Okhahlamba Local Municipality
Okhahlamba Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 3 971 square kilometres. It falls within the uThukela District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Bergville, Cathkin Park and Winterton.
Census 2022 counted 143 132 residents, making it the 34th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 137th of 257 nationally. That works out to 36.0 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 29 095 households, averaging 4.9 people each. 32.9% of residents are under 15 and 5.9% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.5% hold a higher education qualification and 12.7% have had no schooling.
The council has 28 seats across 7 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 8 seats (28.6%). Hung Council governs the municipality. Mr Vikizitha Richard Mlotshwa serves as executive mayor (NFP), and Nkosingiphile Malinga 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, Okhahlamba scores 30.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R234.3 million in operating revenue against R287.5 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R53.3 million. At the last census, 24.7% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.7% used electricity for lighting and 24.8% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 8 28.6%
- IFP 8 28.6%
- APEMO 6 21.4%
- EFF 2 7.1%
- NFP 2 7.1%
- DA 1 3.6%
- NPA 1 3.6%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 30 668 | 28 793 | 30 197 | 27 962 | 30 469 |
| Service charges | 1 965 | 1 916 | 1 704 | 1 280 | 2 950 |
| Investment revenue | 4 107 | 5 635 | 4 664 | 2 509 | 2 095 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 175 262 | 166 718 | 160 988 | 146 446 | 179 447 |
| Other own revenue | 22 284 | 16 947 | 12 762 | 14 643 | 15 069 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 234 286 | 220 009 | 210 316 | 192 840 | 230 030 |
| Employee costs | 141 908 | 131 235 | 119 586 | 106 304 | 97 235 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 12 277 | 12 337 | 11 348 | 10 779 | 10 949 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 41 384 | 31 995 | 31 596 | 32 895 | 27 272 |
| Finance charges | 718 | - | 201 | 686 | 1 127 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 1 799 | 2 544 | 2 245 | 1 957 | 2 686 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 238 | 236 | 171 | 105 | 100 |
| Other expenditure | 89 221 | 107 544 | 101 080 | 82 966 | 80 036 |
| Total Expenditure | 287 546 | 285 890 | 266 228 | 235 693 | 219 406 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -53 260 | -65 881 | -55 912 | -42 853 | 10 624 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 53 047 | 73 974 | 73 764 | 48 395 | 49 772 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -213 | 8 094 | 17 851 | 5 542 | 60 396 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -213 | 8 094 | 17 851 | 5 542 | 60 396 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 27 153 | 68 665 | 118 748 | 86 328 | 55 752 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 9 453 | 9 668 | 70 173 | 59 772 | 42 699 |
| Borrowing | 17 348 | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 352 | 58 998 | 48 575 | 26 556 | 13 053 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 27 153 | 68 665 | 118 748 | 86 328 | 55 752 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 85 583 | 112 069 | 129 149 | 134 593 | 150 371 |
| Total non current assets | 536 491 | 489 640 | 470 782 | 437 912 | 426 697 |
| Total current liabilities | 94 060 | 88 094 | 94 012 | 87 669 | 93 662 |
| Total non current liabilities | 34 785 | 20 173 | 20 369 | 18 852 | 25 839 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 493 442 | 485 348 | 467 700 | 460 442 | 397 171 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -204 340 | -69 044 | 5 511 | -2 593 | - |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | (403) |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 3 483 | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -195 328 | 18 264 | 101 786 | 99 235 | 101 425 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 11 500 | 26 531 | 8 659 | 1 879 | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 85 474 | 39 736 | 39 444 | 845 | 3 639 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 291 | 1 946 | 8 | 778 | 46 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 143 132 | 135 132 | 132 068 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 32.9% | 39.6% | 39.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 61.3% | 55.9% | 55.9% |
| Population over 65 | 5.9% | 4.5% | 4.9% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 63.2 | 78.9 | 79 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 86.1 | 89.3 | 87.5 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 0.8% | 0.5% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 43.4 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 52.3 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 12.7% | 16.1% | 17.2% |
| Matric | n/a | 27.5 | 23.2 |
| Higher education | 5.5% | 6.0% | 4.3% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 29 095 | 29 510 | 27 575 |
| Average household size | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.8 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 52.9 | 53.8 |
| Formal dwellings | 68.4% | 59.0% | 42.8% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 67.3 | 40.9 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 26.1% | 7.8% | 11.7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 24.8% | 9.1% | 9.2% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 24.7% | 5.9% | 16.9% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.7% | 88.7% | 75.4% |
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 | 19 781 | 19 781 | 19 781 | 19 781 | 19 781 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 824 | 1 824 | 1 824 | 2 387 | 3 812 |
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 | 1 653 | 1 652 | 3 855 | 4 876 | 3 222 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 192 | 1 652 | 1 652 | 1 425 | 1 654 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 119 586 | 106 304 | 97 235 | 84 494 | 77 224 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 11 348 | 10 779 | 10 949 | 10 949 | 10 500 |
| Total Employee Positions | 375 | 400 | 392 | 380 | 348 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 12 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 3.2% | 3.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 19.8% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
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