Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality
Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality is a local municipality in Free State, covering 4 338 square kilometres. It falls within the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Harrismith, Kestell and Phuthaditjhaba.
Census 2022 counted 398 459 residents, making it the 6th most populous of the 23 municipalities in Free State and 67th of 257 nationally. That works out to 91.9 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 115 151 households, averaging 3.5 people each. 28.5% of residents are under 15 and 6.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 9.4% hold a higher education qualification and 6.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 70 seats across 11 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 28 seats (40.0%). ANC governs the municipality. Malekula Melato serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Adv Motsoahae Matthews Mofokeng 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, Maluti-a-Phofung scores 3 out of 100 for 2023/24, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “audit not finalised”. In 2023/24 it reported R1.5 billion in operating revenue against R3.0 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R1.5 billion. At the last census, 36.2% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.5% used electricity for lighting and 30.9% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 28 40.0%
- MAP16 20 28.6%
- EFF 7 10.0%
- DA 5 7.1%
- DPSA 3 4.3%
- ACM 2 2.9%
- AULA 1 1.4%
- ATM 1 1.4%
- AIC 1 1.4%
- SARKO 1 1.4%
- VF PLUS 1 1.4%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Audit not finalised | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | n/a | 99 785 | 111 776 | 113 846 | 168 505 |
| Service charges | n/a | 498 079 | 494 671 | 324 448 | 285 452 |
| Investment revenue | n/a | 6 410 | 4 405 | 11 332 | 2 305 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | n/a | 889 398 | 765 933 | 694 190 | 734 074 |
| Other own revenue | n/a | 39 425 | 12 215 | 61 145 | 32 538 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | n/a | 1 533 098 | 1 389 000 | 1 204 961 | 1 222 874 |
| Employee costs | n/a | 588 007 | 727 726 | 667 674 | 547 084 |
| Remuneration of councillors | n/a | 25 425 | 31 785 | 28 529 | 25 699 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | n/a | 93 801 | 292 746 | 182 718 | 340 242 |
| Finance charges | n/a | 44 698 | 382 456 | 54 645 | 146 607 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | n/a | 873 079 | 792 338 | 964 663 | 819 857 |
| Transfers and subsidies | n/a | 174 457 | 111 153 | 176 805 | 93 418 |
| Other expenditure | n/a | 1 186 011 | 196 667 | 238 249 | 284 199 |
| Total Expenditure | n/a | 2 985 478 | 2 534 870 | 2 313 283 | 2 257 107 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | n/a | -1 452 380 | -1 145 870 | -1 108 322 | -1 034 234 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | n/a | 278 224 | 273 230 | 267 054 | 228 415 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | n/a | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | n/a | -1 174 156 | -872 640 | -841 269 | -805 818 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | n/a | - | - | 73 321 | 169 780 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | n/a | -1 174 156 | -872 640 | -767 948 | -636 038 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | n/a | 588 295 | -110 658 | 259 752 | 233 169 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | n/a | 583 582 | 513 406 | 257 367 | 194 993 |
| Borrowing | n/a | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | n/a | 4 713 | -624 064 | 2 385 | 38 176 |
| Total sources of capital funds | n/a | 588 295 | -110 658 | 259 752 | 233 169 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | n/a | 3 306 456 | 3 863 730 | 2 932 796 | 2 573 618 |
| Total non current assets | n/a | 3 181 429 | 6 111 529 | 5 269 843 | 3 745 426 |
| Total current liabilities | n/a | 11 004 403 | 10 568 642 | 9 716 444 | 8 483 654 |
| Total non current liabilities | n/a | 320 | 320 | 320 | 10 166 |
| Community wealth/Equity | n/a | -4 401 219 | -1 401 511 | -2 031 560 | -2 477 427 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | n/a | -398 141 | 613 746 | 562 835 | 615 305 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | n/a | -588 295 | -157 291 | -259 752 | -233 169 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | n/a | - | - | -9 846 | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | n/a | -596 658 | 521 081 | 474 249 | 381 537 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 378 796 | 99 200 | 5 327 | 3 858 155 | 168 799 |
| Irregular expenditure | 259 001 | 73 581 | 131 297 | 111 519 | 29 909 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 298 029 | 263 956 | 384 625 | 2 053 882 | 128 540 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 398 459 | 353 452 | 335 784 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 28.5% | 30.5% | 32.7% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 65.0% | 64.5% | 62.0% |
| Population over 65 | 6.5% | 5.0% | 5.3% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 53.8 | 55.1 | 61.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 86.1 | 83.9 | 83.9 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.7% | 1.2% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 41.8 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 53 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 6.6% | 6.9% | 8.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 29.2 | 26.8 |
| Higher education | 9.4% | 7.9% | 7.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 115 151 | 110 725 | 100 226 |
| Average household size | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 50.4 | 50.9 |
| Formal dwellings | 88.1% | 76.7% | 80.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 83.6 | 72.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 42.9% | 29.7% | 32.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 30.9% | 21.1% | 24.8% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 36.2% | 22.3% | 31.9% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.5% | 93.6% | 89.0% |
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 | 119 411 | 119 411 | 119 411 | 119 411 | 119 411 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 117 504 | 117 504 | 117 504 | 117 504 | 117 504 |
| Inside the yard | 72 692 | 72 692 | 72 692 | 72 692 | 72 692 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 44 168 | 44 168 | 44 168 | 44 168 | 44 168 |
| More than 200m from yard | 644 | 644 | 644 | 644 | 644 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 164 | 2 451 | 1 043 | 2 363 | 6 384 |
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 | 139 055 | 139 055 | 139 055 | 129 978 | 102 810 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 164 | 5 280 | 5 514 | 11 580 | 18 583 |
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 | 129 591 | 129 591 | 123 800 | 123 800 | 123 800 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 40 470 | 40 470 | 38 102 | 38 102 | 38 102 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 1 420 | 1 420 | 1 420 | 1 420 | 1 420 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 82 334 | 82 334 | 82 334 | 82 334 | 82 334 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 164 | 2 451 | 1 043 | 2 363 | 6 384 |
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 | 36 916 | 36 916 | 36 916 | 36 916 | 36 916 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 164 | 2 451 | 1 043 | 2 363 | 6 384 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 727 726 | 667 674 | 547 084 | 870 106 | 484 117 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 31 785 | 28 529 | 25 699 | 24 575 | 31 109 |
| Total Employee Positions | 1 172 | 1 314 | 1 334 | 1 325 | 1 535 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 14 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 67 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
Published documents
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