Walter Sisulu Local Municipality
Walter Sisulu Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 13 269 square kilometres. It falls within the Joe Gqabi District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Aliwal North, Burgersdorp, Jamestown, Oviston, Steynsburg and Venterstad.
Census 2022 counted 104 213 residents, making it the 29th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 181st of 257 nationally. That works out to 7.9 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 34 171 households, averaging 3.0 people each. 28.3% of residents are under 15 and 7.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 9.1% hold a higher education qualification and 8.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 22 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 12 seats (54.5%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms Vania Davids serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Khaya Gashi 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, Walter Sisulu scores 15.8 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 R432.1 million in operating revenue against R589.3 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R157.2 million. At the last census, 66.7% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.7% used electricity for lighting and 84.4% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 12 54.5%
- DA 5 22.7%
- EFF 3 13.6%
- MALETSWAI CIVIC ASSOCIATION 2 9.1%
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 | Adverse audit | Disclaimer of audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 64 149 | 41 430 | 50 353 | 48 862 | 43 386 |
| Service charges | 229 537 | 227 824 | 180 364 | 150 077 | 145 467 |
| Investment revenue | 1 671 | 863 | 1 621 | 759 | 341 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 94 736 | 235 896 | 81 154 | 74 951 | 81 048 |
| Other own revenue | 42 015 | 60 361 | 40 050 | -41 600 | 26 670 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 432 108 | 566 374 | 353 543 | 233 050 | 296 913 |
| Employee costs | 138 333 | 130 275 | 114 547 | 104 359 | 98 820 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 10 438 | 9 946 | 9 277 | 8 504 | 8 307 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 30 479 | 31 976 | 34 495 | 34 652 | 47 548 |
| Finance charges | 56 220 | 58 145 | 45 966 | 35 855 | 8 822 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 174 109 | 154 670 | 132 638 | 128 609 | 106 599 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | 54 | 199 | (420) |
| Other expenditure | 179 709 | 194 433 | 72 438 | 101 795 | 106 379 |
| Total Expenditure | 589 288 | 579 446 | 409 416 | 413 972 | 376 054 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -157 180 | -13 072 | -55 873 | -180 922 | -79 142 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 26 511 | 19 300 | 33 175 | 13 173 | 13 247 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -130 669 | 6 228 | -22 699 | -167 749 | -65 895 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -130 669 | 6 228 | -22 699 | -167 749 | -65 895 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 59 032 | 124 111 | 100 664 | 76 124 | 48 145 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 57 011 | 108 457 | 91 950 | 68 391 | 54 963 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 2 021 | 15 654 | 8 714 | 7 732 | -5 356 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 59 032 | 124 111 | 100 664 | 76 124 | 49 606 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 239 396 | 160 134 | 302 354 | 224 474 | 185 204 |
| Total non current assets | 972 323 | 961 260 | 971 474 | 918 971 | 698 671 |
| Total current liabilities | 636 299 | 403 639 | 734 353 | 637 353 | 431 375 |
| Total non current liabilities | 409 720 | 455 165 | 43 404 | 44 872 | 35 412 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 296 369 | 256 363 | 518 770 | 628 970 | 492 112 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -231 826 | -260 726 | -119 899 | -128 772 | -95 649 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | 58 328 | 26 817 | 4 | 17 170 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -229 022 | -191 097 | -80 775 | -116 600 | -66 159 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 122 646 | 173 348 | 50 703 | 156 719 | 116 306 |
| Irregular expenditure | 116 711 | 21 753 | 10 689 | 18 268 | 25 251 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 19 110 | 8 451 | 40 266 | 34 146 | 241 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 104 213 | 87 263 | 77 477 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 28.3% | 35.5% | 32.1% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.6% | 60.8% | 62.0% |
| Population over 65 | 7.1% | 3.7% | 6.0% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 54.8 | 64.6 | 61.4 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 90.3 | 90.8 | 92.2 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.9% | 2.7% | 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 | 8.4% | 7.4% | 12.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 24.8 | 19.2 |
| Higher education | 9.1% | 7.9% | 8.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 34 171 | 23 706 | 21 874 |
| Average household size | 3 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 42.4 | 42.4 |
| Formal dwellings | 94.4% | 89.3% | 90.2% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 60.9 | 47.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 89.7% | 83.0% | 76.6% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 84.4% | 83.4% | 82.1% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 66.7% | 48.1% | 45.4% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.7% | 87.4% | 87.0% |
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 | 20 735 | 20 148 | 19 570 | 19 570 | 19 570 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 528 | 8 671 | 6 107 | 8 622 | 9 109 |
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 | 23 903 | 23 093 | 19 599 | 19 599 | 19 534 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 999 | 8 671 | 6 107 | 8 622 | 9 109 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 114 547 | 104 359 | 98 820 | 89 426 | 83 938 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 9 277 | 8 504 | 8 307 | 8 372 | 8 039 |
| Total Employee Positions | 864 | 395 | 380 | 499 | 494 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 455 | 22 | 4 | 19 | 0 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 52.7% | 5.6% | 1.1% | 3.8% | 0.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury