Umzumbe Local Municipality
Umzumbe Local Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 1 224 square kilometres. It falls within the Ugu District Municipality.
Census 2022 counted 139 045 residents, making it the 37th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 143rd of 257 nationally. That works out to 113.6 people per square kilometre. Settlement is concentrated rather than scattered. There are 28 593 households, averaging 4.9 people each. 32.4% of residents are under 15 and 7.8% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.1% hold a higher education qualification and 12.4% have had no schooling.
The council has 39 seats across 6 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 17 seats (43.6%). ANC governs the municipality. Mr Mlungisi Ndlovu serves as executive mayor, and Mr Shaka Cele 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, Umzumbe scores 22.3 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of F, described as critical. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R200.4 million in operating revenue against R257.4 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R56.9 million. At the last census, 21.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 95.2% used electricity for lighting and 15.5% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 17 43.6%
- IFP 17 43.6%
- EFF 2 5.1%
- APEMO 1 2.6%
- ATM 1 2.6%
- MK 1 2.6%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Adverse audit | Qualified audit | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | 12 623 | 8 270 | 8 244 | 7 812 | 7 813 |
| Service charges | - | - | - | - | - |
| Investment revenue | 3 975 | 9 197 | 10 325 | 7 264 | 7 280 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 183 207 | 167 235 | 158 412 | 146 628 | 166 502 |
| Other own revenue | 638 | 4 799 | 985 | -99 | -21 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 200 444 | 189 501 | 177 966 | 161 605 | 181 574 |
| Employee costs | 84 224 | 78 693 | 71 895 | 66 078 | 65 343 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 25 185 | 22 335 | 23 629 | 17 196 | 17 309 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 41 404 | 26 064 | 23 555 | 32 592 | 20 952 |
| Finance charges | 30 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 2 945 | 4 040 | 2 801 | 1 289 | 1 414 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 3 682 | 5 751 | 7 392 | 6 492 | 6 869 |
| Other expenditure | 99 910 | 110 349 | 123 950 | 56 242 | 44 914 |
| Total Expenditure | 257 380 | 247 251 | 253 222 | 179 890 | 156 813 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -56 936 | -57 751 | -75 257 | -18 285 | 24 761 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 62 603 | 43 357 | 47 552 | 35 861 | 58 781 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 5 666 | -14 394 | -27 705 | 17 576 | 83 542 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 5 666 | -14 394 | -27 705 | 17 576 | 83 542 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 625 067 | 679 905 | 631 633 | 649 780 | 584 892 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 46 310 | 97 110 | 96 021 | 101 570 | 96 967 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 578 757 | 582 796 | 535 612 | 548 210 | 200 651 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 625 067 | 679 905 | 631 633 | 649 780 | 297 618 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 3 324 | 72 225 | 121 051 | 213 435 | 264 065 |
| Total non current assets | 699 682 | 644 973 | 600 024 | 536 643 | 464 897 |
| Total current liabilities | 44 426 | 49 655 | 35 121 | 40 576 | 54 669 |
| Total non current liabilities | 2 576 | 2 480 | 2 214 | 2 345 | 1 983 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 650 338 | 679 457 | 711 444 | 689 581 | 505 226 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | -196 106 | -1 115 542 | -820 700 | -486 208 | -233 924 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | -184 908 | -1 115 542 | -820 700 | -486 208 | -233 924 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 68 473 | - | 2 379 | 2 379 | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 171 694 | 603 | 16 457 | 41 660 | 60 778 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 86 | 19 | 16 | - | 12 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 139 045 | 151 676 | 153 407 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 32.4% | 42.4% | 37.1% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 59.8% | 53.3% | 56.3% |
| Population over 65 | 7.8% | 4.2% | 6.6% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 67.1 | 87.5 | 77.6 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 89.1 | 91.7 | 86.9 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | -1.0% | -0.3% | 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 | 12.4% | 10.7% | 17.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 27.6 | 20.2 |
| Higher education | 5.1% | 4.2% | 3.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 28 593 | 28 132 | 33 446 |
| Average household size | 4.9 | 5.4 | 4.6 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 55.1 | 56.5 |
| Formal dwellings | 79.7% | 44.5% | 48.5% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 76.2 | 76.1 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 20.6% | 1.2% | 3.9% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 15.5% | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 21.0% | 1.6% | 5.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 95.2% | 70.0% | 49.0% |
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 | 22 558 | 22 558 | 22 558 | 22 558 | 22 558 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 1 650 | 1 650 | 2 467 | 2 467 | 2 752 |
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 | 1 986 | 1 986 | 1 986 | 1 986 | 1 986 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 536 | 536 | 698 | 698 | 698 |
Staffing
National Treasury
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Costs (R’000) | 71 895 | 66 078 | 65 343 | 56 480 | 53 010 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 23 629 | 17 196 | 17 309 | 17 242 | 16 888 |
| Total Employee Positions | 337 | 171 | 138 | 238 | 139 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 24 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 24 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 7.1% | 12.9% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 17.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury