Mantsopa Local Municipality
Mantsopa Local Municipality is a local municipality in Free State, covering 4 291 square kilometres. It falls within the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Excelsior, Hobhouse, Ladybrand, Thaba Patchoa and Tweespruit.
Census 2022 counted 55 897 residents, making it the 18th most populous of the 23 municipalities in Free State and 218th of 257 nationally. That works out to 13.0 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 15 982 households, averaging 3.5 people each. 28.5% of residents are under 15 and 6.8% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 8.3% hold a higher education qualification and 3.1% have had no schooling.
The council has 18 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 11 seats (61.1%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms Mamsie Tsoene serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Ms Matiro Mogopodi 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, Mantsopa scores 45.4 out of 100 for 2023/24, a grade of D, described as under strain. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2023/24 it reported R374.9 million in operating revenue against R549.3 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R174.4 million. At the last census, 41.6% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.5% used electricity for lighting and 75.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 11 61.1%
- DA 4 22.2%
- EFF 2 11.1%
- COPE 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 | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | n/a | 38 058 | 20 194 | 20 069 | 18 631 |
| Service charges | n/a | 142 359 | 144 647 | 117 959 | 122 196 |
| Investment revenue | n/a | 1 054 | 46 | 44 | 155 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | n/a | 115 216 | 102 504 | 96 082 | 111 900 |
| Other own revenue | n/a | 78 258 | 72 636 | 36 189 | 57 690 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | n/a | 374 945 | 340 026 | 270 343 | 310 571 |
| Employee costs | n/a | 112 172 | 115 589 | 111 098 | 104 850 |
| Remuneration of councillors | n/a | 5 694 | 8 199 | 7 722 | 8 489 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | n/a | 48 139 | 41 841 | 30 354 | 36 168 |
| Finance charges | n/a | 30 812 | 21 031 | 17 038 | 8 660 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | n/a | 78 253 | 67 617 | 69 375 | 71 879 |
| Transfers and subsidies | n/a | - | - | - | 717 |
| Other expenditure | n/a | 274 225 | 109 495 | 139 742 | 144 366 |
| Total Expenditure | n/a | 549 296 | 363 772 | 375 329 | 375 128 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | n/a | -174 351 | -23 745 | -104 986 | -64 557 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | n/a | 31 046 | 19 313 | 28 405 | 52 379 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | n/a | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | n/a | -143 305 | -4 432 | -76 581 | -12 178 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | n/a | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | n/a | -143 305 | -4 432 | -76 581 | -12 178 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | n/a | -259 799 | 20 541 | 43 740 | -8 765 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | n/a | -261 470 | 20 511 | 32 281 | -8 765 |
| Borrowing | n/a | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | n/a | -115 | 30 | 11 459 | - |
| Total sources of capital funds | n/a | -261 586 | 20 541 | 43 740 | -8 765 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | n/a | 942 949 | 602 667 | 437 449 | 420 115 |
| Total non current assets | n/a | 270 913 | 577 227 | 683 985 | 682 287 |
| Total current liabilities | n/a | 626 007 | 526 615 | 465 419 | 398 654 |
| Total non current liabilities | n/a | 97 162 | 89 868 | 89 683 | 36 694 |
| Community wealth/Equity | n/a | 490 694 | 563 411 | 642 913 | 679 233 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | n/a | 218 542 | -90 866 | 2 225 594 | 167 091 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | n/a | -21 203 | - | 3 536 | -55 339 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | n/a | - | - | - | -148 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | n/a | 193 818 | -89 847 | 2 232 603 | 114 515 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 13 891 | 8 187 | 35 207 | 304 160 | 182 820 |
| Irregular expenditure | 22 621 | 6 454 | 5 024 | 991 | - |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 39 053 | 28 193 | 17 083 | 16 930 | 5 500 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 55 897 | 53 525 | 51 056 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 28.5% | 30.0% | 31.8% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.7% | 65.1% | 62.8% |
| Population over 65 | 6.8% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 54.5 | 53.6 | 59.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 89.3 | 94.1 | 91.6 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.9% | 1.1% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 29.2 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 38.2 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 3.1% | 2.8% | 5.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 31.3 | 22.9 |
| Higher education | 8.3% | 8.7% | 8.5% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 15 982 | 16 951 | 15 170 |
| Average household size | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 43.1 | 43.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 91.1% | 83.7% | 81.8% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 56.8 | 56.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 87.5% | 85.4% | 70.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 75.1% | 68.0% | 78.2% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 41.6% | 28.1% | 33.2% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.5% | 94.0% | 91.0% |
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 | 17 394 | 17 088 | 17 088 | 17 088 | 16 705 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 17 257 | 16 951 | 16 951 | 16 951 | 16 660 |
| Inside the yard | 17 257 | 16 951 | 16 951 | 16 951 | 16 546 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 173 | 1 656 | 1 306 | 1 655 | 4 624 |
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 | 16 897 | 16 897 | 16 591 | 16 591 | 16 591 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 173 | 1 656 | 1 306 | 1 655 | 4 624 |
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 | 17 095 | 16 961 | 16 806 | 16 762 | 16 591 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 16 659 | 16 312 | 16 312 | 16 312 | 16 312 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 299 | 357 | 357 | 313 | 234 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 173 | 1 656 | 1 306 | 1 655 | 4 624 |
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 | 16 951 | 16 951 | 16 951 | 16 591 | 16 591 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 173 | 1 656 | 1 306 | 1 655 | 4 624 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 115 589 | 111 098 | 104 850 | 92 351 | 92 351 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 8 199 | 7 722 | 8 489 | 7 197 | 7 197 |
| Total Employee Positions | 315 | 419 | 419 | 373 | 381 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 2 | 3 | 102 | 2 | 18 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 0.6% | 0.7% | 24.3% | 0.5% | 4.7% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 26 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 24 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
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