Nongoma Local Municipality
Nongoma Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 2 182 square kilometres. It falls within the Zululand District Municipality. Its main centre is Nongoma.
Census 2022 counted 225 278 residents, making it the 21st most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 102nd of 257 nationally. That works out to 103.2 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 32 266 households, averaging 7.0 people each. 36.2% of residents are under 15 and 5.7% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 4.7% hold a higher education qualification and 15.0% have had no schooling.
The council has 45 seats across 5 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 20 seats (44.4%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Mbekezeli Zondo serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr Mthandeni Mbusiseni Zungu 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, Nongoma scores 24.8 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R260.6 million in operating revenue against R262.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R1.6 million. At the last census, 20.1% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.6% used electricity for lighting and 14.9% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 20 44.4%
- NFP 14 31.1%
- ANC 8 17.8%
- EFF 2 4.4%
- NAPF 1 2.2%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 44 271 | 31 930 | 29 550 | 27 352 | 25 511 |
| Service charges | 2 202 | 2 177 | 2 101 | 1 996 | 1 924 |
| Investment revenue | 1 601 | 633 | 522 | 410 | 706 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 207 937 | 209 065 | 197 993 | 182 059 | 274 419 |
| Other own revenue | 4 639 | 4 492 | 6 211 | 2 427 | 5 665 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 260 650 | 248 296 | 236 377 | 214 244 | 308 224 |
| Employee costs | 118 761 | 115 658 | 115 065 | 110 229 | 103 430 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 18 257 | 18 003 | 17 461 | 14 810 | 14 051 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 31 314 | 36 634 | 22 232 | 26 776 | 21 159 |
| Finance charges | 1 436 | 3 298 | 1 320 | 3 416 | 897 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | - | - | 5 980 | 9 603 | 7 887 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 252 | 3 170 | 3 252 | 3 158 | 2 429 |
| Other expenditure | 92 183 | 127 891 | 114 917 | 95 063 | 181 178 |
| Total Expenditure | 262 203 | 304 654 | 280 228 | 263 055 | 331 030 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -1 552 | -56 357 | -43 851 | -48 811 | -22 806 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 45 837 | 33 116 | 59 009 | 33 601 | 31 380 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 44 284 | -23 241 | 15 158 | -15 209 | 8 574 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 44 284 | -23 241 | 15 158 | -15 209 | 8 574 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 117 301 | 662 232 | 581 923 | 517 987 | 483 821 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 112 052 | 163 351 | 92 240 | 42 296 | 29 702 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 5 249 | 498 881 | 489 683 | 475 691 | 454 118 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 117 301 | 662 232 | 581 923 | 517 987 | 483 821 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 31 038 | 22 751 | 53 168 | 49 558 | 78 341 |
| Total non current assets | 403 714 | 400 920 | 399 486 | 352 744 | 349 566 |
| Total current liabilities | 92 013 | 118 613 | 121 837 | 90 420 | 99 182 |
| Total non current liabilities | 2 754 | 5 817 | 8 279 | 3 474 | 4 280 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 295 701 | 322 482 | 305 811 | 323 618 | 315 871 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -221 797 | 47 605 | -255 | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -224 917 | 63 518 | 15 618 | 15 838 | 1 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 57 898 | 65 398 | 61 640 | - | 26 547 |
| Irregular expenditure | 107 256 | 45 829 | - | 3 756 | 18 058 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | 1 633 | 1 302 | - | 162 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 225 278 | 211 892 | 194 908 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 36.2% | 42.5% | 42.0% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 58.1% | 53.2% | 53.2% |
| Population over 65 | 5.7% | 4.3% | 4.8% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 72.2 | 87.8 | 88 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 83.1 | 86 | 83.2 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.4% | 1.9% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 49.3 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 59.9 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 15.0% | 14.8% | 20.5% |
| Matric | n/a | 31.4 | 27.8 |
| Higher education | 4.7% | 8.4% | 4.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 32 266 | 36 409 | 34 341 |
| Average household size | 7 | 5.8 | 5.7 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 60.3 | 60.5 |
| Formal dwellings | 88.0% | 35.7% | 64.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 69.1 | 62.8 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 17.8% | 1.9% | 6.1% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 14.9% | 1.1% | 4.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 20.1% | 1.4% | 9.6% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.6% | 86.4% | 63.6% |
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 | 21 101 | 21 101 | 21 101 | 21 101 | 21 101 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 247 | 525 | 505 | 385 | 417 |
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 | 1 745 | 1 745 | 1 745 | 1 200 | 1 200 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 115 065 | 110 229 | 103 430 | 98 721 | 94 354 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 17 461 | 14 810 | 14 051 | 14 251 | 13 532 |
| Total Employee Positions | 279 | 284 | 274 | 278 | 304 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 25 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 32 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 9.0% | 3.9% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 10.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury