Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Local Municipality
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 3 602 square kilometres. It falls within the Harry Gwala District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Creighton, Himeville and Underberg.
Census 2022 counted 128 565 residents, making it the 40th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 159th of 257 nationally. That works out to 35.7 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 25 525 households, averaging 5.0 people each. 32.8% of residents are under 15 and 6.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.0% hold a higher education qualification and 9.9% have had no schooling.
The council has 29 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 16 seats (55.2%). ANC governs the municipality. Dr Sindisiwe Msomi serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Nkosiyezwe Vezi 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, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma scores 79.2 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of B, described as sound. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R263.4 million in operating revenue against R269.8 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R6.4 million. At the last census, 26.2% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.6% used electricity for lighting and 23.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 16 55.2%
- EFF 6 20.7%
- IFP 4 13.8%
- DA 3 10.3%
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 | 44 315 | 42 392 | 41 074 | 34 690 | 34 318 |
| Service charges | 4 528 | 4 379 | 4 197 | 4 006 | 3 878 |
| Investment revenue | 13 672 | 15 970 | 14 179 | 7 601 | 6 424 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 179 345 | 177 143 | 161 784 | 149 161 | 168 530 |
| Other own revenue | 21 558 | 24 527 | 13 065 | 11 535 | 9 231 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 263 417 | 264 411 | 234 299 | 206 993 | 222 381 |
| Employee costs | 88 621 | 85 095 | 75 426 | 73 587 | 66 031 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 12 750 | 12 498 | 11 578 | 11 445 | 11 598 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 52 810 | 48 555 | 45 220 | 48 220 | 32 995 |
| Finance charges | 2 799 | 2 412 | 2 280 | 1 618 | 1 047 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 4 838 | 4 475 | 3 697 | 3 591 | 2 973 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 2 357 | 1 851 | 499 | 1 052 | 2 031 |
| Other expenditure | 105 655 | 122 017 | 91 418 | 90 018 | 49 370 |
| Total Expenditure | 269 831 | 276 902 | 230 119 | 229 531 | 166 043 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -6 414 | -12 491 | 4 180 | -22 538 | 56 338 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 32 185 | 32 385 | 43 108 | 50 943 | 29 067 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 25 771 | 19 893 | 47 287 | 28 405 | 85 405 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 25 771 | 19 893 | 47 287 | 28 405 | 85 405 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 74 096 | 73 786 | 81 887 | 71 755 | 75 833 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 54 | 736 | - | -7 | - |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 18 635 | 14 522 | 17 981 | 12 836 | 6 149 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 18 689 | 15 257 | 17 981 | 12 829 | 6 149 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 200 864 | 196 183 | 219 284 | 229 861 | 207 167 |
| Total non current assets | 591 431 | 569 839 | 534 038 | 501 837 | 472 936 |
| Total current liabilities | 42 761 | 45 478 | 55 494 | 73 829 | 54 610 |
| Total non current liabilities | 26 285 | 23 347 | 20 509 | 19 712 | 18 211 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 723 249 | 697 197 | 677 313 | 638 157 | 607 283 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 575 773 | 164 573 | 171 363 | 195 246 | 292 988 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -78 070 | -64 189 | -78 379 | -54 608 | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | 17 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 637 143 | 259 640 | 273 219 | 299 813 | 417 208 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | 26 619 | - | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | - | 163 | 1 615 | 136 | 11 033 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 7 | 5 | 180 | 5 | 94 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 128 565 | 118 480 | 103 318 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 32.8% | 39.7% | 38.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.6% | 56.0% | 56.8% |
| Population over 65 | 6.5% | 4.3% | 5.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 64.9 | 78.6 | 76.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 89.9 | 91.9 | 89 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.1% | 1.7% | 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 | 9.9% | 8.2% | 13.2% |
| Matric | n/a | 21.2 | 18.2 |
| Higher education | 5.0% | 4.5% | 4.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 25 525 | 29 618 | 24 581 |
| Average household size | 5 | 4 | 4.2 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 52.6 | 55 |
| Formal dwellings | 55.1% | 38.2% | 35.2% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 68 | 57.1 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 31.5% | 7.0% | 17.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 23.1% | 16.3% | 10.8% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 26.2% | 9.6% | 16.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.6% | 83.3% | 53.0% |
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? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 26 119 | 25 420 | 25 317 | 25 317 | 24 885 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 047 | 640 | 1 497 | 1 497 | 4 896 |
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 | 3 420 | 2 204 | 2 204 | 2 204 | 2 204 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 300 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 75 426 | 73 587 | 66 031 | 58 124 | 50 499 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 11 578 | 11 445 | 11 598 | 11 598 | 11 200 |
| Total Employee Positions | 241 | 221 | 231 | 233 | 322 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 17 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 101 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 7.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 1.7% | 31.4% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury