Emthanjeni Local Municipality
Emthanjeni Local Municipality is a local municipality in Northern Cape, covering 13 472 square kilometres. It falls within the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Britstown, De Aar and Hanover.
Census 2022 counted 46 587 residents, making it the 15th most populous of the 31 municipalities in Northern Cape and 228th of 257 nationally. That works out to 3.5 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 10 622 households, averaging 4.4 people each. 29.1% of residents are under 15 and 6.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.9% hold a higher education qualification and 5.9% have had no schooling.
The council has 15 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 9 seats (60.0%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Lulamile Nkumbi serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Disang Humphrey Molaole 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, Emthanjeni scores 32.6 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R296.0 million in operating revenue against R492.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R196.2 million. At the last census, 65.7% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.5% used electricity for lighting and 92.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 9 60.0%
- DA 4 26.7%
- EFF 1 6.7%
- PA 1 6.7%
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 | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 55 209 | 49 671 | 44 921 | 39 620 | 39 420 |
| Service charges | 166 062 | 162 064 | 166 855 | 145 942 | 140 702 |
| Investment revenue | 3 105 | 3 726 | 2 707 | 1 297 | 1 182 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 67 170 | 62 347 | 60 511 | 54 239 | 51 086 |
| Other own revenue | 4 472 | 18 978 | 22 423 | 8 237 | -16 730 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 296 018 | 296 785 | 297 417 | 249 335 | 215 661 |
| Employee costs | 102 922 | 105 320 | 98 574 | 92 735 | 88 028 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 6 607 | 5 720 | 3 670 | 5 714 | 5 640 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 49 541 | 53 757 | 53 619 | 52 646 | 52 992 |
| Finance charges | 40 542 | 20 477 | 22 767 | 13 964 | 11 851 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 122 674 | 106 475 | 81 397 | 83 026 | 76 004 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 169 963 | 106 028 | 181 195 | 58 638 | 70 539 |
| Total Expenditure | 492 249 | 397 778 | 441 221 | 306 722 | 305 055 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -196 231 | -100 993 | -143 804 | -57 387 | -89 394 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 31 332 | 34 636 | 20 319 | 9 222 | 12 370 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -164 899 | -66 357 | -123 485 | -48 165 | -77 024 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -164 899 | -66 357 | -123 485 | -48 165 | -77 024 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 78 337 | 38 562 | - | 9 080 | 226 173 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 64 476 | 34 808 | - | - | - |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 13 861 | 3 738 | - | 9 080 | 883 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 78 337 | 38 547 | - | 9 080 | 883 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 420 419 | 381 465 | 296 398 | 122 424 | 110 605 |
| Total non current assets | 804 728 | 804 515 | 810 116 | 842 115 | 712 918 |
| Total current liabilities | 748 607 | 554 479 | 424 893 | 189 349 | 167 060 |
| Total non current liabilities | 163 962 | 113 075 | 106 396 | 72 255 | 92 399 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 477 477 | 584 784 | 698 710 | 751 098 | 564 064 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 302 191 | 112 182 | -20 | -122 473 | 339 354 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | (8 007) |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 330 333 | 140 323 | 28 121 | -134 380 | 320 157 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 209 188 | 116 630 | 157 935 | 72 182 | 87 873 |
| Irregular expenditure | 21 915 | 23 110 | 8 656 | 3 310 | 9 628 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 39 354 | 23 426 | 11 742 | 4 640 | 90 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 46 587 | 45 404 | 42 356 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 29.1% | 26.3% | 31.7% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.8% | 67.9% | 62.5% |
| Population over 65 | 6.1% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 54.4 | 47.3 | 60.1 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 92.4 | 97.7 | 95.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.9% | 1.6% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 28 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 37.2 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 5.9% | 17.4% | 11.0% |
| Matric | n/a | 26.9 | 24.7 |
| Higher education | 6.9% | 4.6% | 6.4% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 10 622 | 11 923 | 10 457 |
| Average household size | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 39.8 | 39.4 |
| Formal dwellings | 95.2% | 95.6% | 95.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 70.2 | 60.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 97.6% | 84.0% | 85.1% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 92.1% | 79.7% | 83.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 65.7% | 53.5% | 59.8% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.5% | 93.0% | 92.6% |
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 | 9 063 | 8 933 | 8 929 | 8 929 | 8 929 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 8 709 | 8 579 | 8 575 | 8 575 | 8 575 |
| Inside the yard | 8 520 | 8 390 | 8 386 | 8 386 | 8 386 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 299 | 3 860 | 3 916 | 3 828 | 3 795 |
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 | 12 307 | 10 533 | 8 892 | 8 892 | 8 892 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 299 | 3 860 | 3 916 | 3 828 | 3 795 |
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 | 8 969 | 8 893 | 8 893 | 8 893 | 8 893 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 8 004 | 7 928 | 7 928 | 7 928 | 7 928 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 299 | 3 860 | 3 916 | 3 828 | 3 795 |
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 | 8 295 | 8 273 | 8 273 | 8 273 | 8 273 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 299 | 3 860 | 3 916 | 3 828 | 3 795 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 98 574 | 92 735 | 88 028 | 85 001 | 87 676 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 3 670 | 5 714 | 5 640 | 5 876 | 5 605 |
| Total Employee Positions | 374 | 378 | 365 | 341 | 341 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 11 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 2.9% | 6.6% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 2.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury