City of uMhlathuze Local Municipality
City of uMhlathuze Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 1 233 square kilometres. It falls within the King Cetshwayo District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Empangeni and Richards Bay.
Census 2022 counted 412 075 residents, making it the 15th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 66th of 257 nationally. That works out to 334.2 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 100 441 households, averaging 4.1 people each. 25.9% of residents are under 15 and 4.7% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 14.6% hold a higher education qualification and 7.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 67 seats across 7 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 25 seats (37.3%). It is governed by a coalition: IFP/DA/ACDP/NFP/VF PLUS Coalition. Mr Xolani Ngwezi serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr Phakama Mhlongo 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, uMhlathuze scores 63.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of C, described as fair. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “clean audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R5.2 billion in operating revenue against R5.5 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R325.3 million. At the last census, 58.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 99.2% used electricity for lighting and 55.3% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 25 37.3%
- IFP 25 37.3%
- DA 8 11.9%
- EFF 6 9.0%
- ACDP 1 1.5%
- NFP 1 1.5%
- VF PLUS 1 1.5%
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 | 754 392 | 675 918 | 615 808 | 567 444 | 551 173 |
| Service charges | 3 078 830 | 2 826 118 | 2 614 424 | 2 428 566 | 2 283 720 |
| Investment revenue | 37 988 | 33 924 | 26 846 | 34 735 | 32 646 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 581 894 | 554 647 | 503 405 | 437 070 | 491 484 |
| Other own revenue | 707 483 | 917 015 | 854 961 | 806 659 | 218 743 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 5 160 588 | 5 007 622 | 4 615 445 | 4 274 472 | 3 577 766 |
| Employee costs | 1 140 527 | 1 155 997 | 1 076 640 | 1 032 294 | 956 520 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 34 655 | 30 597 | 32 724 | 30 528 | 31 204 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 331 284 | 325 337 | 312 064 | 338 423 | 349 123 |
| Finance charges | 189 650 | 158 839 | 89 004 | 57 200 | 59 021 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 2 267 154 | 2 038 091 | 1 760 030 | 1 698 852 | 1 320 192 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 2 580 | 8 927 | 8 772 | 9 279 | 9 787 |
| Other expenditure | 1 520 004 | 1 564 802 | 1 496 140 | 1 057 735 | 908 726 |
| Total Expenditure | 5 485 854 | 5 282 590 | 4 775 373 | 4 224 311 | 3 634 573 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -325 266 | -274 968 | -159 929 | 50 162 | -56 807 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 202 510 | 258 387 | 250 741 | 181 567 | 188 217 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 287 | - | - | 1 627 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -122 469 | -16 581 | 90 813 | 233 356 | 131 410 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -122 469 | -16 581 | 90 813 | 233 356 | 131 410 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 510 490 | 797 671 | 1 258 278 | 697 858 | 459 007 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 125 088 | 239 573 | 217 753 | 95 166 | 177 255 |
| Borrowing | 357 529 | 387 495 | 587 718 | 387 203 | 110 999 |
| Internally generated funds | 26 607 | 170 526 | 203 184 | 207 269 | 163 129 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 509 223 | 797 594 | 1 008 655 | 689 638 | 451 383 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 1 220 508 | 1 190 879 | 1 739 338 | 1 700 804 | 1 445 130 |
| Total non current assets | 8 009 529 | 7 901 048 | 7 472 188 | 6 569 998 | 6 227 519 |
| Total current liabilities | 998 464 | 965 811 | 1 030 397 | 946 939 | 654 984 |
| Total non current liabilities | 1 995 931 | 1 768 006 | 1 509 888 | 1 060 669 | 952 504 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 6 235 642 | 6 358 111 | 6 671 241 | 6 263 194 | 5 933 751 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 367 233 | 353 113 | 375 800 | 89 572 | 502 685 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -562 773 | -858 801 | -1 067 925 | -733 359 | 106 096 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 177 176 | 257 317 | 490 077 | 284 409 | 90 000 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 254 103 | 246 738 | 482 715 | 461 312 | 1 298 700 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | - | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | - | - | 405 | - | 12 481 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | - | - | - | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 412 075 | 410 465 | 370 256 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 25.9% | 34.7% | 29.9% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 69.4% | 62.0% | 66.8% |
| Population over 65 | 4.7% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 44.1 | 61.3 | 49.7 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 94.2 | 93.3 | 94.6 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.0% | 2.8% | 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 | 7.8% | 5.9% | 8.2% |
| Matric | n/a | 44.3 | 36.8 |
| Higher education | 14.6% | 13.5% | 13.0% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 100 441 | 110 503 | 94 010 |
| Average household size | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 43.3 | 41.3 |
| Formal dwellings | 97.0% | 88.3% | 87.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 74.9 | 52.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 62.5% | 45.7% | 51.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 55.3% | 43.1% | 49.8% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 58.0% | 43.0% | 46.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 99.2% | 98.8% | 93.5% |
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 | 111 716 | 111 431 | 111 335 | 110 503 | 105 905 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 111 716 | 111 431 | 111 335 | 110 503 | 105 905 |
| Inside the yard | 105 409 | 105 140 | 105 044 | 104 212 | 99 343 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 2 016 | 2 000 | 2 000 | 2 000 | 6 562 |
| More than 200m from yard | 4 291 | 4 291 | 4 291 | 4 291 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 304 | 17 399 | 10 031 | 10 846 | 11 528 |
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 | 88 908 | 88 820 | 88 736 | 88 641 | 87 495 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 690 | 647 | 581 | 521 | 558 |
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 | 89 713 | 89 444 | 89 444 | 89 444 | 89 444 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 43 267 | 43 068 | 43 068 | 43 068 | 43 068 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 46 446 | 46 376 | 46 376 | 46 376 | 46 376 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 304 | 60 942 | 60 260 | 61 353 | 61 116 |
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 | 81 632 | 81 610 | 81 106 | 79 060 | 77 028 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 304 | 38 148 | 36 978 | 33 010 | 33 772 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 1 076 640 | 1 032 294 | 956 520 | 849 300 | 782 430 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 32 724 | 30 528 | 31 204 | 31 478 | 30 395 |
| Total Employee Positions | 2 447 | 2 446 | 2 300 | 2 232 | 2 383 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 201 | 186 | 1 | 197 | 156 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 8.2% | 7.6% | 0.0% | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 47 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Published documents
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