Thaba Chweu Local Municipality
Thaba Chweu Local Municipality is a local municipality in Mpumalanga, covering 5 710 square kilometres. It falls within the Ehlanzeni District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Graskop, Lydenburg, Mashishing, Pilgrim’s Rest and Sabie.
Census 2022 counted 109 223 residents, making it the 17th most populous of the 20 municipalities in Mpumalanga and 176th of 257 nationally. That works out to 19.1 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 43 295 households, averaging 2.5 people each. 26.2% of residents are under 15 and 5.1% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 8.1% hold a higher education qualification and 5.9% have had no schooling.
The council has 27 seats across 5 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 15 seats (55.6%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Friddah Nkadimeng serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr RS Makwakwa 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, Thaba Chweu scores 30.8 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 R949.9 million in operating revenue against R1.1 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R151.6 million. At the last census, 56.3% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 87.0% used electricity for lighting and 64.7% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 15 55.6%
- DA 6 22.2%
- EFF 3 11.1%
- AUM 2 7.4%
- VF PLUS 1 3.7%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 157 667 | 124 080 | 101 097 | 101 371 | 96 429 |
| Service charges | 336 995 | 278 534 | 253 641 | 285 313 | 272 095 |
| Investment revenue | 2 726 | 3 060 | 1 886 | 323 | 433 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 226 500 | 335 959 | 192 866 | 175 036 | 188 365 |
| Other own revenue | 225 991 | 163 586 | 106 872 | 49 824 | 44 605 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 949 879 | 905 219 | 656 362 | 611 868 | 601 927 |
| Employee costs | 265 064 | 247 676 | 231 832 | 223 561 | 229 813 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 12 994 | 12 611 | 12 003 | 11 182 | 11 552 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 52 636 | 42 539 | 76 583 | 77 004 | 61 543 |
| Finance charges | 63 293 | 81 773 | 86 466 | 47 042 | 31 460 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 340 025 | 291 117 | 240 981 | 174 410 | 148 601 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 922 | 1 000 | 2 374 | 500 | 500 |
| Other expenditure | 366 554 | 377 092 | 294 383 | 345 155 | 499 119 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 101 487 | 1 053 808 | 944 623 | 878 854 | 982 589 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -151 609 | -148 589 | -288 261 | -266 985 | -380 662 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 130 390 | 131 078 | 87 721 | 84 885 | 69 256 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 12 415 | 18 210 | 2 200 | 17 484 | 173 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -8 804 | 700 | -198 340 | -164 616 | -311 233 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -8 804 | 700 | -198 340 | -164 616 | -311 233 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 169 178 | 269 474 | 125 714 | 134 320 | 86 659 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 107 766 | 116 536 | 70 958 | 73 841 | 58 351 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 27 065 | 46 223 | 8 978 | 8 067 | 13 013 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 134 830 | 162 759 | 79 936 | 81 909 | 71 363 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 583 521 | 475 274 | 639 882 | 416 214 | 356 808 |
| Total non current assets | 2 027 699 | 1 843 323 | 1 650 500 | 1 212 020 | 1 134 840 |
| Total current liabilities | 1 878 407 | 1 815 066 | 1 803 283 | 1 475 555 | 1 185 703 |
| Total non current liabilities | 303 952 | 65 875 | 62 666 | 96 691 | 108 472 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 428 862 | 437 656 | 424 434 | 56 268 | 203 667 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 239 318 | -55 373 | -97 445 | 149 673 | 262 596 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -151 775 | -155 261 | -78 059 | -83 977 | -67 672 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | 12 040 | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 100 064 | -184 317 | -174 363 | 67 284 | 424 486 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | 168 892 | 386 082 | 130 702 |
| Irregular expenditure | 47 273 | 73 271 | 80 278 | 88 878 | 205 365 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 58 122 | 74 153 | 81 646 | 101 285 | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 109 223 | 101 895 | 98 387 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 26.2% | 27.7% | 25.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 68.6% | 67.5% | 69.9% |
| Population over 65 | 5.1% | 4.8% | 4.9% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 45.7 | 48.2 | 43 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 98.1 | 108.4 | 105.1 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.0% | 0.8% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 20.5 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 27.1 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 5.9% | 4.5% | 9.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 36.9 | 30.2 |
| Higher education | 8.1% | 9.9% | 9.1% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 43 295 | 37 022 | 33 352 |
| Average household size | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 32.7 | 33.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 83.1% | 84.2% | 74.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 56.4 | 37.4 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 71.1% | 61.9% | 68.4% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 64.7% | 57.8% | 58.6% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 56.3% | 30.3% | 38.8% |
| Electricity for lighting | 87.0% | 89.5% | 84.3% |
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 | 34 333 | 34 158 | 33 168 | 33 168 | 33 168 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 33 115 | 32 940 | 31 950 | 31 950 | 31 950 |
| Inside the yard | 33 115 | 32 940 | 26 625 | 26 625 | 26 625 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 3 595 | 3 595 | 3 595 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 1 730 | 1 730 | 1 730 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 810 | 746 | 1 050 | 1 193 | 3 455 |
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 | 33 982 | 33 655 | 33 622 | 33 622 | 33 536 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 810 | 2 524 | 2 828 | 2 971 | 4 597 |
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 | 33 764 | 33 764 | 33 052 | 33 052 | 33 052 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 21 439 | 21 439 | 21 439 | 21 439 | 21 439 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 1 524 | 1 524 | 1 524 | 1 524 | 1 524 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 7 135 | 7 135 | 7 135 | 7 135 | 7 135 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 653 | 1 653 | 1 653 | 1 653 | 1 653 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 810 | 746 | 1 050 | 1 193 | 3 455 |
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 | 23 059 | 23 059 | 21 490 | 21 490 | 21 490 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 2 810 | 746 | 1 050 | 1 193 | 3 455 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 231 832 | 223 561 | 229 813 | 210 267 | 185 795 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 12 003 | 11 182 | 11 552 | 11 325 | 10 766 |
| Total Employee Positions | 430 | 571 | 462 | 475 | 480 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 3 | 100 | 6 | 7 | 36 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 0.7% | 17.5% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 7.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 43 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury