Metsimaholo Local Municipality
Metsimaholo Local Municipality is a local municipality in Free State, covering 1 717 square kilometres. It falls within the Fezile Dabi District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Deneysville, Kragbron, Oranjeville and Sasolburg.
Census 2022 counted 158 391 residents, making it the 7th most populous of the 23 municipalities in Free State and 128th of 257 nationally. That works out to 92.2 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 49 060 households, averaging 3.2 people each. 25.3% of residents are under 15 and 6.3% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 10.3% hold a higher education qualification and 3.7% have had no schooling.
The council has 46 seats across 7 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 16 seats (34.8%). It is governed by a coalition: ANC/EFF Coalition. Mr Jack Malindi serves as executive mayor (AIC), and Mr Basi Motloung is acting 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, Metsimaholo scores 56.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of C, described as fair. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R1.8 billion in operating revenue against R1.7 billion in expenditure, an operating surplus of R60.2 million. At the last census, 66.8% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 89.3% used electricity for lighting and 79.6% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 16 34.8%
- DA 12 26.1%
- EFF 12 26.1%
- VF PLUS 3 6.5%
- AIC 1 2.2%
- ATM 1 2.2%
- MCA 1 2.2%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 229 909 | 221 436 | 211 327 | 211 196 | 214 081 |
| Service charges | 1 029 095 | 1 032 673 | 875 649 | 880 216 | 797 422 |
| Investment revenue | 7 973 | 12 037 | 13 829 | 5 160 | 3 045 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 300 534 | 280 408 | 252 168 | 236 230 | 245 218 |
| Other own revenue | 190 079 | 157 150 | 131 114 | 97 479 | 59 283 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 1 757 589 | 1 703 703 | 1 484 086 | 1 430 281 | 1 319 049 |
| Employee costs | 431 820 | 394 631 | 343 020 | 335 632 | 331 982 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 24 217 | 22 473 | 19 947 | 19 384 | 19 380 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 70 230 | 85 479 | 99 005 | 72 789 | 124 139 |
| Finance charges | 16 516 | 16 917 | 13 268 | 9 354 | 759 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 680 445 | 645 524 | 550 561 | 552 065 | 526 906 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 287 | 290 | 257 | 334 | 98 |
| Other expenditure | 473 870 | 642 502 | 556 375 | 484 432 | 251 587 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 697 385 | 1 807 816 | 1 582 434 | 1 473 990 | 1 254 850 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 60 205 | -104 113 | -98 348 | -43 709 | 64 199 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 72 757 | 94 907 | 101 507 | 77 712 | 49 110 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 8 069 | - | 43 043 | 97 593 | 1 765 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 141 031 | -9 206 | 46 202 | 131 596 | 115 074 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 141 031 | -9 206 | 46 202 | 131 596 | 115 074 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 105 023 | 82 562 | 138 974 | 157 894 | 47 218 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 55 635 | 79 190 | 136 353 | 141 806 | 45 159 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 29 160 | 3 372 | 2 622 | 3 443 | 2 059 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 84 795 | 82 562 | 138 974 | 145 249 | 47 218 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 780 232 | 537 738 | 1 321 421 | 1 483 009 | 1 318 295 |
| Total non current assets | 1 578 956 | 1 864 894 | 1 640 248 | 1 566 730 | 1 409 197 |
| Total current liabilities | 645 086 | 514 640 | 1 246 619 | 1 288 039 | 1 158 575 |
| Total non current liabilities | 57 328 | 57 402 | 60 688 | 140 603 | 146 287 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 1 738 748 | 1 830 590 | 1 654 361 | 1 621 096 | 1 416 580 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 630 814 | 96 756 | 53 458 | 40 987 | -337 814 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -96 488 | -61 066 | -137 164 | -159 704 | -47 218 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 1 266 | - | -38 | -493 | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 661 542 | 198 892 | 33 735 | -68 235 | -337 631 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 29 484 | 83 951 | - | 141 415 | 16 373 |
| Irregular expenditure | 89 235 | 147 717 | 107 317 | 168 511 | 70 724 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 3 436 | 4 548 | 5 189 | 40 034 | 3 595 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 158 391 | 163 564 | 149 108 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 25.3% | 23.7% | 26.3% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 68.4% | 71.0% | 69.3% |
| Population over 65 | 6.3% | 5.3% | 4.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 46.3 | 40.8 | 44.3 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 97 | 109.6 | 108.6 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.6% | 2.1% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 32.1 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 41.6 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 3.7% | 9.3% | 5.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 33.2 | 29.8 |
| Higher education | 10.3% | 9.8% | 11.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 49 060 | 59 113 | 45 752 |
| Average household size | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 33.6 | 32.5 |
| Formal dwellings | 88.3% | 87.4% | 83.9% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 73.6 | 57.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 83.9% | 73.6% | 75.5% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 79.6% | 78.3% | 78.9% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 66.8% | 65.3% | 71.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 89.3% | 86.3% | 86.4% |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 56 887 | 56 793 | 45 046 | 54 929 | 51 590 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 53 222 | 53 128 | 41 381 | 51 264 | 47 925 |
| Inside the yard | 50 378 | 50 378 | 37 591 | 47 474 | 45 325 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 2 000 | 2 000 | 40 | 40 | 2 600 |
| More than 200m from yard | 844 | 750 | 3 750 | 3 750 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 362 | 10 678 | 10 323 | 10 151 | 8 386 |
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 | 53 227 | 51 927 | 51 927 | 51 927 | 51 893 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 362 | 10 678 | 10 323 | 6 540 | 8 340 |
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 | 48 756 | 48 756 | 45 289 | 51 062 | 40 450 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 38 591 | 38 591 | 37 591 | 41 247 | 34 391 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 1 500 | 1 500 | 1 500 | 3 617 | 696 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 3 500 | 3 500 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 1 500 | 1 500 | 2 533 | 2 533 | 1 533 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 362 | 10 678 | 10 323 | 9 168 | 9 176 |
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 | 54 700 | 53 121 | 50 296 | 50 296 | 49 000 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 362 | 10 678 | 10 323 | 7 766 | 7 766 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 343 020 | 335 632 | 331 982 | 307 824 | 288 618 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 19 947 | 19 384 | 19 380 | 19 380 | 17 554 |
| Total Employee Positions | 768 | 893 | 775 | 737 | 1 196 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 1 | 121 | 10 | 5 | 389 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 0.1% | 13.6% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 32.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 32 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 41 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury