Ulundi Local Municipality
Ulundi Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 3 251 square kilometres. It falls within the Zululand District Municipality. Its main centre is Ulundi.
Census 2022 counted 221 977 residents, making it the 22nd most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 103rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 68.3 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 36 178 households, averaging 6.1 people each. 34.9% of residents are under 15 and 5.6% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 7.5% hold a higher education qualification and 14.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 47 seats across 5 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 32 seats (68.1%). IFP governs the municipality. Mr WM Ntshangase serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr Sandile M Khomo 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, Ulundi scores 38.8 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 R530.8 million in operating revenue against R642.0 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R111.2 million. At the last census, 39.8% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 97.9% used electricity for lighting and 37.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 32 68.1%
- NFP 7 14.9%
- ANC 5 10.6%
- EFF 2 4.3%
- DA 1 2.1%
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 | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 149 555 | 114 343 | 112 471 | 100 048 | 101 200 |
| Service charges | 104 098 | 86 641 | 74 781 | 74 830 | 71 248 |
| Investment revenue | 1 682 | 2 318 | 5 646 | 648 | 508 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 241 423 | 277 867 | 211 163 | 192 788 | 222 144 |
| Other own revenue | 34 051 | 8 847 | 7 009 | 5 733 | 8 586 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 530 809 | 490 017 | 411 069 | 374 046 | 403 687 |
| Employee costs | 177 243 | 167 307 | 156 453 | 155 484 | 147 268 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 18 324 | 17 805 | 17 022 | 16 835 | 17 093 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 29 174 | 85 747 | 60 917 | 27 285 | 31 137 |
| Finance charges | 14 133 | 2 312 | 8 235 | 19 | 1 443 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 161 896 | 142 308 | 120 240 | 118 630 | 103 934 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | 286 | 524 | - | 923 |
| Other expenditure | 241 198 | 213 948 | 143 552 | 125 928 | 96 169 |
| Total Expenditure | 641 968 | 629 715 | 506 943 | 444 181 | 397 967 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -111 159 | -139 698 | -95 873 | -70 135 | 5 720 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 38 780 | 46 885 | 74 888 | 52 489 | 45 336 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -72 379 | -92 813 | -20 985 | -17 646 | 51 056 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -72 379 | -92 813 | -20 985 | -17 646 | 51 056 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 27 047 | 168 441 | 123 109 | 96 177 | 65 485 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 21 767 | 155 774 | 115 383 | 90 234 | 60 852 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 5 281 | 12 667 | 7 726 | 5 943 | 4 633 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 27 047 | 168 441 | 123 109 | 96 177 | 65 485 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 96 015 | 97 748 | 84 681 | 186 658 | 114 004 |
| Total non current assets | 497 899 | 454 488 | 640 892 | 673 001 | 527 058 |
| Total current liabilities | 444 678 | 328 828 | 261 829 | 229 674 | 172 664 |
| Total non current liabilities | 16 264 | 15 441 | 15 004 | 15 256 | 14 203 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 205 350 | 300 780 | 469 725 | 632 375 | 403 139 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 479 355 | 1 336 049 | 883 820 | 487 387 | 191 672 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 484 227 | 1 336 049 | 883 820 | 487 387 | 191 672 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 53 863 | 87 918 | 1 872 | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 39 729 | 106 328 | 71 200 | 33 109 | 44 187 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 14 133 | 2 312 | 9 834 | - | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 221 977 | 205 762 | 188 317 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 34.9% | 41.1% | 40.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 59.5% | 54.9% | 55.2% |
| Population over 65 | 5.6% | 4.0% | 4.6% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 68 | 82 | 81.1 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 84.1 | 84.5 | 82.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.6% | 2.0% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 49.4 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 61.8 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 14.8% | 14.9% | 20.6% |
| Matric | n/a | 34.3 | 29.9 |
| Higher education | 7.5% | 8.2% | 5.8% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 36 178 | 38 553 | 35 198 |
| Average household size | 6.1 | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 58.9 | 58.8 |
| Formal dwellings | 84.9% | 53.2% | 65.2% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 88.7 | 53.6 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 38.6% | 18.1% | 20.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 37.7% | 16.2% | 19.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 39.8% | 15.7% | 22.2% |
| Electricity for lighting | 97.9% | 85.7% | 73.4% |
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 | 33 218 | 33 149 | 33 149 | 33 084 | 23 785 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 574 | 1 600 | 1 752 | 4 422 | 258 |
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 | 7 340 | 7 333 | 7 333 | 7 333 | 6 699 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 805 | 1 600 | 1 752 | 725 | 986 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 156 453 | 155 484 | 147 268 | 146 404 | 133 864 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 17 022 | 16 835 | 17 093 | 17 100 | 16 721 |
| Total Employee Positions | 305 | 298 | 317 | 379 | 344 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 8 | 1 | 14 | 49 | 38 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 2.6% | 0.3% | 4.4% | 12.9% | 11.1% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 57 | 57 | 57 | 43 | 43 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury