Ndlambe Local Municipality
Ndlambe Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 1 840 square kilometres. It falls within the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Alexandria, Bathurst, Boknes/Cannon Rocks, Bushmans River, Kenton-on-Sea, Port Alfred and Seafield.
Census 2022 counted 87 797 residents, making it the 32nd most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 193rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 47.7 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 32 440 households, averaging 2.7 people each. 21.3% of residents are under 15 and 15.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 14.6% hold a higher education qualification and 6.3% have had no schooling.
The council has 20 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 11 seats (55.0%). ANC governs the municipality. KC Ncamiso serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Adv Rolly Dumezweni 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, Ndlambe scores 37.6 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 R607.4 million in operating revenue against R674.7 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R67.3 million. At the last census, 59.6% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 93.4% used electricity for lighting and 90.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 11 55.0%
- DA 6 30.0%
- EFF 3 15.0%
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 | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 170 174 | 146 672 | 143 572 | 134 278 | 124 563 |
| Service charges | 235 511 | 192 625 | 181 744 | 166 316 | 149 608 |
| Investment revenue | 10 515 | 12 244 | 7 977 | 4 279 | 2 942 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 148 220 | 136 763 | 128 498 | 116 128 | 128 964 |
| Other own revenue | 42 971 | 34 570 | 42 112 | 27 718 | 23 113 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 607 392 | 522 874 | 503 903 | 448 719 | 429 190 |
| Employee costs | 214 913 | 197 970 | 184 822 | 164 670 | 163 349 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 8 682 | 8 482 | 7 671 | 7 813 | 7 548 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 52 763 | 54 599 | 52 364 | 58 132 | 45 677 |
| Finance charges | 8 498 | 8 295 | 7 967 | 6 697 | 4 567 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 144 067 | 144 278 | 136 643 | 106 655 | 82 415 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 5 196 | 4 304 | 4 529 | 3 350 | 3 310 |
| Other expenditure | 240 580 | 199 826 | 188 125 | 178 203 | 165 524 |
| Total Expenditure | 674 698 | 617 753 | 582 120 | 525 519 | 472 390 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -67 306 | -94 879 | -78 217 | -76 800 | -43 199 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 171 705 | 120 205 | 141 420 | 93 862 | 160 141 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 1 168 | 517 | 113 | 5 024 | 167 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 105 567 | 25 843 | 63 317 | 22 086 | 117 109 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 105 567 | 25 843 | 63 317 | 22 086 | 117 109 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 168 747 | 121 650 | 144 884 | 104 861 | 131 626 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 157 100 | 109 765 | 123 143 | 81 666 | 126 766 |
| Borrowing | - | - | (2) | - | (408) |
| Internally generated funds | 10 478 | 11 349 | 24 203 | 26 543 | 5 425 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 167 578 | 121 114 | 147 344 | 108 209 | 131 783 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 364 531 | 374 887 | 267 657 | 247 529 | 221 273 |
| Total non current assets | 1 639 974 | 1 497 336 | 1 433 371 | 1 352 260 | 1 301 033 |
| Total current liabilities | 360 853 | 380 036 | 248 107 | 220 190 | 171 880 |
| Total non current liabilities | 149 675 | 135 403 | 124 259 | 113 170 | 115 586 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 1 491 999 | 1 356 784 | 1 328 643 | 1 269 437 | 1 236 109 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 100 763 | 176 233 | 6 928 | 55 245 | 457 385 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -173 391 | -124 117 | -159 046 | -123 885 | -137 930 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -916 | -1 228 | -1 054 | - | -1 117 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 65 979 | 118 123 | -75 388 | 7 891 | -9 358 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 52 177 | 42 150 | 84 000 | 112 434 | 33 203 |
| Irregular expenditure | 138 983 | 110 911 | 81 811 | 78 990 | 243 801 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 96 | 54 | 655 | 73 | 61 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 87 797 | 63 180 | 61 176 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 21.3% | 28.0% | 25.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 63.7% | 63.0% | 64.8% |
| Population over 65 | 15.1% | 9.0% | 9.9% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 57.1 | 58.8 | 54.3 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88.9 | 91 | 90.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 3.5% | 0.7% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 30.3 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 39 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 6.3% | 7.3% | 9.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 23.2 | 20.1 |
| Higher education | 14.6% | 7.4% | 9.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 32 440 | 20 818 | 19 330 |
| Average household size | 2.7 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 44.8 | 42.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 90.9% | 89.3% | 83.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 61.5 | 42.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 85.1% | 64.7% | 60.5% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 90.2% | 89.1% | 78.5% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 59.6% | 33.1% | 36.1% |
| Electricity for lighting | 93.4% | 88.9% | 86.3% |
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 | 23 475 | 23 475 | 21 997 | 21 575 | 21 545 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 21 592 | 21 592 | 21 592 | 21 170 | 21 140 |
| Inside the yard | 18 115 | 18 115 | 18 115 | 17 693 | 17 693 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 1 896 | 1 896 | 1 896 | 1 896 | 1 866 |
| More than 200m from yard | 1 581 | 1 581 | 1 581 | 1 581 | 1 581 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 960 | 8 523 | 8 207 | 8 425 | 9 469 |
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 | 23 947 | 23 947 | 22 957 | 22 392 | 22 392 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 5 789 | 6 106 | 6 207 | 6 409 | 6 481 |
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 | 28 330 | 28 330 | 25 767 | 25 767 | 25 757 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 14 217 | 14 217 | 14 217 | 14 217 | 14 217 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 5 147 | 5 147 | 5 147 | 5 147 | 5 147 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 8 561 | 8 561 | 3 988 | 3 988 | 3 978 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 2 010 | 2 010 | 2 010 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 689 | 4 357 | 4 330 | 4 598 | 4 457 |
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 | 21 861 | 21 861 | 21 385 | 21 306 | 21 306 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 553 | 8 399 | 8 224 | 8 579 | 8 733 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 184 822 | 164 670 | 163 349 | 144 395 | 128 141 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 7 671 | 7 813 | 7 548 | 7 474 | 7 280 |
| Total Employee Positions | 613 | 690 | 788 | 749 | 491 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 43 | 136 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 7.0% | 19.7% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 4.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 23 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Published documents
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