uPhongolo Local Municipality
uPhongolo Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 3 110 square kilometres. It falls within the Zululand District Municipality. Its main centre is Pongola.
Census 2022 counted 151 541 residents, making it the 33rd most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 132nd of 257 nationally. That works out to 48.7 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 28 618 households, averaging 5.3 people each. 34.6% of residents are under 15 and 4.7% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.6% hold a higher education qualification and 11.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 29 seats across 5 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 14 seats (48.3%). IFP governs the municipality. Mr Bhekinkosi Thwala serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr BM Khali 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, uPhongolo scores 30.9 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 R357.2 million in operating revenue against R428.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R71.0 million. At the last census, 32.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.8% used electricity for lighting and 34.8% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 14 48.3%
- ANC 11 37.9%
- NFP 2 6.9%
- DA 1 3.4%
- EFF 1 3.4%
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 | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 48 208 | 48 135 | 45 571 | 43 253 | 44 040 |
| Service charges | 83 582 | 64 794 | 56 517 | 57 717 | 57 764 |
| Investment revenue | 4 462 | 4 543 | 2 449 | 1 301 | 1 805 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 201 784 | 192 426 | 196 294 | 178 841 | 185 925 |
| Other own revenue | 19 125 | 14 171 | 10 640 | 25 014 | 27 181 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 357 161 | 324 070 | 311 470 | 306 126 | 316 716 |
| Employee costs | 145 878 | 133 336 | 122 588 | 104 229 | 101 952 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 11 593 | 11 294 | 11 125 | 10 183 | 9 669 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 35 152 | 24 994 | 25 372 | 28 024 | 25 338 |
| Finance charges | 1 483 | 1 367 | 1 325 | 1 395 | 1 230 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 84 819 | 68 135 | 49 525 | 51 977 | 63 220 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | 21 400 | - | 350 | 1 495 |
| Other expenditure | 149 277 | 141 051 | 116 910 | 194 019 | 103 774 |
| Total Expenditure | 428 201 | 401 578 | 326 844 | 390 177 | 306 677 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -71 040 | -77 508 | -15 374 | -84 051 | 10 040 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 101 912 | 79 886 | 42 039 | 88 510 | 35 823 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 30 873 | 2 378 | 26 666 | 4 459 | 45 862 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 30 873 | 2 378 | 26 666 | 4 459 | 45 862 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 106 628 | 74 070 | 77 841 | 96 196 | 62 752 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 91 548 | 68 390 | 71 560 | 76 381 | 37 833 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 15 081 | 5 680 | 6 281 | 19 815 | 24 919 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 106 628 | 74 070 | 77 841 | 96 196 | 62 752 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 92 272 | 72 916 | 56 131 | 50 674 | 37 876 |
| Total non current assets | 479 728 | 438 972 | 439 502 | 427 354 | 417 818 |
| Total current liabilities | 99 543 | 72 342 | 55 481 | 63 856 | 43 362 |
| Total non current liabilities | 19 849 | 16 229 | 15 773 | 16 278 | 11 133 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 421 736 | 420 940 | 397 713 | 393 435 | 355 336 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -200 616 | -67 823 | -204 036 | -244 272 | -46 354 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -29 984 | 46 | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | (2 235) | (6 700) |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -205 776 | -61 913 | -193 604 | -242 848 | -23 775 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 50 143 | 137 762 | 32 451 | 82 893 | 21 187 |
| Irregular expenditure | 69 | 221 | 732 | 24 613 | 404 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 1 978 | 13 | 7 929 | 655 | 3 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 151 541 | 141 247 | 123 584 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 34.6% | 40.6% | 39.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.7% | 55.7% | 56.5% |
| Population over 65 | 4.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 64.7 | 79.6 | 77 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88.8 | 90.7 | 88.5 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.0% | 3.0% | 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 | 11.8% | 11.5% | 19.6% |
| Matric | n/a | 33.7 | 25.9 |
| Higher education | 5.6% | 7.2% | 4.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 28 618 | 34 228 | 28 287 |
| Average household size | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 47.3 | 48.5 |
| Formal dwellings | 94.3% | 78.9% | 84.3% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 56.1 | 56.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 32.3% | 15.0% | 14.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 34.8% | 25.8% | 19.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 32.0% | 14.0% | 17.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.8% | 90.1% | 73.0% |
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? | 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 | 5 446 | 5 424 | 5 424 | 5 202 | 5 202 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 200 | 985 | 963 | 1 311 | 1 205 |
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 | 3 493 | 4 896 | 10 230 | 5 928 | 5 168 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 122 588 | 104 229 | 101 952 | 90 726 | 74 786 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 11 125 | 10 183 | 9 669 | 9 836 | 7 071 |
| Total Employee Positions | 466 | 474 | 292 | 278 | 487 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 137 | 172 | 12 | 14 | 34 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 29.4% | 36.3% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 7.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 28 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 6 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury