Nala Local Municipality
Nala Local Municipality is a local municipality in Free State, covering 4 129 square kilometres. It falls within the Lejweleputswa District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Bothaville and Wesselsbron.
Census 2022 counted 90 561 residents, making it the 13th most populous of the 23 municipalities in Free State and 191st of 257 nationally. That works out to 21.9 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 23 027 households, averaging 3.9 people each. 28.6% of residents are under 15 and 7.0% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.3% hold a higher education qualification and 5.7% have had no schooling.
The council has 24 seats across 5 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 12 seats (50.0%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms Nozililo Ntema serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Sekonyela Joseph Lehloenya 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, Nala scores 70 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of B, described as sound. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “audit not finalised”. In 2024/25 it reported R790.9 million in operating revenue against R580.4 million in expenditure, an operating surplus of R210.5 million. At the last census, 42.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 93.3% used electricity for lighting and 66.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 12 50.0%
- EFF 6 25.0%
- DA 2 8.3%
- N.C.F 2 8.3%
- VF PLUS 2 8.3%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Audit not finalised | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 28 233 | n/a | n/a | 25 003 | 25 531 |
| Service charges | 564 191 | n/a | n/a | 181 674 | 174 017 |
| Investment revenue | 5 321 | n/a | n/a | 1 769 | 1 259 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 176 879 | n/a | n/a | 142 240 | 124 657 |
| Other own revenue | 16 303 | n/a | n/a | 33 565 | 46 357 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 790 927 | n/a | n/a | 384 251 | 371 821 |
| Employee costs | 225 104 | n/a | n/a | 174 725 | 160 748 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 10 284 | n/a | n/a | 8 690 | 8 994 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 44 373 | n/a | n/a | 41 370 | n/a |
| Finance charges | 99 063 | n/a | n/a | 34 430 | 12 226 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | -48 088 | n/a | n/a | 151 268 | 150 004 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | n/a | n/a | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 249 667 | n/a | n/a | 175 077 | 49 352 |
| Total Expenditure | 580 404 | n/a | n/a | 585 559 | 389 912 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | 210 523 | n/a | n/a | -201 308 | -18 091 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 56 819 | n/a | n/a | 36 354 | -8 789 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | n/a | n/a | - | 380 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 267 342 | n/a | n/a | -164 954 | -26 500 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | n/a | n/a | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 267 342 | n/a | n/a | -164 954 | -26 500 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 56 546 | n/a | n/a | 25 820 | 16 703 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 57 544 | n/a | n/a | 25 808 | 16 703 |
| Borrowing | - | n/a | n/a | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | - | n/a | n/a | - | - |
| Total sources of capital funds | 57 544 | n/a | n/a | 25 808 | 16 703 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 120 159 | n/a | n/a | -11 129 | 400 109 |
| Total non current assets | 55 041 | n/a | n/a | -9 386 | 1 763 803 |
| Total current liabilities | -93 466 | n/a | n/a | 143 095 | 729 348 |
| Total non current liabilities | 1 323 | n/a | n/a | 1 344 | 33 052 |
| Community wealth/Equity | - | n/a | n/a | - | 1 428 012 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 150 991 | n/a | n/a | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -1 | n/a | n/a | -18 | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | n/a | n/a | - | 9 |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 150 990 | n/a | n/a | -18 | 54 001 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 206 049 | - | 101 806 | 406 474 | 168 668 |
| Irregular expenditure | 14 255 | 70 373 | 11 840 | 6 566 | 93 894 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 86 576 | 32 247 | 47 871 | 65 232 | 651 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 90 561 | 78 515 | 81 220 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 28.6% | 30.6% | 32.7% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.4% | 63.3% | 61.6% |
| Population over 65 | 7.0% | 6.1% | 5.8% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 55.4 | 58 | 62.4 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 92.1 | 94 | 91.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.1% | -0.8% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 35.9 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 47.6 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 5.7% | 8.4% | 7.9% |
| Matric | n/a | 21.3 | 22.2 |
| Higher education | 5.3% | 7.4% | 5.3% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 23 027 | 23 653 | 21 700 |
| Average household size | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 41.3 | 40.5 |
| Formal dwellings | 89.6% | 77.2% | 77.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 73.8 | 63.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 88.5% | 85.5% | 71.5% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 66.7% | 82.0% | 79.5% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 42.0% | 29.6% | 40.4% |
| Electricity for lighting | 93.3% | 91.3% | 90.3% |
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 | 25 196 | 23 653 | 22 760 | 22 760 | 22 306 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 23 653 | 22 110 | 21 217 | 21 217 | 21 217 |
| Inside the yard | 22 230 | 20 687 | 19 794 | 19 794 | 19 794 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 1 423 | 1 423 | 1 423 | 1 423 | 1 423 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 672 | 11 263 | 11 016 | 9 459 | 9 262 |
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 | 26 168 | 26 168 | 21 878 | 21 878 | 21 878 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 672 | 11 263 | 11 016 | 9 459 | 9 262 |
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 | 23 929 | 23 929 | 23 816 | 23 816 | 23 307 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 18 563 | 18 563 | 18 450 | 18 450 | 18 450 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 3 759 | 3 759 | 3 759 | 3 759 | 3 759 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 672 | 11 263 | 11 016 | 9 459 | 9 262 |
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 | 18 445 | 18 445 | 18 223 | 18 223 | 18 223 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 6 672 | 11 263 | 11 016 | 9 459 | 9 262 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | n/a | 174 725 | 160 748 | 152 865 | 147 063 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | n/a | 8 690 | 8 994 | 8 969 | 8 630 |
| Total Employee Positions | 455 | 425 | 430 | 548 | 540 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 1.3% | 1.9% | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Published documents
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