Great Kei Local Municipality
Great Kei Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 1 700 square kilometres. It falls within the Amathole District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Amatola Coastal, Kei Mouth, Komga and Morgan Bay.
Census 2022 counted 35 990 residents, making it the 39th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 235th of 257 nationally. That works out to 21.2 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 12 095 households, averaging 3.0 people each. 24.9% of residents are under 15 and 12.3% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 8.6% hold a higher education qualification and 10.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 13 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 9 seats (69.2%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Ngenisile Tekile serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Lawrence Mambila 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, Great Kei scores 69.9 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 R128.3 million in operating revenue against R125.8 million in expenditure, an operating surplus of R2.5 million. At the last census, 37.8% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 90.1% used electricity for lighting and 41.9% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 9 69.2%
- DA 3 23.1%
- EFF 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 | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 35 180 | 27 532 | 36 615 | 33 682 | 25 202 |
| Service charges | 18 224 | 13 280 | 14 244 | 18 023 | 20 339 |
| Investment revenue | 6 525 | 4 392 | 1 959 | 694 | 458 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 60 484 | 57 697 | 56 743 | 53 823 | 65 369 |
| Other own revenue | 7 874 | 15 734 | 9 364 | 11 863 | 10 894 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 128 287 | 118 635 | 118 924 | 118 085 | 122 263 |
| Employee costs | 55 337 | 49 313 | 45 219 | 45 054 | 48 539 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 5 923 | 5 493 | 4 965 | 4 680 | 4 554 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 18 966 | 16 353 | 15 284 | 13 078 | 11 653 |
| Finance charges | 1 329 | 1 977 | 1 444 | 1 434 | 1 908 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 14 789 | 13 146 | 11 843 | 12 470 | 11 073 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | 149 | 156 | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 29 411 | 27 832 | 33 122 | 45 291 | 52 487 |
| Total Expenditure | 125 755 | 114 263 | 112 033 | 122 006 | 130 213 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 2 531 | 4 372 | 6 891 | -3 921 | -7 950 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 39 766 | 26 983 | 31 814 | 23 250 | 15 979 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 3 500 | 14 806 | 3 024 | 7 903 | 416 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 45 798 | 46 161 | 41 729 | 27 232 | 8 445 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 45 798 | 46 161 | 41 729 | 27 232 | 8 445 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 44 868 | 38 633 | 36 971 | 22 636 | 21 143 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 34 515 | 26 222 | 25 771 | 15 228 | 16 105 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 10 353 | 12 410 | 10 830 | 1 100 | -162 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 44 868 | 38 633 | 36 601 | 16 327 | 15 943 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 107 723 | 89 750 | 52 446 | 32 820 | 23 280 |
| Total non current assets | 400 688 | 370 693 | 351 829 | 329 166 | 321 620 |
| Total current liabilities | 76 878 | 79 212 | 64 566 | 55 290 | 61 106 |
| Total non current liabilities | 32 519 | 27 824 | 32 463 | 29 007 | 33 291 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 353 216 | 307 247 | 265 518 | 250 457 | 242 057 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -94 585 | 256 228 | 66 010 | 332 058 | 44 697 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | (1 322) | (10 906) | (861) | (3 481) |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -23 937 | 289 640 | 71 714 | 336 641 | 47 326 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | - | 58 994 | 31 719 |
| Irregular expenditure | 936 | - | - | 688 | 4 191 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | 6 018 | 239 | 2 882 | 1 079 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35 990 | 31 692 | 30 832 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 24.9% | 27.4% | 28.4% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 62.7% | 66.4% | 62.0% |
| Population over 65 | 12.3% | 6.2% | 9.6% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 59.4 | 50.6 | 61.3 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 94.6 | 92.4 | 92.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.5% | 0.6% | 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 | 10.6% | 7.6% | 19.0% |
| Matric | n/a | 19.1 | 15.4 |
| Higher education | 8.6% | 4.4% | 5.3% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 12 095 | 8 774 | 8 073 |
| Average household size | 3 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 45 | 44.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 85.5% | 66.6% | 68.5% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 83 | 60.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 50.4% | 19.5% | 44.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 41.9% | 26.7% | 42.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 37.8% | 8.1% | 17.4% |
| Electricity for lighting | 90.1% | 75.8% | 80.2% |
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? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 8 035 | 8 035 | 7 860 | 7 860 | 5 672 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 288 | 1 150 | 1 157 | 1 455 | 2 911 |
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 | 7 850 | 7 850 | 7 850 | 5 801 | 4 735 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 739 | 1 460 | 1 460 | 315 | 315 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 45 219 | 45 054 | 48 539 | 45 259 | 52 967 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 4 965 | 4 680 | 4 554 | 4 587 | 3 879 |
| Total Employee Positions | 194 | 157 | 154 | 135 | 161 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 75 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 38.7% | 5.7% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 14.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury