Sakhisizwe Local Municipality
Sakhisizwe Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 2 345 square kilometres. It falls within the Chris Hani District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Cala and Khowa (Elliot).
Census 2022 counted 63 981 residents, making it the 35th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 209th of 257 nationally. That works out to 27.3 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 17 355 households, averaging 3.7 people each. 30.4% of residents are under 15 and 8.7% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.9% hold a higher education qualification and 7.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 17 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 13 seats (76.5%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms BE Ponoshe serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Sibongile Sotshongaye 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, Sakhisizwe scores 39.8 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 R161.9 million in operating revenue against R175.7 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R13.8 million. At the last census, 37.6% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.8% used electricity for lighting and 32.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 13 76.5%
- DA 2 11.8%
- ATM 1 5.9%
- EFF 1 5.9%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 9 491 | 7 618 | 7 306 | 6 964 | 5 494 |
| Service charges | 29 274 | 26 679 | 18 305 | 21 682 | 13 240 |
| Investment revenue | 5 372 | 3 547 | 1 921 | 811 | 381 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 94 311 | 87 996 | 83 572 | 78 980 | 89 306 |
| Other own revenue | 23 456 | 23 144 | 10 390 | 6 156 | 14 825 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 161 904 | 148 984 | 121 494 | 114 593 | 123 246 |
| Employee costs | 49 156 | 49 377 | 45 616 | 42 644 | 40 078 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 7 994 | 8 163 | 7 806 | 7 047 | 7 099 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 26 525 | 25 905 | 13 826 | 10 581 | 8 811 |
| Finance charges | 4 668 | 5 150 | 4 471 | 2 129 | 119 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 19 376 | 21 003 | 17 938 | 17 428 | 14 172 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 6 082 | 11 536 | 8 899 | 3 790 | - |
| Other expenditure | 61 906 | 65 297 | 48 942 | 43 548 | 40 369 |
| Total Expenditure | 175 706 | 186 431 | 147 499 | 127 167 | 110 647 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -13 802 | -37 447 | -26 005 | -12 574 | 12 598 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 103 082 | 37 521 | 31 947 | 31 685 | 24 517 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 89 280 | 74 | 5 941 | 19 111 | 37 115 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 89 280 | 74 | 5 941 | 19 111 | 37 115 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 87 635 | 30 004 | 11 792 | 31 062 | 27 383 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 85 458 | 38 985 | 14 670 | 31 639 | 24 969 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 2 178 | -8 981 | -2 879 | -577 | 2 414 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 87 635 | 30 004 | 11 792 | 31 062 | 27 383 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 105 006 | 102 765 | 65 415 | 53 039 | 55 455 |
| Total non current assets | 305 853 | 255 928 | 256 016 | 250 455 | 232 657 |
| Total current liabilities | 62 952 | 94 375 | 54 723 | 49 772 | 60 173 |
| Total non current liabilities | 12 255 | 9 743 | 7 067 | -3 034 | -5 827 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 246 371 | 254 545 | 253 699 | 237 644 | 196 650 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -85 052 | -73 916 | -46 366 | 1 019 302 | 147 781 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | (7 762) | 18 469 | (11 472) |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -33 134 | -55 763 | -43 990 | 1 056 854 | 139 938 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 25 052 | 21 138 | 24 556 | 76 912 | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 77 365 | 13 133 | 17 525 | 10 142 | 13 757 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 327 | 1 057 | 989 | 3 414 | 301 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 63 981 | 63 846 | 63 154 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 30.4% | 38.7% | 35.0% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.9% | 56.2% | 57.6% |
| Population over 65 | 8.7% | 5.2% | 7.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 64.1 | 78 | 73.7 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 95.3 | 94.1 | 93 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.1% | 0.6% | 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 | 7.8% | 16.2% | 12.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 16.6 | 14.2 |
| Higher education | 6.9% | 6.6% | 6.3% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 17 355 | 14 848 | 16 016 |
| Average household size | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.9 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 49.6 | 52 |
| Formal dwellings | 83.2% | 67.6% | 64.5% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 60.4 | 42.1 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 44.9% | 16.3% | 23.6% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 32.7% | 7.1% | 14.6% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 37.6% | 14.7% | 18.0% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.8% | 93.9% | 79.1% |
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 | 10 508 | 9 016 | 8 975 | 8 903 | 8 812 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 708 | 2 965 | 2 639 | 2 639 | 2 635 |
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 | 6 875 | 6 875 | 6 875 | 6 875 | 6 875 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 382 | 605 | 404 | 404 | 866 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 45 616 | 42 644 | 40 078 | 34 120 | 37 922 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 7 806 | 7 047 | 7 099 | 6 984 | 5 678 |
| Total Employee Positions | 183 | 152 | 137 | 144 | 147 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 10 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 5.5% | 9.2% | 1.5% | 6.3% | 2.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury