Ditsobotla Local Municipality
Ditsobotla Local Municipality is a local municipality in North West, covering 6 387 square kilometres. It falls within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Biesiesvlei, Coligny and Lichtenburg.
Census 2022 counted 164 176 residents, making it the 13th most populous of the 22 municipalities in North West and 125th of 257 nationally. That works out to 25.7 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 42 416 households, averaging 3.9 people each. 29.6% of residents are under 15 and 6.0% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.5% hold a higher education qualification and 9.7% have had no schooling.
The council has 39 seats across 8 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 16 seats (41.0%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Molefe Morutse serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Olaotswe Bojosinyane 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, Ditsobotla scores 25.3 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “disclaimer of audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R455.0 million in operating revenue against R689.0 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R234.0 million. At the last census, 44.5% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 92.7% used electricity for lighting and 29.3% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 16 41.0%
- EFF 10 25.6%
- DA 6 15.4%
- F4SD 2 5.1%
- PA 2 5.1%
- AHC 1 2.6%
- SAVE DITSOBOTLA MOVEMENT 1 2.6%
- VF PLUS 1 2.6%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 88 630 | 83 202 | 76 047 | n/a | 68 444 |
| Service charges | 166 769 | 126 142 | 151 574 | n/a | 369 974 |
| Investment revenue | 401 | 891 | 622 | n/a | 419 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 188 260 | 183 637 | 34 427 | n/a | 151 063 |
| Other own revenue | 10 957 | 11 808 | 1 984 | n/a | 15 721 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 455 017 | 405 680 | 264 653 | n/a | 605 621 |
| Employee costs | 326 691 | 300 537 | 285 071 | n/a | 195 567 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 17 053 | 17 443 | 14 657 | n/a | 17 127 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 33 818 | 74 164 | - | n/a | 32 740 |
| Finance charges | 26 087 | 54 239 | 63 987 | n/a | 19 149 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 215 731 | 220 282 | 156 891 | n/a | 155 285 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | n/a | - |
| Other expenditure | 69 629 | 18 392 | 25 927 | n/a | 188 141 |
| Total Expenditure | 689 009 | 685 057 | 546 532 | n/a | 608 009 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -233 992 | -279 377 | -281 879 | n/a | -2 388 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 24 949 | 35 813 | - | n/a | 53 641 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | n/a | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -209 043 | -243 564 | -281 879 | n/a | 51 253 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | n/a | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -209 043 | -243 564 | -281 879 | n/a | 51 253 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 140 973 | 122 795 | 94 211 | n/a | 45 841 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 140 927 | 122 791 | 94 122 | n/a | 45 837 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | n/a | - |
| Internally generated funds | 4 | 4 | 89 | n/a | 4 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 140 931 | 122 795 | 94 211 | n/a | 45 841 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 1 311 152 | 1 209 768 | 1 118 201 | n/a | 566 166 |
| Total non current assets | 1 126 769 | 1 139 601 | 2 124 943 | n/a | 1 034 931 |
| Total current liabilities | 2 889 440 | 2 823 004 | 2 351 192 | n/a | 1 185 555 |
| Total non current liabilities | 52 421 | 50 582 | 12 416 | n/a | 12 416 |
| Community wealth/Equity | -294 898 | -280 654 | 1 161 415 | n/a | 300 620 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 3 788 818 | 3 101 252 | 2 087 686 | n/a | 1 123 203 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | 550 | 555 | - | n/a | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | n/a | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 3 768 663 | 3 101 807 | 2 066 982 | n/a | 1 123 203 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | 281 824 | 203 571 | 61 726 |
| Irregular expenditure | 22 432 | - | 29 705 | - | 195 711 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 19 863 | 43 369 | 64 065 | 228 209 | 19 149 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 164 176 | 181 865 | 168 902 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 29.6% | 27.0% | 32.6% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.4% | 68.3% | 61.9% |
| Population over 65 | 6.0% | 4.8% | 5.5% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 55.3 | 46.5 | 61.5 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 95.5 | 105.6 | 102 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | -0.3% | 1.9% | 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 | 9.7% | 8.9% | 14.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 25.4 | 20.3 |
| Higher education | 6.5% | 5.9% | 6.5% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 42 416 | 54 154 | 44 500 |
| Average household size | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 33.5 | 35.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 90.0% | 80.5% | 74.2% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 64.2 | 51.5 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 66.3% | 55.0% | 47.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 29.3% | 36.5% | 37.6% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 44.5% | 31.8% | 34.9% |
| Electricity for lighting | 92.7% | 88.1% | 74.0% |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 25 806 | 25 806 | 52 915 | 52 915 | 52 715 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 25 279 | 25 279 | 52 388 | 52 388 | 52 388 |
| Inside the yard | 20 305 | 20 305 | 33 198 | 33 198 | 33 198 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 1 834 | 1 834 | 19 049 | 19 049 | 19 049 |
| More than 200m from yard | 3 140 | 3 140 | 141 | 141 | 141 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 580 | 6 440 | 6 440 | 6 031 | 6 031 |
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 | 39 330 | 39 330 | 50 281 | 50 281 | 46 825 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 958 | 1 978 | 1 978 | 1 883 | 1 883 |
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 | 28 400 | 27 570 | 39 217 | 38 890 | 36 943 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 20 305 | 20 305 | 17 562 | 17 562 | 14 745 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 1 500 | 1 500 | 1 678 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 4 688 | 4 638 | 17 528 | 17 201 | 17 201 |
| Bucket system | 3 080 | 2 300 | 2 300 | 2 300 | 2 992 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 5 701 | 6 440 | 6 440 | 6 031 | 6 031 |
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 | 20 305 | 20 305 | 30 143 | 30 143 | 30 143 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 290 | 6 312 | 6 312 | 6 031 | 6 031 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 285 071 | n/a | 195 567 | 182 744 | 185 388 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 14 657 | n/a | 17 127 | 16 282 | 17 398 |
| Total Employee Positions | 784 | 784 | 577 | 540 | 588 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 22 | 48 | 6 | 7 | 71 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 2.8% | 6.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 12.1% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 28 | 28 | 20 | 20 | 24 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
Published documents
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