | 1 370 | 1 342 | 1 342 | 1 342 |
| 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 | 464 | 537 | 743 | 500 | 531 |
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 | 1 303 | 1 303 | 1 303 | 1 303 | 1 303 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 352 | 417 | 493 | 500 | 534 |
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 | 2 017 | 1 535 | 1 407 | 1 407 | 1 407 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 1 751 | 1 370 | 1 310 | 1 310 | 1 310 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 169 | 68 | 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 | 458 | 535 | 731 | 500 | 534 |
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 | 1 360 | 1 360 | 1 360 | 1 360 | 1 360 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 470 | 547 | 753 | 500 | 541 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 26 040 | 30 401 | 29 731 | 25 291 | 23 125 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 2 766 | 3 172 | 3 104 | 3 129 | 3 032 |
| Total Employee Positions | 87 | 81 | 79 | 81 | 77 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 13.8% | 2.5% | 3.8% | 0.0% | 9.1% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury