Siyathemba Local Municipality
Siyathemba Local Municipality is a local municipality in Northern Cape, covering 14 704 square kilometres. It falls within the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Copperton, Marydale, Niekerkshoop and Prieska.
Census 2022 counted 27 102 residents, making it the 19th most populous of the 31 municipalities in Northern Cape and 243rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 1.8 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 6 739 households, averaging 4.0 people each. 27.0% of residents are under 15 and 6.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.3% hold a higher education qualification and 7.1% have had no schooling.
The council has 11 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 5 seats (45.5%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Johan Andrew Phillips serves as executive mayor (SCM), and Mr Thomas van Staden 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, Siyathemba scores 14.8 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R188.4 million in operating revenue against R240.8 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R52.4 million. At the last census, 50.5% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.6% used electricity for lighting and 78.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 5 45.5%
- SGB 4 36.4%
- DA 2 18.2%
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 | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 27 490 | 32 533 | 30 692 | 21 870 | 25 681 |
| Service charges | 51 787 | 47 651 | 45 369 | 42 389 | 47 691 |
| Investment revenue | 748 | 536 | 482 | 346 | 31 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 54 297 | 50 658 | 47 847 | 42 129 | 70 243 |
| Other own revenue | 54 074 | 15 148 | 9 958 | 8 502 | 12 226 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 188 397 | 146 526 | 134 348 | 115 236 | 155 871 |
| Employee costs | 62 561 | 60 735 | 60 077 | 56 815 | 46 535 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 4 555 | 4 434 | 4 471 | 4 183 | 3 721 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 22 353 | 26 576 | 28 357 | 29 587 | 19 483 |
| Finance charges | 28 837 | 23 013 | 17 612 | 6 456 | 3 701 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 41 127 | 41 284 | 40 295 | 43 394 | 29 908 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 81 327 | 60 453 | 60 275 | 49 144 | 42 800 |
| Total Expenditure | 240 761 | 216 495 | 211 087 | 189 578 | 146 148 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -52 364 | -69 969 | -76 738 | -74 343 | 9 723 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 13 417 | 21 987 | 8 000 | 24 897 | 39 099 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | 26 975 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -38 947 | -47 983 | -68 738 | -22 471 | 48 822 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -38 947 | -47 983 | -68 738 | -22 471 | 48 822 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 11 722 | 18 574 | 9 372 | 24 905 | 669 721 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 10 729 | 8 061 | 6 760 | 24 905 | 669 721 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total sources of capital funds | 10 729 | 8 061 | 6 760 | 24 905 | 669 721 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 107 618 | 86 115 | 77 211 | 75 509 | 28 947 |
| Total non current assets | 635 646 | 613 839 | 635 682 | 654 490 | 474 056 |
| Total current liabilities | 385 530 | 307 463 | 265 760 | 212 129 | -151 140 |
| Total non current liabilities | 36 041 | 29 943 | 43 414 | 56 940 | 35 969 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 360 641 | 410 530 | 472 457 | 483 400 | 569 353 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -64 674 | 938 261 | 601 527 | 825 587 | 99 188 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | (9 223) | (6 341) | (28 964) | (1) |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -57 230 | 929 245 | 600 830 | 824 328 | 99 186 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 80 768 | 36 226 | 44 599 | 450 385 | 67 158 |
| Irregular expenditure | 24 829 | 10 339 | 52 096 | 8 031 | 69 698 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 30 585 | 24 269 | 13 359 | 37 768 | 112 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27 102 | 23 075 | 21 591 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 27.0% | 24.4% | 30.8% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 66.5% | 69.6% | 63.2% |
| Population over 65 | 6.5% | 6.0% | 6.0% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 50.3 | 43.7 | 58.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 98.6 | 104.9 | 99.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.2% | 1.5% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 24.3 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 30.2 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 7.1% | 7.1% | 11.5% |
| Matric | n/a | 20.7 | 18 |
| Higher education | 6.3% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 6 739 | 6 615 | 5 831 |
| Average household size | 4 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 35.6 | 36.1 |
| Formal dwellings | 87.1% | 91.5% | 88.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 62 | 54.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 85.1% | 73.8% | 71.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 78.2% | 80.5% | 73.9% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 50.5% | 42.3% | 43.1% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.6% | 89.2% | 86.2% |
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 | 4 671 | 4 456 | 4 456 | 4 456 | 4 349 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 4 346 | 4 131 | 4 131 | 4 131 | 4 024 |
| Inside the yard | 4 062 | 3 847 | 3 847 | 3 847 | 3 699 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 284 | 284 | 284 | 284 | 325 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 980 | 1 805 | 1 805 | 1 656 | 2 852 |
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 | 3 796 | 3 556 | 3 556 | 3 556 | 3 156 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 980 | 241 | 241 | 243 | 335 |
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 | 4 601 | 4 377 | 4 377 | 4 377 | 4 351 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 3 373 | 3 179 | 3 179 | 3 179 | 3 124 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 150 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 149 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 753 | 753 | 753 | 753 | 753 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 427 | 1 390 | 1 390 | 1 656 | 2 852 |
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 | 5 450 | 4 969 | 4 969 | 4 969 | 4 024 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 980 | 1 686 | 1 686 | 1 749 | 2 852 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 60 077 | 56 815 | 46 535 | 45 690 | 42 955 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 4 471 | 4 183 | 3 721 | 3 510 | 3 543 |
| Total Employee Positions | 189 | 222 | 174 | 169 | 195 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 12 | 51 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 6.4% | 23.0% | 2.3% | 0.0% | 10.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury