Tsantsabane Local Municipality
Tsantsabane Local Municipality is a local municipality in Northern Cape, covering 18 289 square kilometres. It falls within the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Beeshoek and Postmasburg.
Census 2022 counted 30 969 residents, making it the 16th most populous of the 31 municipalities in Northern Cape and 239th of 257 nationally. That works out to 1.7 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 9 381 households, averaging 3.3 people each. 21.5% of residents are under 15 and 6.3% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.1% hold a higher education qualification and 6.0% have had no schooling.
The council has 13 seats across 4 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 7 seats (53.8%). ANC governs the municipality. Ms Helena English serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Gaonyadiwe H Mathobela 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, Tsantsabane scores 13.9 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 R244.8 million in operating revenue against R407.1 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R162.3 million. At the last census, 67.6% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 92.0% used electricity for lighting and 76.1% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 7 53.8%
- DA 2 15.4%
- EFF 2 15.4%
- STC 2 15.4%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Disclaimer of audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 32 585 | 35 416 | 34 676 | 34 280 | - |
| Service charges | 128 927 | 100 040 | 115 117 | 115 646 | 99 516 |
| Investment revenue | 1 952 | 1 120 | 1 220 | 806 | 887 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 72 551 | 63 263 | 56 304 | 52 556 | 48 806 |
| Other own revenue | 8 818 | -5 659 | 24 043 | 8 559 | 39 093 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 244 834 | 194 180 | 231 360 | 211 849 | 188 302 |
| Employee costs | 92 489 | 88 974 | 84 622 | 75 893 | 86 362 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 5 911 | 5 750 | 5 723 | 6 029 | 5 477 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 61 866 | 43 045 | 37 332 | 33 309 | 33 451 |
| Finance charges | 44 055 | 42 740 | 18 446 | 6 462 | 13 749 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 69 943 | 74 975 | 75 412 | 70 144 | 61 171 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 132 844 | 102 917 | 89 174 | 64 568 | 76 587 |
| Total Expenditure | 407 108 | 358 401 | 310 709 | 256 406 | 276 797 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -162 274 | -164 220 | -79 348 | -44 557 | -88 495 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 35 831 | 11 069 | 31 585 | 31 357 | 11 277 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 12 751 | 9 274 | 29 056 | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -113 692 | -143 877 | -18 707 | -13 200 | -77 218 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -113 692 | -143 877 | -18 707 | -13 200 | -77 218 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 41 059 | 27 839 | 39 327 | 28 716 | 13 186 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 25 755 | 18 256 | 38 989 | 27 466 | 3 697 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | -21 609 | 9 584 | 338 | 1 249 | 9 489 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 4 147 | 27 839 | 39 327 | 28 716 | 13 186 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 132 526 | 110 150 | 114 707 | 90 632 | 50 192 |
| Total non current assets | 724 493 | 768 078 | 796 329 | 745 121 | 723 721 |
| Total current liabilities | 700 725 | 619 964 | 527 877 | 426 366 | 356 243 |
| Total non current liabilities | 47 324 | 43 993 | 47 785 | 48 918 | 43 599 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 222 661 | 358 023 | 354 081 | 360 470 | 451 289 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -72 065 | -142 432 | 1 215 301 | 1 013 798 | n/a |
| Net cash from (used) investing | 550 | - | 125 937 | 35 504 | n/a |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | n/a |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -61 436 | -131 223 | 1 360 312 | 1 059 957 | n/a |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 35 674 | 95 145 | 43 960 | 715 934 | 44 750 |
| Irregular expenditure | 2 631 | 9 590 | 16 437 | 19 248 | - |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 41 287 | 42 685 | 20 725 | 107 330 | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 30 969 | 39 345 | 35 093 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 21.5% | 25.9% | 27.9% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 72.3% | 69.9% | 67.6% |
| Population over 65 | 6.3% | 4.2% | 4.4% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 38.4 | 43 | 47.8 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 102.1 | 115.5 | 109.8 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | -1.2% | 2.6% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 26.1 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 32.3 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 6.0% | 7.3% | 13.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 34.9 | 25.3 |
| Higher education | 5.1% | 4.4% | 6.0% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 9 381 | 11 821 | 9 839 |
| Average household size | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 32 | 31.3 |
| Formal dwellings | 81.1% | 77.9% | 71.8% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 67.5 | 44.7 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 85.4% | 76.1% | 68.9% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 76.1% | 52.5% | 57.4% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 67.6% | 44.6% | 45.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 92.0% | 84.9% | 83.5% |
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 | 14 328 | 14 328 | 13 019 | 13 019 | 12 992 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 13 823 | 13 823 | 12 514 | 12 514 | 12 514 |
| Inside the yard | 13 603 | 13 603 | 12 302 | 12 302 | 12 302 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 220 | 220 | 212 | 212 | 212 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 723 | 1 500 | 1 500 | 1 503 | 1 249 |
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 | 17 573 | 17 573 | 17 573 | 17 573 | 17 573 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 723 | 1 500 | 1 500 | 1 503 | 1 677 |
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 | 14 391 | 14 328 | 12 514 | 12 499 | 12 499 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 11 804 | 9 677 | 9 677 | 9 662 | 9 662 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 1 957 | 1 957 | 1 957 | 1 957 | 1 957 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 2 064 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 125 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 723 | 1 500 | 1 500 | 1 503 | 1 249 |
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 | 13 823 | 13 823 | 13 823 | 11 216 | 11 216 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 723 | 1 500 | 1 500 | 1 503 | 1 249 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 84 622 | 75 893 | 86 362 | 86 362 | 72 891 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 5 723 | 6 029 | 5 477 | 5 477 | 5 517 |
| Total Employee Positions | 317 | 316 | 1 158 | 1 158 | 245 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 95 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 30.0% | 5.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 6 | 6 | 29 | 29 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury