Ngqushwa Local Municipality
Ngqushwa Local Municipality is a local municipality in Eastern Cape, covering 2 112 square kilometres. It falls within the Amathole District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Hamburg and Peddie.
Census 2022 counted 68 300 residents, making it the 34th most populous of the 39 municipalities in Eastern Cape and 203rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 32.3 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 24 913 households, averaging 2.7 people each. 26.1% of residents are under 15 and 13.6% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.2% hold a higher education qualification and 8.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 23 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 19 seats (82.6%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Sanga Siyabulela Maneli serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Ndoda Mgengo 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, Ngqushwa scores 53.1 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of D, described as under strain. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R186.3 million in operating revenue against R235.6 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R49.3 million. At the last census, 29.1% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 97.4% used electricity for lighting and 24.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 19 82.6%
- EFF 3 13.0%
- DA 1 4.3%
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 | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 22 751 | 21 083 | 24 530 | 25 796 | 41 423 |
| Service charges | 1 955 | 1 863 | 1 554 | 1 597 | 1 425 |
| Investment revenue | 5 149 | 6 925 | 5 569 | 2 699 | 1 901 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 143 095 | 124 850 | 105 171 | 98 409 | 110 306 |
| Other own revenue | 13 339 | 7 508 | 11 279 | -2 810 | 4 086 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 186 290 | 162 230 | 148 104 | 125 691 | 159 142 |
| Employee costs | 98 928 | 89 496 | 79 106 | 74 088 | 71 107 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 10 007 | 9 629 | 9 328 | 8 862 | 9 116 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 24 633 | 18 339 | 16 319 | 17 137 | 20 527 |
| Finance charges | 474 | 545 | 521 | 815 | 771 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 119 | - | - | - | - |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 101 398 | 77 397 | 51 973 | 52 938 | 46 234 |
| Total Expenditure | 235 559 | 195 406 | 157 246 | 153 841 | 147 755 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -49 269 | -33 176 | -9 142 | -28 150 | 11 387 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 30 930 | 30 086 | 29 153 | 26 448 | 22 056 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -18 338 | -3 089 | 20 011 | -1 702 | 33 443 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -18 338 | -3 089 | 20 011 | -1 702 | 33 443 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 683 886 | 660 217 | 629 983 | 634 221 | 650 880 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 20 830 | 16 161 | 12 198 | 23 084 | 25 964 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 663 040 | 644 056 | 617 785 | 12 445 | 8 744 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 683 869 | 660 217 | 629 983 | 35 529 | 34 707 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 65 726 | 97 878 | 110 166 | 98 001 | 97 790 |
| Total non current assets | 355 628 | 350 918 | 337 520 | 325 980 | 339 636 |
| Total current liabilities | 30 023 | 40 078 | 36 543 | 23 528 | 30 568 |
| Total non current liabilities | 18 582 | 17 711 | 16 568 | 15 893 | 14 748 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 391 086 | 394 095 | 374 566 | 386 262 | 358 666 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -1 021 448 | -840 925 | 16 559 | 4 334 | 3 063 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -1 021 448 | -840 925 | 16 559 | 4 334 | 3 063 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 3 551 | - | - | - | 18 394 |
| Irregular expenditure | 1 812 | 3 384 | 3 492 | 327 | 2 501 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 48 | 599 | 404 | 12 641 | 17 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 68 300 | 63 694 | 64 422 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 26.1% | 31.1% | 29.8% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.3% | 60.8% | 58.3% |
| Population over 65 | 13.6% | 8.1% | 11.8% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 65.8 | 64.6 | 71.4 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 91.4 | 88.9 | 88.7 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.6% | -0.6% | 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 | 8.4% | 7.8% | 14.4% |
| Matric | n/a | 21.4 | 14.5 |
| Higher education | 5.2% | 5.3% | 3.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 24 913 | 17 149 | 19 222 |
| Average household size | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.4 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 51.7 | 51 |
| Formal dwellings | 89.4% | 72.9% | 71.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 70.7 | 80.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 28.6% | 8.0% | 6.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 24.2% | 8.8% | 7.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 29.1% | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| Electricity for lighting | 97.4% | 96.0% | 91.4% |
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? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Number of households and non-domestic customers to which provided | 21 014 | 21 014 | 20 948 | 20 948 | 20 824 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 7 491 | 6 000 | 7 000 | 5 888 | 5 840 |
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 | 15 200 | 15 000 | 15 000 | 15 000 | 15 000 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 992 | 1 873 | 1 992 | 1 992 | 1 999 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 79 106 | 74 088 | 71 107 | 72 760 | 66 713 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 9 328 | 8 862 | 9 116 | 9 444 | 8 575 |
| Total Employee Positions | 222 | 214 | 205 | 236 | 178 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 10 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 4.5% | 12.6% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 5.6% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury