Port St Johns Local Municipality
Port St Johns Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 1 291 square kilometres. It falls within the OR Tambo District Municipality. Its main centre is Port St Johns.
Census 2022 counted 179 325 residents, making it the 19th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 121st of 257 nationally. That works out to 138.9 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 30 643 households, averaging 5.9 people each. 36.8% of residents are under 15 and 5.8% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.2% hold a higher education qualification and 14.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 39 seats across 6 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 31 seats (79.5%). ANC governs the municipality. Cebisa Mazuza serves as executive mayor (ANC), and n/a 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, Port St Johns scores 39.4 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R302.1 million in operating revenue against R351.7 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R49.6 million. At the last census, 19.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 91.9% used electricity for lighting and 18.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 31 79.5%
- EFF 3 7.7%
- ATM 2 5.1%
- CI 1 2.6%
- DA 1 2.6%
- UDM 1 2.6%
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 | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 15 226 | 15 680 | 10 467 | 2 483 | 11 972 |
| Service charges | 1 202 | 1 141 | 1 085 | 1 043 | 1 006 |
| Investment revenue | 14 775 | 17 005 | 10 586 | 5 832 | 5 530 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 264 645 | 197 917 | 203 015 | 177 385 | 197 398 |
| Other own revenue | 6 230 | 8 479 | 16 733 | 21 088 | 6 893 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 302 079 | 240 222 | 241 885 | 207 831 | 222 798 |
| Employee costs | 131 430 | 110 279 | 96 267 | 93 799 | 86 811 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 14 565 | 15 219 | 13 344 | 13 717 | 13 089 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 70 419 | 99 | 60 935 | 88 190 | 71 457 |
| Finance charges | 1 812 | 165 | 2 211 | 2 927 | 1 332 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 5 121 | 2 091 | 469 | 1 162 | -23 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 13 051 | 14 208 | 11 960 | 22 286 | 9 458 |
| Other expenditure | 115 272 | 87 608 | 91 220 | 62 338 | 69 530 |
| Total Expenditure | 351 669 | 229 668 | 276 406 | 284 420 | 251 655 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -49 590 | 10 554 | -34 521 | -76 589 | -28 857 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 85 801 | 92 525 | 67 740 | 67 514 | 82 774 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 36 211 | 103 079 | 33 219 | -9 074 | 53 918 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 36 211 | 103 079 | 33 219 | -9 074 | 53 918 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 243 252 | 96 842 | 36 235 | 113 861 | 134 653 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | -4 636 | 85 495 | 787 | 237 | 153 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | -17 035 | 8 279 | 125 | 1 717 | -9 296 |
| Total sources of capital funds | -21 671 | 93 775 | 912 | 1 953 | -9 142 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 129 836 | 195 672 | 168 632 | 194 652 | 217 526 |
| Total non current assets | 712 730 | 702 972 | 608 320 | 527 437 | 497 745 |
| Total current liabilities | 104 924 | 114 951 | 77 459 | 58 175 | 58 683 |
| Total non current liabilities | 10 917 | 15 878 | 14 320 | 15 534 | 19 734 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 690 514 | 664 736 | 651 954 | 657 454 | 582 937 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 448 795 | 193 034 | 164 127 | 173 619 | 529 266 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -81 007 | -51 205 | -30 613 | -30 365 | -64 190 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 540 194 | 294 763 | 255 459 | 272 473 | 815 919 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 27 641 | 43 668 | 20 215 | 245 361 | 65 521 |
| Irregular expenditure | 9 548 | 1 545 | 7 586 | 15 733 | 41 635 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 89 | 2 082 | 781 | 21 017 | 762 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 179 325 | 166 779 | 156 136 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 36.8% | 42.7% | 42.5% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 57.4% | 52.6% | 51.8% |
| Population over 65 | 5.8% | 4.7% | 5.6% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 74.2 | 90.1 | 92.9 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88.9 | 85.9 | 84.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.3% | 1.5% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 50.3 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 61 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 14.8% | 16.1% | 23.5% |
| Matric | n/a | 15.6 | 11.9 |
| Higher education | 5.2% | 3.4% | 3.9% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 30 643 | 33 951 | 31 713 |
| Average household size | 5.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 59.3 | 60.1 |
| Formal dwellings | 66.0% | 36.9% | 24.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 83.6 | 72.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 19.4% | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 18.7% | 0.5% | 3.1% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 19.0% | 1.8% | 2.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 91.9% | 82.1% | 67.8% |
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 | 12 166 | 11 372 | 11 105 | 11 105 | 10 910 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 200 | 4 720 | 4 762 | 6 000 | 4 049 |
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 | 1 435 | 1 435 | 1 435 | 991 | 798 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 444 | 991 | 444 | 0 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 96 267 | 93 799 | 86 811 | 74 286 | 65 736 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 13 344 | 13 717 | 13 089 | 13 819 | 13 143 |
| Total Employee Positions | 447 | 372 | 262 | 241 | 349 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 208 | 116 | 6 | 5 | 120 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 46.5% | 31.2% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 34.4% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury