Joe Gqabi District Municipality
Joe Gqabi District Municipality is a district municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 25 617 square kilometres. It coordinates 3 local municipalities: Elundini, Senqu and Walter Sisulu. It takes in 14 recognised towns and settlements, among them Aliwal North, Burgersdorp, Ekhephini (Barkly East), Jamestown, Lady Grey, Nqanqarhu (Maclear), Oviston, Rhodes.
Census 2022 counted 393 048 residents, making it the 9th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 68th of 257 nationally. That works out to 15.3 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 124 294 households, averaging 3.2 people each. 30.3% of residents are under 15 and 8.6% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.8% hold a higher education qualification and 9.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 9 seats across 2 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 8 seats (88.9%). It is governed by a coalition: n/a. Ms NP Mposelwa serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr M Nonjola 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, Joe Gqabi scores 46.9 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of D, described as under strain. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “clean audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R833.1 million in operating revenue against R861.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R28.1 million. At the last census, 45.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 93.9% used electricity for lighting and 53.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 8 88.9%
- DA 1 11.1%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 216 155 | 209 756 | 203 175 | 149 093 | 162 004 |
| Investment revenue | 6 738 | 5 619 | 3 346 | 2 056 | 1 935 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 483 654 | 444 760 | 439 858 | 405 817 | 443 421 |
| Other own revenue | 126 558 | 106 101 | 90 423 | 55 421 | 37 642 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 833 105 | 766 236 | 736 801 | 612 386 | 645 001 |
| Employee costs | 272 901 | 259 499 | 260 884 | 254 423 | 250 095 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 7 261 | 7 051 | 6 314 | 5 719 | 5 972 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 71 297 | 75 277 | 75 619 | 67 999 | 58 424 |
| Finance charges | 5 814 | 5 064 | 4 888 | 6 194 | 3 631 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 32 151 | 24 470 | 20 116 | 22 076 | 19 096 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 9 653 | 11 364 | 11 072 | 5 039 | 7 564 |
| Other expenditure | 462 150 | 254 499 | 273 586 | 282 342 | 268 268 |
| Total Expenditure | 861 227 | 637 224 | 652 481 | 643 791 | 613 050 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -28 121 | 129 011 | 84 320 | -31 405 | 31 952 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 201 194 | 196 867 | 161 233 | 163 072 | 138 419 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 1 460 | 3 505 | - | 1 060 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 174 533 | 329 383 | 245 554 | 132 727 | 170 371 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 174 533 | 329 383 | 245 554 | 132 727 | 170 371 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 205 282 | 198 509 | 122 471 | 182 826 | 150 190 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 201 608 | 193 836 | 120 907 | 149 356 | 138 098 |
| Borrowing | - | 1 690 | 644 | 31 485 | 11 463 |
| Internally generated funds | 2 590 | 2 983 | 920 | 1 985 | 629 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 204 198 | 198 509 | 122 471 | 182 826 | 150 190 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 202 142 | 980 952 | 758 138 | 590 610 | 464 162 |
| Total non current assets | 2 239 942 | 2 107 568 | 1 983 318 | 1 939 890 | 1 843 328 |
| Total current liabilities | 222 859 | 336 740 | 312 303 | 336 771 | 215 620 |
| Total non current liabilities | 41 424 | 41 602 | 47 718 | 46 237 | 46 335 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 2 003 268 | 2 380 795 | 2 135 881 | 2 014 766 | 1 875 164 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -797 583 | 564 167 | -437 056 | -18 854 | - |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | 2 053 | (94) | (94) |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | (64 867) | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -794 244 | 572 304 | -474 938 | -13 706 | 21 430 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 78 939 | - | 24 014 | 165 | - |
| Irregular expenditure | - | - | 43 148 | 15 910 | 53 067 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | - | 14 | 625 | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 393 048 | 372 912 | 348 673 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 30.3% | 36.8% | 34.1% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 61.0% | 58.2% | 58.4% |
| Population over 65 | 8.6% | 5.0% | 7.5% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 63.8 | 71.7 | 71.3 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 90.4 | 89.8 | 89.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.2% | 1.5% | 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 | 9.4% | 8.0% | 14.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 19.5 | 14.1 |
| Higher education | 6.8% | 5.8% | 6.0% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 124 294 | 95 107 | 97 471 |
| Average household size | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 46.9 | 49.3 |
| Formal dwellings | 86.1% | 69.6% | 60.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 71.7 | 61.3 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 54.0% | 28.2% | 26.9% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 53.1% | 34.1% | 28.1% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 45.0% | 19.2% | 17.6% |
| Electricity for lighting | 93.9% | 80.0% | 69.1% |
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 | 82 419 | 74 500 | 72 244 | 71 533 | 73 863 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 81 102 | 73 183 | 70 927 | 70 927 | 73 257 |
| Inside the yard | 45 639 | 32 694 | 30 438 | 30 438 | 43 559 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 35 463 | 40 489 | 40 489 | 40 489 | 29 698 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 833 | 9 881 | 9 881 | 9 881 | 16 360 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 93 288 | 92 290 | 90 034 | 88 568 | 94 513 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 19 024 | 19 024 | 19 024 | 19 024 | 23 699 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 838 | 838 | 838 | 838 | 2 914 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 71 418 | 70 420 | 68 164 | 68 164 | 67 358 |
| Bucket system | 707 | 707 | 707 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 4 355 | 9 881 | 9 881 | 9 881 | 16 360 |
Solid waste services
| 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 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 260 884 | 254 423 | 250 095 | 236 208 | 220 420 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 6 314 | 5 719 | 5 972 | 6 056 | 5 980 |
| Total Employee Positions | 1 089 | 890 | 890 | 1 230 | 1 007 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 283 | 0 | 0 | 319 | 226 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 26.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 25.9% | 22.4% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury