Rand West City Local Municipality
Rand West City Local Municipality is a local municipality in Gauteng, covering 1 115 square kilometres. It falls within the West Rand District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Randfontein and Westonaria.
Census 2022 counted 334 773 residents, making it the 8th most populous of the 11 municipalities in Gauteng and 76th of 257 nationally. That works out to 300.2 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 128 144 households, averaging 2.6 people each. 24.3% of residents are under 15 and 4.9% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 10.8% hold a higher education qualification and 3.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 69 seats across 10 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 31 seats (44.9%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr William Matsheke serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Thabo Ndlovu 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, Rand West City scores 32.4 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 R2.9 billion in operating revenue against R3.7 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R729.7 million. At the last census, 79.6% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.0% used electricity for lighting and 85.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 31 44.9%
- DA 16 23.2%
- EFF 12 17.4%
- VF PLUS 3 4.3%
- PA 2 2.9%
- AZAPO 1 1.4%
- AN 1 1.4%
- AIC 1 1.4%
- IFP 1 1.4%
- ACDP 1 1.4%
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 | 522 318 | 379 963 | 368 214 | 350 906 | 275 023 |
| Service charges | 1 633 788 | 985 107 | 1 384 340 | 1 277 186 | 1 190 559 |
| Investment revenue | 17 588 | 20 058 | 15 115 | 3 921 | 1 816 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 594 935 | 512 000 | 450 614 | 388 902 | 418 487 |
| Other own revenue | 153 779 | 947 660 | 90 227 | 6 084 | 104 740 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 2 922 409 | 2 844 788 | 2 308 510 | 2 027 000 | 1 990 626 |
| Employee costs | 678 063 | 581 866 | 549 945 | 554 113 | 562 308 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 37 081 | 34 809 | 33 977 | -23 011 | 28 197 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 252 431 | 278 796 | 196 920 | 376 183 | 207 383 |
| Finance charges | 174 652 | 94 985 | 135 576 | 96 769 | 66 769 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 1 530 192 | 1 334 567 | 1 124 614 | 1 045 264 | 926 988 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 13 301 | 720 | 720 | 720 | - |
| Other expenditure | 966 348 | 867 238 | 745 718 | 656 371 | 534 879 |
| Total Expenditure | 3 652 068 | 3 192 981 | 2 787 469 | 2 706 408 | 2 326 524 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -729 660 | -348 193 | -478 960 | -679 408 | -335 898 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 239 777 | 322 301 | 300 433 | 265 669 | 199 836 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 165 310 | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -324 573 | -25 892 | -178 526 | -413 738 | -136 062 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -324 573 | -25 892 | -178 526 | -413 738 | -136 062 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 414 224 | 1 302 073 | 461 422 | 612 967 | 182 180 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 179 703 | 46 261 | 187 364 | 3 649 | -13 545 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 70 398 | 13 954 | - | 1 226 | 1 522 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 250 101 | 60 216 | 187 364 | 4 875 | -12 023 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 2 315 956 | 1 979 687 | 1 815 980 | 1 470 024 | 1 360 587 |
| Total non current assets | 5 997 787 | 5 506 715 | 4 488 750 | 4 226 361 | 4 255 260 |
| Total current liabilities | 4 766 872 | 3 758 893 | 3 581 743 | 2 802 770 | 2 572 197 |
| Total non current liabilities | 290 674 | 308 930 | 316 869 | 317 918 | 352 675 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 3 256 681 | 3 418 578 | 2 406 049 | 2 546 008 | 2 690 976 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 650 621 | 4 648 268 | 567 703 | 388 377 | 2 168 023 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -461 880 | -313 543 | -268 062 | -268 436 | -192 576 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | 1 851 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 361 336 | 4 585 213 | 417 189 | 210 909 | 1 705 914 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 608 063 | 465 174 | 229 714 | 2 023 026 | 202 072 |
| Irregular expenditure | 51 187 | 210 817 | 89 124 | 106 917 | 164 128 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 146 216 | 71 055 | 117 493 | 295 408 | 59 727 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 334 773 | 265 887 | 261 053 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 24.3% | 23.7% | 24.7% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 70.8% | 71.4% | 71.5% |
| Population over 65 | 4.9% | 4.9% | 3.7% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 41.2 | 40 | 39.8 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 101.6 | 108.3 | 108.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.4% | 0.4% | 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 | 3.6% | 4.1% | 4.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 35.4 | 29.6 |
| Higher education | 10.8% | 6.5% | 8.4% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 128 144 | 103 584 | 83 397 |
| Average household size | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3.1 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 32.7 | 32.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 89.5% | 73.1% | 69.9% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 45 | 36.7 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 90.3% | 73.5% | 74.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 85.2% | 79.9% | 74.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 79.6% | 55.4% | 52.4% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.0% | 75.9% | 74.8% |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 81 754 | 78 207 | 69 113 | 92 459 | 84 943 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 80 030 | 76 831 | 67 275 | 90 621 | 83 105 |
| Inside the yard | 71 800 | 68 821 | 59 265 | 82 054 | 74 962 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 615 | 4 198 |
| More than 200m from yard | 8 230 | 8 010 | 8 010 | 3 952 | 3 945 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 726 | 11 248 | 9 508 | 8 460 | 14 193 |
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 | 69 361 | 64 474 | 52 487 | 73 320 | 71 113 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 726 | 11 248 | 9 508 | 8 460 | 14 193 |
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 | 73 364 | 68 681 | 66 624 | 84 647 | 84 647 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 66 648 | 62 287 | 59 265 | 82 054 | 82 054 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 252 | 252 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 4 992 | 5 018 | 5 018 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 726 | 11 248 | 9 508 | 8 460 | 14 193 |
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 | 60 271 | 56 249 | 42 772 | 83 400 | 83 400 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 10 726 | 11 248 | 9 508 | 8 460 | 14 193 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 549 945 | 554 113 | 562 308 | 523 802 | 526 999 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 33 977 | -23 011 | 28 197 | 27 111 | 26 759 |
| Total Employee Positions | 2 013 | 1 178 | 1 148 | 1 704 | 1 479 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 878 | 51 | 3 | 15 | 123 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 43.6% | 4.3% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 8.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 50 | 47 | 50 | 50 | 62 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury