Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality
Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is a local municipality in Limpopo, covering 2 110 square kilometres. It falls within the Sekhukhune District Municipality.
Census 2022 counted 340 328 residents, making it the 13th most populous of the 27 municipalities in Limpopo and 75th of 257 nationally. That works out to 161.3 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 78 497 households, averaging 4.3 people each. 34.7% of residents are under 15 and 8.0% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.9% hold a higher education qualification and 16.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 62 seats across 8 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 40 seats (64.5%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms Merah Mahlase serves as executive mayor (ANC), and RM Moganedi 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, Makhuduthamaga scores 37.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R452.0 million in operating revenue against R527.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R75.2 million. At the last census, 18.9% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.2% used electricity for lighting and 16.4% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 40 64.5%
- EFF 15 24.2%
- SAMEBA 2 3.2%
- DA 1 1.6%
- DAP 1 1.6%
- INDEPENDENT 1 1.6%
- NCC 1 1.6%
- SADA 1 1.6%
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 | 40 011 | 39 628 | 46 259 | 44 418 | 41 316 |
| Service charges | 388 | 349 | 175 | 150 | 135 |
| Investment revenue | 2 852 | 3 784 | 7 217 | 3 024 | 1 653 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 383 039 | 362 492 | 337 037 | 300 035 | 344 951 |
| Other own revenue | 25 745 | 18 312 | 52 808 | 480 790 | 44 625 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 452 035 | 424 566 | 443 496 | 828 419 | 432 680 |
| Employee costs | 130 218 | 115 498 | 101 174 | 89 506 | 85 247 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 27 464 | 27 817 | 23 812 | 24 015 | 23 491 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 35 496 | 34 937 | 28 667 | 27 313 | 33 688 |
| Finance charges | 2 681 | 2 232 | 2 685 | 2 035 | 1 517 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 2 395 | 2 465 | 3 269 | 4 195 | 15 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 7 690 | 9 077 | 5 871 | 6 781 | 4 777 |
| Other expenditure | 321 244 | 396 155 | 350 242 | 644 561 | 319 029 |
| Total Expenditure | 527 189 | 588 181 | 515 720 | 798 405 | 467 765 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -75 154 | -163 615 | -72 224 | 30 014 | -35 085 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 97 858 | 94 109 | 94 915 | 81 777 | 70 953 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 22 704 | -69 506 | 22 691 | 111 791 | 35 867 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 22 704 | -69 506 | 22 691 | 111 791 | 35 867 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 803 794 | 767 240 | 683 624 | 575 223 | 529 291 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 71 485 | 38 516 | 74 614 | 27 913 | 6 950 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 732 308 | 728 724 | 609 010 | 547 310 | 53 721 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 803 794 | 767 240 | 683 624 | 575 223 | 60 671 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 45 196 | 32 622 | 27 671 | 224 559 | 578 825 |
| Total non current assets | 505 158 | 486 278 | 427 910 | 351 425 | 318 518 |
| Total current liabilities | 140 169 | 120 131 | -11 013 | 81 267 | 527 524 |
| Total non current liabilities | 9 665 | 9 718 | 8 037 | 83 424 | 84 487 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 377 815 | 458 557 | 435 866 | 187 711 | 249 465 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -99 725 | -95 797 | -102 291 | n/a | n/a |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -145 107 | -145 113 | -93 987 | n/a | n/a |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | n/a | n/a |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -244 832 | -240 909 | -196 279 | n/a | n/a |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | 30 512 | 23 009 | 4 050 | 38 087 |
| Irregular expenditure | 1 538 | 1 471 | 6 662 | 65 728 | 62 418 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 5 979 | - | - | 65 | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 340 328 | 284 435 | 274 880 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 34.7% | 35.8% | 38.1% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 57.3% | 57.6% | 53.9% |
| Population over 65 | 8.0% | 6.6% | 8.0% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 74.4 | 73.5 | 85.4 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 84.4 | 78.7 | 79.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.1% | 0.8% | 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 | 16.4% | 15.2% | 23.4% |
| Matric | n/a | 23 | 20.5 |
| Higher education | 6.9% | 7.2% | 5.5% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 78 497 | 64 871 | 65 320 |
| Average household size | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 61.9 | 60.1 |
| Formal dwellings | 96.9% | 88.8% | 90.0% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 77.7 | 71.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 17.9% | 2.9% | 3.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 16.4% | 1.3% | 2.0% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 18.9% | 3.4% | 6.0% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.2% | 93.2% | 90.4% |
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? | 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 | 81 345 | 81 045 | 81 045 | 81 045 | 81 045 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 903 | 6 903 | 6 903 | 2 160 | 7 668 |
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 | 6 969 | 6 969 | 6 969 | 6 969 | 6 369 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 700 | 700 | 700 | 500 | 500 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 101 174 | 89 506 | 85 247 | 78 681 | 73 490 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 23 812 | 24 015 | 23 491 | 23 459 | 22 333 |
| Total Employee Positions | 229 | 210 | 138 | 189 | 267 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 28 | 37 | 2 | 31 | 113 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 12.2% | 17.6% | 1.5% | 16.4% | 42.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 28 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury