Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality
Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality is a local municipality in North West, covering 3 654 square kilometres. It falls within the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Bloemhof and Christiana.
Census 2022 counted 59 815 residents, making it the 21st most populous of the 22 municipalities in North West and 215th of 257 nationally. That works out to 16.4 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 15 303 households, averaging 3.9 people each. 30.9% of residents are under 15 and 5.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.0% hold a higher education qualification and 11.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 14 seats across 5 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 7 seats (50.0%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Motlhabi serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Jefferson Leseisane is acting 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, Lekwa-Teemane scores 26.2 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “adverse audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R478.7 million in operating revenue against R534.3 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R55.6 million. At the last census, 50.5% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.4% used electricity for lighting and 86.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 7 50.0%
- EFF 4 28.6%
- DA 1 7.1%
- F4SD 1 7.1%
- VF PLUS 1 7.1%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Adverse audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Disclaimer of audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 35 971 | 40 163 | 36 506 | 28 122 | 28 485 |
| Service charges | 155 291 | 149 792 | 132 220 | 113 000 | 141 878 |
| Investment revenue | 13 | 784 | 340 | - | - |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 77 006 | 84 874 | 65 473 | 61 603 | 67 427 |
| Other own revenue | 210 452 | 126 377 | 113 936 | 85 416 | 182 435 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 478 733 | 401 990 | 348 475 | 288 141 | 420 225 |
| Employee costs | 95 302 | 85 445 | 75 585 | 75 287 | 72 793 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 7 046 | 7 072 | 6 982 | 5 259 | 4 777 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 26 204 | 24 314 | 25 047 | 24 323 | 80 701 |
| Finance charges | 54 997 | 6 838 | 48 387 | 31 503 | 34 877 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 112 618 | 80 050 | 77 163 | 87 960 | 86 963 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 2 957 | 1 651 | 1 040 | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 235 196 | 208 291 | 154 995 | 168 036 | 403 887 |
| Total Expenditure | 534 321 | 413 660 | 389 199 | 392 368 | 683 999 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -55 588 | -11 670 | -40 724 | -104 227 | -263 774 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 32 475 | 36 295 | 39 601 | 34 819 | 14 511 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 376 | 128 | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -22 737 | 24 753 | -1 123 | -69 408 | -249 263 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -22 737 | 24 753 | -1 123 | -69 408 | -249 263 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 175 834 | 143 791 | 96 050 | 63 270 | 48 855 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 112 801 | 107 944 | 63 149 | 34 603 | 20 443 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 62 600 | 35 834 | 32 901 | 28 667 | 28 412 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 175 401 | 143 778 | 96 050 | 63 270 | 48 855 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 517 804 | 395 964 | 327 239 | 226 868 | 29 643 |
| Total non current assets | 881 540 | 840 609 | 807 875 | 775 783 | 759 778 |
| Total current liabilities | 770 227 | 584 466 | 953 593 | 822 464 | 705 657 |
| Total non current liabilities | 20 382 | 20 634 | 21 111 | 18 247 | 15 835 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 631 473 | 606 720 | 161 533 | 161 940 | 67 928 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 583 778 | -75 814 | -81 839 | 19 281 | 368 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | 3 666 | 3 659 | -1 873 | - | -17 221 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 587 444 | -72 155 | -83 712 | 19 272 | -16 862 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 56 334 | 194 180 | 129 268 | 775 808 | 220 112 |
| Irregular expenditure | 2 989 | 41 785 | 32 258 | 2 496 | 78 558 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 16 539 | 46 370 | 38 734 | 72 581 | 3 157 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 59 815 | 56 025 | 53 248 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 30.9% | 31.6% | 31.8% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.0% | 62.8% | 62.1% |
| Population over 65 | 5.1% | 5.6% | 6.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 56.4 | 59.2 | 61.1 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 95 | 97.9 | 99.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.1% | 1.2% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 30.5 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 39.3 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 11.4% | 9.6% | 17.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 28.1 | 20.8 |
| Higher education | 5.0% | 4.8% | 4.9% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 15 303 | 16 496 | 14 930 |
| Average household size | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 35.6 | 35.4 |
| Formal dwellings | 95.9% | 93.3% | 79.2% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 72.7 | 53.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 96.5% | 87.1% | 90.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 86.1% | 85.9% | 73.5% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 50.5% | 29.9% | 29.5% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.4% | 94.1% | 86.1% |
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 | 19 280 | 19 280 | 19 280 | 18 454 | 18 024 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 18 024 | 18 024 | 18 024 | 17 198 | 17 198 |
| Inside the yard | 18 024 | 18 024 | 18 024 | 17 198 | 17 198 |
| 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 | 7 776 | 7 643 | 7 533 | 7 372 | 7 372 |
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 | 18 024 | 18 024 | 18 024 | 17 417 | 17 417 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 776 | 7 643 | 7 533 | 7 372 | 7 372 |
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 | 18 568 | 18 568 | 18 568 | 18 454 | 18 024 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 16 112 | 15 952 | 15 952 | 14 706 | 14 706 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 800 | 800 | 800 | 880 | 880 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 1 452 | 1 612 | 1 612 | 1 612 | 1 612 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 776 | 7 643 | 7 533 | 7 372 | 7 372 |
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 | 18 524 | 18 024 | 18 024 | 17 307 | 17 230 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 776 | 7 643 | 7 533 | 7 372 | 7 372 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 75 585 | 75 287 | 72 793 | 69 488 | 63 115 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 6 982 | 5 259 | 4 777 | 4 717 | 4 995 |
| Total Employee Positions | 227 | 341 | 355 | 248 | 202 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 17 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 7.5% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 5.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 15 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 20 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury