Theewaterskloof Local Municipality
Theewaterskloof Local Municipality is a local municipality in Western Cape, covering 3 261 square kilometres. It falls within the Overberg District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Bot River, Caledon/Myddleton, Genadendal, Grabouw, Greyton, Riviersonderend, Theewaterskloof and Villiersdorp.
Census 2022 counted 139 563 residents, making it the 13th most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 142nd of 257 nationally. That works out to 42.8 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 43 121 households, averaging 3.2 people each. 21.7% of residents are under 15 and 6.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 7.4% hold a higher education qualification and 3.3% have had no schooling.
The council has 27 seats across 7 parties, with DA holding the largest share at 11 seats (40.7%). It is governed by a coalition: DA/GOOD/ SRWP Coalition. Mr Lincoln De Bruyn serves as executive mayor (DA), and Mr Walter Hendricks 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, Theewaterskloof scores 19.7 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 R752.6 million in operating revenue against R797.5 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R44.9 million. At the last census, 76.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 93.3% used electricity for lighting and 74.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- DA 11 40.7%
- ANC 8 29.6%
- GOOD 3 11.1%
- PA 2 7.4%
- EFF 1 3.7%
- SRWP 1 3.7%
- VF PLUS 1 3.7%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified | Clean audit | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 161 347 | 153 616 | 136 354 | 127 715 | 121 198 |
| Service charges | 339 598 | 305 340 | 273 786 | 267 671 | 253 477 |
| Investment revenue | 3 484 | 6 151 | 11 469 | 10 542 | 8 098 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 163 406 | 153 872 | 144 870 | 128 228 | 139 337 |
| Other own revenue | 84 767 | 89 497 | 97 620 | 68 649 | 41 862 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 752 602 | 708 476 | 664 099 | 602 805 | 563 971 |
| Employee costs | 281 509 | 275 384 | 246 990 | 238 699 | 224 592 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 13 148 | 13 189 | 12 686 | 11 900 | 12 148 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 41 321 | 34 241 | 32 626 | 33 483 | 31 694 |
| Finance charges | 47 204 | 41 699 | 32 479 | 20 011 | 16 864 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 159 814 | 141 348 | 121 210 | 117 745 | 113 332 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 5 501 | 1 952 | 8 528 | 1 766 | 1 089 |
| Other expenditure | 248 990 | 389 336 | 350 960 | 191 914 | 150 013 |
| Total Expenditure | 797 488 | 897 149 | 805 478 | 615 517 | 549 731 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -44 886 | -188 674 | -141 379 | -12 713 | 14 240 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 38 489 | 80 056 | 55 425 | 44 222 | 35 839 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 64 951 | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 58 554 | -108 617 | -85 954 | 31 510 | 50 079 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 58 554 | -108 617 | -85 954 | 31 510 | 50 079 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 96 211 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 56 290 | 3 557 | 11 918 | 38 646 | 35 798 |
| Borrowing | -83 587 | 12 796 | 9 230 | 29 732 | 36 505 |
| Internally generated funds | 58 557 | 1 795 | -21 148 | -21 | 13 292 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 31 260 | 18 148 | 0 | 68 357 | 85 595 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 121 010 | 129 696 | 176 264 | 244 825 | 240 274 |
| Total non current assets | 1 324 767 | 1 253 612 | 1 218 976 | 1 107 516 | 1 041 508 |
| Total current liabilities | 329 495 | 331 408 | 196 297 | 136 561 | 123 652 |
| Total non current liabilities | 334 764 | 328 922 | 361 204 | 289 725 | 257 203 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 781 517 | 722 979 | 837 738 | 926 055 | 842 604 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -199 631 | 1 206 126 | 1 158 550 | 982 882 | 301 786 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -59 153 | -85 400 | -121 157 | -92 186 | -75 218 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -22 349 | - | 103 715 | 34 863 | 19 094 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -250 124 | 1 151 736 | 1 227 024 | 1 091 542 | 409 752 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 179 | 49 370 | 104 357 | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 109 011 | 262 271 | 196 878 | 1 981 | 4 477 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 7 481 | - | 18 | - | 2 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 139 563 | 117 167 | 108 864 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 21.7% | 27.6% | 25.5% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 72.1% | 67.7% | 69.4% |
| Population over 65 | 6.1% | 4.8% | 5.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 38.6 | 47.8 | 44.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 99.8 | 102.4 | 104 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.4% | 1.7% | 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 | 3.3% | 4.4% | 5.0% |
| Matric | n/a | 24.7 | 19.3 |
| Higher education | 7.4% | 6.6% | 7.2% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 43 121 | 33 118 | 28 910 |
| Average household size | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 30.5 | 29.4 |
| Formal dwellings | 80.0% | 77.5% | 80.3% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 33.6 | 42.1 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 84.0% | 84.3% | 86.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 74.7% | 78.7% | 79.4% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 76.0% | 75.0% | 73.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 93.3% | 90.1% | 89.0% |
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 | 17 720 | 17 720 | 17 032 | 16 913 | 16 913 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 16 758 | 16 758 | 16 070 | 15 951 | 15 951 |
| Inside the yard | 16 758 | 16 758 | 16 070 | 15 951 | 15 951 |
| 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 | 6 336 | 6 336 | 5 744 | 5 252 | 5 319 |
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 | 18 307 | 18 307 | 18 307 | 17 723 | 17 723 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 336 | 6 336 | 6 276 | 5 486 | 4 605 |
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 | 16 406 | 16 406 | 16 286 | 15 545 | 15 545 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 14 551 | 14 551 | 14 447 | 13 732 | 13 732 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 1 036 | 1 036 | 1 036 | 1 036 | 1 036 |
| 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 | 6 347 | 6 347 | 5 713 | 5 299 | 5 380 |
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 | 16 807 | 16 807 | 15 589 | 15 589 | 15 589 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 396 | 6 396 | 5 677 | 5 354 | 5 437 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 246 990 | 238 699 | 224 592 | 203 000 | 186 567 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 12 686 | 11 900 | 12 148 | 12 194 | 11 689 |
| Total Employee Positions | 1 009 | 1 009 | 1 026 | 684 | 679 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 118 | 118 | 15 | 5 | 51 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 11.7% | 11.7% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 7.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 43 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 13 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 3 |
Published documents
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