Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality
Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 11 663 square kilometres. It falls within the Chris Hani District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Middelburg, Mount Zebra National Park and Nxuba (Cradock).
Census 2022 counted 77 578 residents, making it the 33rd most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 197th of 257 nationally. That works out to 6.7 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 22 994 households, averaging 3.4 people each. 27.1% of residents are under 15 and 7.7% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 7.6% hold a higher education qualification and 6.9% have had no schooling.
The council has 18 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 10 seats (55.6%). ANC governs the municipality. Mrs Noncedo Zonke serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Mkhululi Mbebe 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, Inxuba Yethemba scores 18.2 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R288.8 million in operating revenue against R421.6 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R132.8 million. At the last census, 75.6% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 98.1% used electricity for lighting and 83.9% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 10 55.6%
- DA 7 38.9%
- PA 1 5.6%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 24 867 | 66 604 | 49 978 | 47 639 | 45 119 |
| Service charges | 161 263 | 158 436 | 138 129 | 139 180 | 127 834 |
| Investment revenue | 247 | 242 | 209 | 73 | 85 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 66 101 | 63 162 | 59 023 | 54 181 | 59 610 |
| Other own revenue | 36 358 | 37 507 | 30 678 | 13 625 | 34 786 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 288 837 | 325 951 | 278 016 | 254 698 | 267 434 |
| Employee costs | 121 962 | 120 610 | 107 468 | 105 878 | 92 107 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 8 674 | 8 565 | 7 916 | 7 542 | 7 234 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | - | - | (0) | 65 547 | 61 541 |
| Finance charges | 31 523 | -6 067 | 38 693 | 18 920 | 9 874 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 135 895 | 124 152 | 111 465 | 112 528 | 87 075 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 4 092 | 1 634 | - | 0 | - |
| Other expenditure | 119 482 | 147 436 | 114 789 | 98 806 | 97 191 |
| Total Expenditure | 421 629 | 396 330 | 380 331 | 409 221 | 355 021 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -132 792 | -70 380 | -102 315 | -154 523 | -87 587 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 33 177 | 36 368 | 28 169 | 16 785 | 24 327 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -99 615 | -34 012 | -74 146 | -137 738 | -63 260 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -99 615 | -34 012 | -74 146 | -137 738 | -63 260 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 14 172 | 84 984 | 65 528 | 28 406 | 4 332 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 11 255 | 77 189 | 65 209 | 27 895 | 3 232 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 1 708 | 7 795 | - | - | - |
| Total sources of capital funds | 12 963 | 84 984 | 65 209 | 27 895 | 3 232 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 169 653 | 191 835 | 155 668 | 121 154 | 87 022 |
| Total non current assets | 1 236 057 | 1 255 614 | 1 266 615 | 1 227 958 | 1 256 026 |
| Total current liabilities | 904 757 | 766 295 | 647 867 | 490 348 | 349 865 |
| Total non current liabilities | 26 737 | 22 355 | 33 175 | 41 635 | 31 728 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 577 114 | 692 812 | 815 388 | 954 867 | 1 024 715 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 46 466 | -66 325 | -11 248 | 109 385 | 165 198 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -20 943 | -44 676 | -22 986 | -1 872 | -14 451 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 30 706 | -108 679 | -32 744 | 86 838 | 157 329 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 266 220 | 22 988 | 104 489 | 528 550 | 133 181 |
| Irregular expenditure | 53 848 | 58 220 | 36 031 | 65 832 | 80 153 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 68 757 | 1 323 | 40 545 | 73 702 | 10 195 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 77 578 | 70 493 | 65 560 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 27.1% | 34.5% | 29.1% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 65.2% | 61.1% | 64.6% |
| Population over 65 | 7.7% | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 53.3 | 63.7 | 54.7 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88 | 90.2 | 93.5 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.6% | 1.7% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 25.7 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 33.2 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 6.9% | 6.2% | 10.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 25 | 20 |
| Higher education | 7.6% | 6.3% | 8.6% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 22 994 | 18 282 | 18 463 |
| Average household size | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 42.3 | 40.9 |
| Formal dwellings | 98.8% | 98.4% | 97.0% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 50.3 | 46.7 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 95.3% | 90.3% | 90.1% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 83.9% | 74.1% | 83.2% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 75.6% | 61.1% | 68.2% |
| Electricity for lighting | 98.1% | 96.0% | 95.6% |
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? | 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 | 24 616 | 21 400 | 21 400 | 21 400 | 20 690 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 13 328 | 2 600 | 2 597 | 2 322 | 2 131 |
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 | 20 495 | 20 495 | 20 495 | 20 495 | 16 000 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 13 328 | 2 600 | 2 597 | 2 322 | 2 131 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 107 468 | 105 878 | 92 107 | 87 381 | 84 858 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 7 916 | 7 542 | 7 234 | 7 453 | 7 270 |
| Total Employee Positions | 551 | 520 | 373 | 403 | 401 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 9 | 134 | 2 | 43 | 56 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 1.6% | 25.8% | 0.5% | 10.7% | 14.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 22 | 22 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury