Sundays River Valley Local Municipality
Sundays River Valley Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 5 995 square kilometres. It falls within the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Addo, Nqweba (Kirkwood) and Paterson.
Census 2022 counted 53 256 residents, making it the 36th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 221st of 257 nationally. That works out to 8.9 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 19 017 households, averaging 2.8 people each. 24.1% of residents are under 15 and 5.6% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 3.3% hold a higher education qualification and 5.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 16 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 10 seats (62.5%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Solethu Lucas (Portfolio Head: Finance and Administration) serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Thabiso Klaas 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, Sundays River Valley scores 39.6 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “disclaimer of audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R281.4 million in operating revenue against R160.7 million in expenditure, an operating surplus of R120.7 million. At the last census, 55.3% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.4% used electricity for lighting and 77.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 10 62.5%
- DA 4 25.0%
- EFF 1 6.3%
- GOOD 1 6.3%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 55 174 | 44 730 | 49 220 | 64 166 | 50 985 |
| Service charges | 70 123 | 68 494 | 47 678 | 44 640 | 41 430 |
| Investment revenue | 1 810 | 1 670 | 1 483 | 889 | 342 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 125 740 | 112 008 | 105 024 | 98 184 | 111 049 |
| Other own revenue | 28 600 | 18 330 | 33 719 | 29 085 | 13 914 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 281 446 | 245 232 | 237 124 | 236 964 | 217 719 |
| Employee costs | 31 480 | 100 424 | 90 173 | 85 250 | 83 197 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 2 166 | 6 952 | 7 276 | 6 724 | 8 339 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | - | - | 28 880 | 22 938 | 41 041 |
| Finance charges | 6 175 | 5 649 | 6 679 | 4 454 | 3 965 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 45 018 | 38 728 | 34 953 | 27 709 | 31 792 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | 52 | 10 | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 75 907 | 85 000 | 108 210 | 109 393 | 68 080 |
| Total Expenditure | 160 747 | 236 804 | 276 182 | 256 469 | 236 413 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 120 700 | 8 428 | -39 058 | -19 506 | -18 694 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 64 063 | 14 530 | 69 493 | 62 870 | 46 781 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | 287 | 2 537 | 636 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 184 763 | 22 958 | 30 722 | 45 901 | 28 724 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 184 763 | 22 958 | 30 722 | 45 901 | 28 724 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 79 644 | 47 904 | 7 761 | 122 967 | 174 546 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 79 218 | 46 396 | -115 | 63 744 | 93 364 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 427 | 1 483 | - | 330 | - |
| Total sources of capital funds | 79 644 | 47 879 | -115 | 64 074 | 93 364 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 130 867 | 100 917 | 31 539 | 48 527 | 212 849 |
| Total non current assets | 999 434 | 1 030 368 | 982 349 | 916 261 | 692 015 |
| Total current liabilities | 109 327 | 202 451 | 106 997 | 84 917 | 70 784 |
| Total non current liabilities | 54 397 | 52 140 | 52 140 | 43 455 | 43 565 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 781 814 | 853 736 | 824 029 | 790 515 | 761 791 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -47 570 | -82 553 | 19 450 | -169 711 | n/a |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -13 749 | -47 386 | -58 754 | -12 857 | n/a |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -581 | -752 | 156 | - | n/a |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -54 799 | -128 524 | -19 833 | -216 642 | n/a |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | 91 253 | 116 221 | 255 139 | 43 715 |
| Irregular expenditure | - | 169 621 | 187 228 | 43 426 | 29 563 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 7 872 | 5 854 | 1 647 | 16 425 | 3 282 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 53 256 | 59 793 | 54 504 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 24.1% | 29.1% | 26.7% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 70.3% | 66.5% | 68.0% |
| Population over 65 | 5.6% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 42.2 | 50.3 | 47 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 96.5 | 108.7 | 103.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | -0.2% | 2.1% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 15 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 18.8 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 5.4% | 5.8% | 8.8% |
| Matric | n/a | 15.5 | 15.2 |
| Higher education | 3.3% | 1.5% | 3.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 19 017 | 17 221 | 14 749 |
| Average household size | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 34.8 | 34.9 |
| Formal dwellings | 87.8% | 84.2% | 84.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 30.5 | 44.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 81.5% | 65.0% | 58.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 77.1% | 61.6% | 61.2% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 55.3% | 30.9% | 32.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.4% | 89.6% | 79.8% |
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 | 14 551 | 14 264 | 14 264 | 14 264 | 13 224 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 14 212 | 13 925 | 13 925 | 13 925 | 12 885 |
| Inside the yard | 12 998 | 12 701 | 12 701 | 12 701 | 11 661 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 676 | 676 | 676 | 676 | 676 |
| More than 200m from yard | 538 | 548 | 548 | 548 | 548 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 441 | 2 083 | 2 443 | 2 443 | 2 413 |
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 | 16 818 | 14 794 | 14 263 | 14 263 | 13 800 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 283 | 2 083 | 2 443 | 2 517 | 3 039 |
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 | 12 321 | 12 321 | 12 321 | 12 321 | 11 504 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 8 507 | 8 507 | 8 507 | 8 507 | 6 936 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | 7 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 2 866 | 2 866 | 2 866 | 2 866 | 901 |
| Bucket system | 369 | 369 | 369 | 369 | 369 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 952 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 441 | 2 083 | 2 443 | 2 443 | 2 413 |
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 | 11 982 | 11 982 | 11 982 | 11 982 | 11 647 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 487 | 2 083 | 2 443 | 2 443 | 2 413 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 90 173 | 85 250 | 83 197 | 78 739 | 69 920 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 7 276 | 6 724 | 8 339 | 7 182 | 7 026 |
| Total Employee Positions | 314 | 334 | 285 | 299 | 324 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 34 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 10.8% | 12.0% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 4.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 4 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 22 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury