uMzinyathi District Municipality
uMzinyathi District Municipality is a district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 8 652 square kilometres. It coordinates 4 local municipalities: Endumeni, Nquthu, Msinga and Umvoti. It takes in the towns and settlements of Dundee, Glencoe, Greytown, Kranskop, Nquthu and Pomeroy.
Census 2022 counted 649 261 residents, making it the 11th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 43rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 75.0 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 125 427 households, averaging 5.2 people each. 34.7% of residents are under 15 and 6.0% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.2% hold a higher education qualification and 17.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 11 seats across 3 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 6 seats (54.5%). It is governed by a coalition: n/a. Ms TH Mchunu serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr MV Ntanzi is acting 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, Umzinyathi scores 27.4 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 R643.8 million in operating revenue against R755.2 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R111.4 million. At the last census, 30.2% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 91.4% used electricity for lighting and 33.8% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 6 54.5%
- ANC 4 36.4%
- ABC 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 | Adverse audit | Adverse audit | Adverse audit | Qualified audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 42 123 | 1 502 | 76 528 | 91 396 | 74 881 |
| Investment revenue | 6 207 | 8 675 | 6 506 | 1 904 | 2 860 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 530 004 | 499 373 | 462 550 | 411 249 | 440 967 |
| Other own revenue | 65 465 | 61 501 | 41 090 | 34 937 | 38 373 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 643 800 | 571 050 | 586 673 | 539 487 | 557 080 |
| Employee costs | 283 833 | 250 757 | 208 400 | 240 433 | 210 813 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 8 024 | 6 931 | 6 065 | 6 633 | 5 664 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 63 323 | 82 539 | 81 001 | 89 962 | 100 297 |
| Finance charges | 13 317 | 62 092 | 7 055 | 1 244 | 5 429 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 60 181 | 104 765 | 136 243 | 96 259 | 80 057 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 11 700 | 10 000 | 10 000 | 10 000 | 380 |
| Other expenditure | 314 774 | 495 323 | 320 267 | 351 762 | 355 321 |
| Total Expenditure | 755 152 | 1 012 407 | 769 031 | 796 294 | 757 963 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -111 352 | -441 357 | -182 358 | -256 807 | -200 883 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 269 137 | 256 722 | 307 685 | 277 700 | 272 731 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | 8 405 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 157 785 | -184 635 | 125 327 | 29 299 | 71 848 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | 17 151 | -5 335 | 34 177 | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 174 936 | -189 970 | 159 504 | 29 299 | 71 848 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 223 147 | 1 473 919 | 1 069 851 | 865 601 | 566 767 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 217 521 | 1 374 459 | 977 488 | 797 438 | 507 773 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 5 627 | 99 461 | 92 363 | 68 163 | 58 994 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 223 147 | 1 473 919 | 1 069 851 | 865 601 | 566 767 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 25 142 | -56 210 | 149 655 | 65 610 | 308 992 |
| Total non current assets | 3 282 727 | 3 167 818 | 2 609 093 | 2 698 234 | 2 377 856 |
| Total current liabilities | 647 410 | 598 451 | 507 274 | 467 068 | 405 702 |
| Total non current liabilities | 47 115 | 40 446 | 34 299 | 36 508 | 43 729 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 2 472 710 | 2 652 011 | 2 126 024 | 2 261 786 | 2 194 955 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 1 931 093 | 8 888 083 | 7 273 672 | 5 470 450 | 3 962 038 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 2 008 404 | 8 945 156 | 7 330 746 | 5 470 450 | 3 977 098 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 132 233 | 107 975 | 316 859 | 875 277 | 221 697 |
| Irregular expenditure | 66 234 | 242 382 | 227 723 | 136 709 | 299 928 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 65 321 | 11 935 | 3 509 | 31 671 | 277 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 649 261 | 554 882 | 514 028 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 34.7% | 38.0% | 40.2% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 59.3% | 57.2% | 54.6% |
| Population over 65 | 6.0% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 68.7 | 74.8 | 83.1 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 83 | 85.4 | 81.6 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.3% | 1.7% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 17.8% | 21.1% | 25.8% |
| Matric | n/a | 26.9 | 21.3 |
| Higher education | 6.2% | 6.4% | 4.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 125 427 | 126 791 | 114 075 |
| Average household size | 5.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 58.9 | 59.1 |
| Formal dwellings | 72.0% | 47.0% | 54.0% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 73.9 | 59.7 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 34.9% | 20.3% | 21.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 33.8% | 18.7% | 20.1% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 30.2% | 13.3% | 17.4% |
| Electricity for lighting | 91.4% | 69.7% | 48.7% |
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 | 112 857 | 112 628 | 112 628 | 112 470 | 111 936 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 111 644 | 111 415 | 111 415 | 111 257 | 110 197 |
| Inside the yard | 17 028 | 16 801 | 16 801 | 16 801 | 16 149 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 75 558 | 75 558 | 75 558 | 75 400 | 55 215 |
| More than 200m from yard | 19 058 | 19 056 | 19 056 | 19 056 | 38 833 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 201 | 3 135 | 2 893 | 2 548 | 2 548 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 105 489 | 105 309 | 105 309 | 104 508 | 103 108 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 11 555 | 11 375 | 11 375 | 11 375 | 11 375 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 353 | 353 | 353 | 353 | 353 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 92 380 | 92 380 | 92 380 | 91 579 | 90 179 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 3 201 | 3 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Solid waste services
| 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 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 208 400 | 240 433 | 210 813 | 176 164 | 144 993 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 6 065 | 6 633 | 5 664 | 5 715 | 6 338 |
| Total Employee Positions | 961 | 1 252 | 533 | 539 | 489 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 416 | 703 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 43.3% | 56.2% | 1.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 24 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 17 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury