Bergrivier Local Municipality
Bergrivier Local Municipality is a local municipality in Western Cape, covering 4 407 square kilometres. It falls within the West Coast District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Aurora, Eendekuil, Piketberg, Porterville, Redelinghuys and Velddrif.
Census 2022 counted 70 276 residents, making it the 22nd most populous of the 30 municipalities in Western Cape and 201st of 257 nationally. That works out to 15.9 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 20 412 households, averaging 3.4 people each. 22.3% of residents are under 15 and 8.6% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 10.3% hold a higher education qualification and 2.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 13 seats across 4 parties, with DA holding the largest share at 8 seats (61.5%). DA governs the municipality. Mr Ray van Rooy serves as executive mayor (DA), and Adv Hanlie Linde 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, Bergrivier scores 75.1 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of B, described as sound. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “clean audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R672.3 million in operating revenue against R659.6 million in expenditure, an operating surplus of R12.7 million. At the last census, 88.7% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 98.6% used electricity for lighting and 85.4% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- DA 8 61.5%
- ANC 3 23.1%
- GOOD 1 7.7%
- PA 1 7.7%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 118 675 | 107 400 | 95 278 | 84 411 | 79 313 |
| Service charges | 298 786 | 245 319 | 225 992 | 223 181 | 195 726 |
| Investment revenue | 20 338 | 18 498 | 12 455 | 7 447 | 5 663 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 168 084 | 83 094 | 75 423 | 68 725 | 84 386 |
| Other own revenue | 66 449 | 69 477 | 54 194 | 41 865 | 40 101 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 672 332 | 523 788 | 463 342 | 425 629 | 405 190 |
| Employee costs | 186 726 | 167 042 | 153 510 | 146 035 | 136 488 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 7 667 | 7 328 | 6 791 | 6 801 | 6 655 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 26 365 | 25 326 | 30 870 | 27 625 | 22 261 |
| Finance charges | 28 127 | 27 109 | 21 857 | 17 971 | 15 442 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 191 079 | 163 417 | 136 283 | 134 357 | 118 138 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 8 635 | 10 169 | 8 389 | 6 736 | 5 867 |
| Other expenditure | 211 044 | 118 513 | 100 164 | 77 250 | 81 942 |
| Total Expenditure | 659 642 | 518 905 | 457 863 | 416 774 | 386 792 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 12 690 | 4 883 | 5 479 | 8 855 | 18 398 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 40 606 | 52 885 | 20 548 | 20 038 | 19 793 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | 2 250 | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 53 295 | 57 769 | 28 277 | 28 893 | 38 191 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 53 295 | 57 769 | 28 277 | 28 893 | 38 191 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 80 586 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 40 512 | 54 948 | 20 777 | 18 445 | 19 793 |
| Borrowing | 18 245 | 32 521 | 33 075 | 15 757 | 14 504 |
| Internally generated funds | 21 829 | 18 070 | -56 103 | 15 999 | 15 550 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 80 586 | 105 539 | -2 250 | 50 201 | 49 847 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 316 696 | 287 668 | 263 528 | 232 466 | 216 110 |
| Total non current assets | 674 519 | 625 193 | 561 037 | 515 265 | 484 182 |
| Total current liabilities | 121 588 | 108 846 | 81 373 | 58 910 | 66 470 |
| Total non current liabilities | 269 681 | 257 501 | 249 010 | 221 575 | 194 098 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 599 946 | 546 514 | 494 183 | 467 246 | 439 724 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -259 227 | 643 337 | 634 140 | 486 399 | 643 857 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -93 764 | -110 564 | -73 831 | -55 753 | -56 077 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -158 617 | 727 148 | 735 082 | 574 287 | 729 524 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | - | - | 764 |
| Irregular expenditure | 7 209 | 12 169 | 1 369 | - | 95 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 684 | - | 28 | - | 0 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 70 276 | 67 474 | 61 897 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 22.3% | 26.0% | 24.9% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 69.1% | 67.2% | 68.1% |
| Population over 65 | 8.6% | 6.7% | 7.0% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 44.7 | 48.7 | 46.9 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 93.3 | 93.3 | 94.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.2% | 2.0% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 6.8 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 9.6 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 2.6% | 3.1% | 6.4% |
| Matric | n/a | 26.3 | 22.3 |
| Higher education | 10.3% | 9.6% | 7.4% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 20 412 | 19 072 | 16 275 |
| Average household size | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 35.4 | 31.5 |
| Formal dwellings | 91.6% | 91.7% | 93.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 60.9 | 46.4 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 97.7% | 82.8% | 89.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 85.4% | 83.6% | 67.0% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 88.7% | 85.3% | 83.5% |
| Electricity for lighting | 98.6% | 97.7% | 94.9% |
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 | 10 192 | 10 123 | 9 533 | 9 269 | 9 168 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 9 832 | 9 763 | 9 533 | 9 269 | 9 168 |
| Inside the yard | 9 832 | 9 763 | 9 533 | 9 269 | 9 168 |
| 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 | 1 898 | 1 916 | 2 128 | 1 860 | 1 992 |
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 | 10 940 | 10 778 | 10 449 | 10 409 | 10 214 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 983 | 1 891 | 1 899 | 1 438 | 1 992 |
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 | 10 513 | 10 259 | 9 739 | 9 705 | 9 616 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 8 009 | 7 751 | 7 576 | 7 542 | 7 443 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 2 144 | 2 148 | 2 148 | 2 148 | 2 158 |
| 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 | 1 695 | 1 709 | 1 886 | 1 862 | 1 992 |
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 | 10 097 | 9 877 | 9 725 | 9 720 | 9 615 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 902 | 1 920 | 2 128 | 1 862 | 1 992 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 153 510 | 146 035 | 136 488 | 121 466 | 117 343 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 6 791 | 6 801 | 6 655 | 6 669 | 6 262 |
| Total Employee Positions | 425 | 414 | 389 | 372 | 402 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 45 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 10.6% | 8.2% | 1.3% | 0.5% | 4.2% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury