Mthonjaneni Local Municipality
Mthonjaneni Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 1 639 square kilometres. It falls within the King Cetshwayo District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of eMthonjaneni (Melmoth) and Ntambanana.
Census 2022 counted 99 289 residents, making it the 47th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 186th of 257 nationally. That works out to 60.6 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 15 408 households, averaging 6.4 people each. 34.3% of residents are under 15 and 5.3% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 3.7% hold a higher education qualification and 19.3% have had no schooling.
The council has 25 seats across 5 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 15 seats (60.0%). IFP governs the municipality. Mr Mbangiseni Biyela serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr Ziphozenkosi Mthethwa 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, Mthonjaneni scores 22.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R181.9 million in operating revenue against R249.8 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R67.9 million. At the last census, 32.7% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.8% used electricity for lighting and 32.4% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 15 60.0%
- ANC 7 28.0%
- ACU 1 4.0%
- EFF 1 4.0%
- NFP 1 4.0%
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 | 25 419 | 24 373 | 20 634 | 22 512 | 21 934 |
| Service charges | 33 782 | 31 287 | 27 603 | 28 017 | 23 854 |
| Investment revenue | 799 | 703 | 1 485 | 343 | 1 350 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 114 106 | 104 628 | 100 408 | 92 529 | 103 281 |
| Other own revenue | 7 829 | 14 002 | 9 856 | 19 472 | 4 920 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 181 935 | 174 993 | 159 986 | 162 872 | 155 340 |
| Employee costs | 78 633 | 74 234 | 61 195 | 58 115 | 58 937 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 10 465 | 10 181 | 9 701 | 8 740 | 8 951 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 29 025 | 27 054 | 24 737 | 24 273 | 22 400 |
| Finance charges | 2 768 | 2 718 | 1 841 | 235 | 201 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 29 434 | 29 954 | 24 760 | 26 178 | 22 721 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 2 540 | 202 | - | - | 447 |
| Other expenditure | 96 953 | 85 857 | 91 785 | 95 087 | 49 650 |
| Total Expenditure | 249 819 | 230 200 | 214 019 | 212 628 | 163 307 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -67 884 | -55 207 | -54 033 | -49 756 | -7 967 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 25 087 | 23 744 | 50 280 | 32 278 | 33 867 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -42 797 | -31 463 | -3 753 | -17 478 | 25 900 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -42 797 | -31 463 | -3 753 | -17 478 | 25 900 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 242 771 | 212 308 | 209 196 | 186 136 | 432 487 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 27 186 | 25 774 | 30 734 | 41 193 | 241 323 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 215 585 | 186 534 | 178 462 | 144 943 | 191 164 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 242 771 | 212 308 | 209 196 | 186 136 | 432 487 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 12 482 | 28 945 | 30 152 | 30 717 | 36 856 |
| Total non current assets | 364 387 | 385 862 | 389 663 | 380 341 | 400 652 |
| Total current liabilities | 115 136 | 88 815 | 67 956 | 54 649 | 36 115 |
| Total non current liabilities | 13 104 | 12 407 | 7 888 | 7 840 | 8 096 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 291 426 | 345 048 | 347 725 | 366 047 | 367 397 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -55 503 | -13 590 | -1 715 | -2 150 | -2 075 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -21 | 8 026 | 118 | 111 | 149 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -54 158 | -5 461 | -1 495 | -1 937 | -1 926 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 59 612 | 47 405 | 37 985 | 59 294 | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 130 455 | 86 736 | 64 067 | 48 915 | 24 346 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 2 212 | 2 476 | 1 672 | 1 826 | 201 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 99 289 | 78 883 | 83 577 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 34.3% | 46.4% | 39.8% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.4% | 49.0% | 55.1% |
| Population over 65 | 5.3% | 4.5% | 5.0% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 65.6 | 104 | 81.3 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 84.5 | 85 | 84.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.7% | -1.3% | 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 | 19.3% | 17.7% | 24.0% |
| Matric | n/a | 25.4 | 20.3 |
| Higher education | 3.7% | 6.1% | 3.2% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 15 408 | 16 040 | 16 255 |
| Average household size | 6.4 | 4.9 | 5.1 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 58.9 | 58.1 |
| Formal dwellings | 75.4% | 53.5% | 46.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 76.9 | 38.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 37.3% | 19.6% | 19.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 32.4% | 20.4% | 16.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 32.7% | 17.6% | 17.2% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.8% | 84.1% | 68.9% |
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 | 9 749 | 9 272 | 9 272 | 9 272 | 9 221 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 046 | 1 088 | 1 183 | 1 183 | 1 376 |
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 | 7 799 | 7 799 | 7 191 | 7 191 | 7 191 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 72 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 69 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 61 195 | 58 115 | 58 937 | 54 691 | 53 929 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 9 701 | 8 740 | 8 951 | 9 233 | 8 727 |
| Total Employee Positions | 230 | 173 | 138 | 150 | 160 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 39 | 39 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 17.0% | 22.5% | 0.7% | 2.0% | 9.4% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 12 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury