Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality
Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality is a local municipality in Limpopo, covering 10 368 square kilometres. It falls within the Waterberg District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Modimolle, Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) and Vaalwater.
Census 2022 counted 130 113 residents, making it the 22nd most populous of the 27 municipalities in Limpopo and 155th of 257 nationally. That works out to 12.5 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 46 119 households, averaging 2.8 people each. 25.1% of residents are under 15 and 9.8% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 10.6% hold a higher education qualification and 6.9% have had no schooling.
The council has 28 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 14 seats (50.0%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Sechele Sebolai serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr LC Malema 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, Modimolle-Mookgopong scores 29.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R843.3 million in operating revenue against R1.6 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R742.1 million. At the last census, 52.1% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 89.5% used electricity for lighting and 72.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 14 50.0%
- DA 7 25.0%
- EFF 4 14.3%
- VF PLUS 3 10.7%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Adverse audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 147 184 | 160 883 | 143 159 | 117 570 | 108 289 |
| Service charges | 419 261 | 541 304 | 339 095 | 317 130 | 306 787 |
| Investment revenue | 2 169 | 1 419 | 1 305 | 364 | 1 070 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 163 993 | 153 212 | 141 590 | 128 255 | 142 522 |
| Other own revenue | 110 658 | 668 244 | 246 905 | 135 356 | 271 544 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 843 264 | 1 525 063 | 872 053 | 698 674 | 830 212 |
| Employee costs | 262 722 | 254 834 | 245 750 | 226 502 | 228 442 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 14 602 | 14 661 | 12 913 | 11 628 | 14 643 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 62 987 | 85 329 | 48 849 | 40 553 | 44 654 |
| Finance charges | 72 929 | 50 256 | 86 073 | 12 419 | 32 136 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 304 066 | 268 845 | 213 236 | 225 854 | 206 465 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | 1 204 | 1 072 |
| Other expenditure | 868 085 | 512 563 | 378 680 | 217 179 | 385 616 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 585 391 | 1 186 489 | 985 502 | 735 340 | 913 028 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -742 127 | 338 574 | -113 448 | -36 665 | -82 816 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 154 701 | 171 182 | 95 177 | 47 631 | 85 988 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -587 426 | 509 756 | -18 271 | 10 966 | 3 173 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -587 426 | 509 756 | -18 271 | 10 966 | 3 173 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 141 917 | 204 428 | 133 554 | 65 039 | 49 085 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 112 920 | 165 003 | 52 233 | 34 106 | 9 789 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 12 996 | 19 157 | 8 477 | 962 | - |
| Total sources of capital funds | 125 916 | 184 160 | 60 709 | 35 068 | 9 789 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 566 235 | 878 081 | 767 574 | 654 141 | 538 968 |
| Total non current assets | 2 299 939 | 2 744 394 | 1 970 323 | 1 393 822 | 1 382 585 |
| Total current liabilities | 2 082 262 | 1 721 021 | 1 451 642 | 1 283 667 | 1 153 633 |
| Total non current liabilities | 163 680 | 139 553 | 131 422 | 121 131 | 112 003 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 975 478 | 1 761 900 | 1 149 657 | 652 534 | 706 387 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 670 931 | 905 431 | 502 511 | 605 597 | 722 663 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -108 085 | -191 627 | -79 022 | -56 070 | -89 308 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | 433 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 585 038 | 1 472 051 | 445 771 | 560 421 | 374 115 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 670 991 | 49 744 | 132 948 | 406 244 | 131 632 |
| Irregular expenditure | 19 275 | 27 107 | 78 067 | 45 380 | 33 042 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 61 360 | 44 442 | 84 568 | 18 729 | 30 720 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 130 113 | 107 699 | 104 153 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 25.1% | 35.2% | 29.1% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 65.1% | 59.6% | 65.1% |
| Population over 65 | 9.8% | 5.2% | 5.9% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 53.5 | 67.7 | 53.7 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 99.7 | 102 | 103.7 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.2% | 0.8% | 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 | 6.9% | 6.4% | 11.1% |
| Matric | n/a | 27.5 | 22.3 |
| Higher education | 10.6% | 7.5% | 7.9% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 46 119 | 28 977 | 27 439 |
| Average household size | 2.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 42.5 | 38.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 88.0% | 85.6% | 88.1% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 73.1 | 51.2 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 78.5% | 67.9% | 70.5% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 72.2% | 67.0% | 69.9% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 52.1% | 32.2% | 37.8% |
| Electricity for lighting | 89.5% | 87.1% | 84.1% |
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 | 40 593 | 28 259 | 28 259 | 27 446 | 27 446 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 40 088 | 27 754 | 27 754 | 26 941 | 26 941 |
| Inside the yard | 36 181 | 27 754 | 27 754 | 26 941 | 26 941 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 3 907 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 674 | 1 108 | 5 982 | 255 | 255 |
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 | 27 223 | 26 935 | 26 935 | 26 935 | 26 935 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 674 | 1 416 | 1 416 | 255 | 255 |
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 | 38 597 | 26 966 | 26 916 | 23 954 | 23 954 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 36 181 | 24 216 | 24 216 | 22 139 | 22 139 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 857 | 554 | 554 | 0 | 0 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 1 054 | 1 691 | 1 641 | 1 310 | 1 310 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 674 | 647 | 3 795 | 255 | 255 |
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 | 27 173 | 27 173 | 27 173 | 25 454 | 25 454 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 674 | 482 | 3 848 | 255 | 255 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 245 750 | 226 502 | 228 442 | 206 371 | 207 955 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 12 913 | 11 628 | 14 643 | 12 956 | 12 154 |
| Total Employee Positions | 536 | 519 | 528 | 534 | 616 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 18 | 21 | 8 | 6 | 30 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 3.4% | 4.1% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 4.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 32 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 38 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury