Ubuntu Local Municipality
Ubuntu Local Municipality is a local municipality in Northern Cape, covering 20 393 square kilometres. It falls within the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality. It takes in the towns and settlements of Hutchinson, Loxton, Richmond and Victoria West.
Census 2022 counted 15 836 residents, making it the 26th most populous of the 31 municipalities in Northern Cape and 251st of 257 nationally. That works out to 0.8 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 3 990 households, averaging 4.0 people each. 29.3% of residents are under 15 and 6.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 7.7% hold a higher education qualification and 9.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 11 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 7 seats (63.6%). ANC governs the municipality. Mrs Cheryl Charlene Jantjies serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mrs LS Itumeleng 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, Ubuntu scores 31.6 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “qualified audit”. In 2024/25 it reported R162.1 million in operating revenue against R163.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R1.1 million. At the last census, 65.2% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 90.9% used electricity for lighting and 79.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 7 63.6%
- DA 3 27.3%
- VF PLUS 1 9.1%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 17 149 | 21 793 | 20 791 | 21 416 | 22 140 |
| Service charges | 44 370 | 45 078 | 32 286 | 29 705 | 24 593 |
| Investment revenue | 1 900 | 2 014 | 1 261 | 501 | 360 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 60 107 | 67 083 | 55 047 | 45 916 | 49 734 |
| Other own revenue | 38 526 | 29 843 | 22 370 | 13 534 | 12 872 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 162 052 | 165 811 | 131 755 | 111 072 | 109 700 |
| Employee costs | 41 391 | 36 501 | 33 962 | 35 299 | 37 554 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 5 227 | 4 744 | 4 359 | 4 010 | 2 842 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 18 194 | 0 | 16 125 | 31 469 | 29 517 |
| Finance charges | 7 218 | 10 648 | 5 789 | 1 266 | 5 095 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 31 727 | 28 166 | 28 337 | 24 543 | 21 398 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other expenditure | 59 445 | 30 996 | 76 017 | 58 187 | 45 964 |
| Total Expenditure | 163 201 | 111 055 | 164 590 | 154 774 | 142 369 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -1 149 | 54 757 | -32 835 | -43 702 | -32 669 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 20 684 | 32 748 | 28 795 | 20 269 | 19 348 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | 7 320 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 19 535 | 87 504 | -4 039 | -23 433 | -6 001 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 19 535 | 87 504 | -4 039 | -23 433 | -6 001 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 38 407 | 28 530 | 35 832 | 0 | 0 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 38 407 | 28 309 | 23 422 | - | - |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | - | 221 | 2 954 | 0 | 0 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 38 407 | 28 530 | 26 376 | 0 | 0 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 76 988 | 84 638 | 52 206 | 37 885 | 52 079 |
| Total non current assets | 627 379 | 643 823 | 608 023 | 589 859 | 599 113 |
| Total current liabilities | 143 895 | 127 338 | 150 700 | 114 556 | 117 095 |
| Total non current liabilities | 11 575 | 20 032 | 20 032 | 23 855 | 21 332 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 529 363 | 493 586 | 493 536 | 512 765 | 518 766 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -71 | -207 753 | 1 176 498 | -14 | -73 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | (33 009) | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 13 307 | -189 406 | 1 149 800 | 1 520 | 12 510 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 13 828 | 32 125 | 24 741 | 440 262 | 40 047 |
| Irregular expenditure | 63 278 | 4 590 | - | 14 745 | 23 716 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 1 746 | 1 280 | 5 311 | 36 183 | - |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 15 836 | 19 471 | 18 601 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 29.3% | 27.7% | 33.3% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 64.1% | 66.8% | 61.1% |
| Population over 65 | 6.5% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 55.9 | 49.7 | 63.5 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 93.8 | 101.1 | 98.4 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | -1.6% | 1.0% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 29.1 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 34.8 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 9.6% | 11.8% | 16.4% |
| Matric | n/a | 23.1 | 18.7 |
| Higher education | 7.7% | 3.9% | 5.9% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 3 990 | 6 034 | 5 129 |
| Average household size | 4 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 33.7 | 34.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 94.9% | 92.9% | 87.6% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 68.8 | 54.7 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 92.5% | 74.6% | 74.3% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 79.2% | 74.9% | 66.6% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 65.2% | 46.3% | 49.2% |
| Electricity for lighting | 90.9% | 89.6% | 84.8% |
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 | 3 684 | 3 684 | 3 684 | 3 684 | 3 662 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 3 459 | 3 459 | 3 459 | 3 459 | 3 437 |
| Inside the yard | 3 455 | 3 455 | 3 455 | 3 455 | 3 437 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| More than 200m from yard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 219 | 995 | 808 | 808 | 1 255 |
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 | 3 953 | 3 953 | 3 953 | 3 953 | 3 953 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 219 | 995 | 808 | 808 | 1 255 |
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 | 3 460 | 3 460 | 3 460 | 3 460 | 3 460 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 2 578 | 2 578 | 2 578 | 2 578 | 2 578 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 626 | 626 | 626 | 626 | 626 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucket system | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 219 | 995 | 808 | 808 | 1 255 |
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 | 3 247 | 3 247 | 3 247 | 3 247 | 3 234 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 219 | 995 | 808 | 808 | 1 255 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 33 962 | 35 299 | 37 554 | 37 178 | 34 252 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 4 359 | 4 010 | 2 842 | 2 998 | 2 766 |
| Total Employee Positions | 226 | 181 | 181 | 181 | 130 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 23.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 11.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 18 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury