Makhado Local Municipality
Makhado Local Municipality is a local municipality in Limpopo, covering 7 605 square kilometres. It falls within the Vhembe District Municipality. Its main centre is Makhado.
Census 2022 counted 502 397 residents, making it the 9th most populous of the 27 municipalities in Limpopo and 54th of 257 nationally. That works out to 66.1 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 140 338 households, averaging 3.6 people each. 31.3% of residents are under 15 and 7.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 10.1% hold a higher education qualification and 16.2% have had no schooling.
The council has 75 seats across 7 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 62 seats (82.7%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms Dorcus Mboyi serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr KM Nemaname 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, Makhado scores 39 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R1.2 billion in operating revenue against R1.4 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R133.0 million. At the last census, 26.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.7% used electricity for lighting and 20.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 62 82.7%
- DA 5 6.7%
- EFF 4 5.3%
- ACDP 1 1.3%
- APC 1 1.3%
- IRC 1 1.3%
- VF PLUS 1 1.3%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 125 104 | 120 692 | 97 300 | 96 261 | 87 658 |
| Service charges | 531 063 | 453 674 | 385 877 | 402 489 | 381 812 |
| Investment revenue | 3 016 | 5 457 | 9 569 | 6 914 | 5 137 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 524 861 | 503 603 | 451 098 | 431 877 | 473 076 |
| Other own revenue | 64 305 | 70 300 | 132 262 | 70 459 | 48 703 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 1 248 349 | 1 153 726 | 1 076 105 | 1 008 000 | 996 387 |
| Employee costs | 409 708 | 395 109 | 339 625 | 293 786 | 297 128 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 30 557 | 29 990 | 28 209 | 28 071 | 26 158 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 157 494 | 162 269 | 144 860 | 137 431 | 127 663 |
| Finance charges | 5 573 | 4 479 | 3 787 | 3 264 | 2 480 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 489 443 | 420 550 | 345 427 | 337 829 | 299 612 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 288 609 | 286 150 | 329 241 | 312 892 | 198 867 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 381 384 | 1 298 548 | 1 191 150 | 1 113 274 | 951 908 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -133 034 | -144 821 | -115 044 | -105 274 | 44 479 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 142 541 | 115 015 | 122 717 | 125 064 | 107 800 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 19 995 | 27 163 | - | 4 205 | 904 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 29 501 | -2 643 | 7 673 | 23 995 | 153 182 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 29 501 | -2 643 | 7 673 | 23 995 | 153 182 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 248 226 | 238 817 | 292 364 | 307 287 | 152 889 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 90 795 | 58 859 | 151 775 | 94 541 | 33 454 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 146 933 | 174 144 | 188 414 | 72 536 | 4 814 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 237 728 | 233 003 | 340 189 | 167 077 | 38 269 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 740 637 | 672 080 | 663 918 | 737 164 | 707 635 |
| Total non current assets | 2 038 411 | 1 945 086 | 1 842 593 | 1 729 788 | 1 619 195 |
| Total current liabilities | 812 228 | 680 351 | 607 819 | 540 923 | 493 614 |
| Total non current liabilities | 154 535 | 154 032 | 113 053 | 128 594 | 59 777 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 1 813 275 | 1 782 783 | 1 785 427 | 1 796 677 | 1 842 666 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 86 412 | 19 194 | 64 081 | 112 324 | 865 470 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -230 101 | -279 007 | -220 926 | -214 020 | -148 661 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 140 | - | - | - | 290 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -120 760 | -113 218 | 44 478 | 104 090 | 463 170 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 58 462 | - | - | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | - | 551 | 693 | - | - |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 3 210 | 916 | 259 | 208 | 1 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 502 397 | 416 728 | 411 353 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 31.3% | 33.9% | 34.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 61.6% | 60.7% | 58.9% |
| Population over 65 | 7.1% | 5.4% | 6.9% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 62.3 | 64.8 | 69.8 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88.7 | 88 | 86.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.9% | 0.9% | 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 | 16.2% | 17.9% | 18.2% |
| Matric | n/a | 24.7 | 22.2 |
| Higher education | 10.1% | 9.0% | 9.2% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 140 338 | 116 371 | 107 733 |
| Average household size | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 49 | 50.7 |
| Formal dwellings | 94.7% | 87.1% | 92.5% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 76 | 63.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 29.7% | 12.7% | 15.5% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 20.7% | 10.2% | 11.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 26.0% | 7.3% | 17.2% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.7% | 95.6% | 89.4% |
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 | 113 944 | 112 860 | 112 860 | 111 459 | 110 321 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 034 | 2 668 | 5 639 | 7 560 | 8 131 |
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 | 17 455 | 17 455 | 17 455 | 17 283 | 17 283 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 034 | 2 668 | 5 639 | 0 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 339 625 | 293 786 | 297 128 | 259 368 | 251 498 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 28 209 | 28 071 | 26 158 | 26 436 | 26 316 |
| Total Employee Positions | 611 | 572 | 572 | 574 | 947 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 9 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 135 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 1.5% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 4.0% | 14.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 9 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 5 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury