Vhembe District Municipality
Vhembe District Municipality is a district municipality in Limpopo, covering 25 597 square kilometres. It coordinates 4 local municipalities: Collins Chabane, Makhado, Musina and Thulamela. It takes in the towns and settlements of Makhado, Malamulele, Musina and Thohoyandou.
Census 2022 counted 1 653 022 residents, making it the 1st most populous of the 27 municipalities in Limpopo and 7th of 257 nationally. That works out to 64.6 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 436 959 households, averaging 3.8 people each. 32.3% of residents are under 15 and 6.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 10.6% hold a higher education qualification and 15.8% have had no schooling.
The council has 23 seats across 3 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 20 seats (87.0%). It is governed by a coalition: n/a. Mrs Tsakani Freda Nkondo serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mr Zwannda Norman Kutama 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, Vhembe scores 34.3 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 R2.2 billion in operating revenue against R2.5 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R311.8 million. At the last census, 25.2% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 96.1% used electricity for lighting and 25.0% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 20 87.0%
- EFF 2 8.7%
- DA 1 4.3%
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 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 507 491 | 344 516 | 746 266 | 515 078 | 1 286 883 |
| Investment revenue | - | - | - | - | - |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 1 532 077 | 1 424 104 | 1 312 374 | 1 148 367 | 1 257 476 |
| Other own revenue | 163 212 | 158 441 | 113 077 | 61 672 | 19 452 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 2 202 780 | 1 927 062 | 2 171 716 | 1 725 117 | 2 563 811 |
| Employee costs | 804 605 | 779 426 | 706 418 | 672 593 | 650 723 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 16 147 | 16 100 | 14 694 | 13 940 | 14 423 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 263 012 | 174 857 | 193 542 | 200 923 | 199 788 |
| Finance charges | - | 306 | 2 566 | 93 | 141 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 456 461 | 237 019 | 213 828 | 114 851 | 109 641 |
| Transfers and subsidies | - | - | 400 | 888 | - |
| Other expenditure | 974 396 | 978 929 | 1 260 000 | 1 002 018 | 1 941 032 |
| Total Expenditure | 2 514 620 | 2 186 638 | 2 391 447 | 2 005 306 | 2 915 748 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -311 840 | -259 576 | -219 731 | -280 189 | -351 937 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 676 863 | 649 900 | 589 684 | 570 390 | 624 469 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 4 939 | 4 358 | 955 | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 369 962 | 394 682 | 370 908 | 290 201 | 272 532 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 369 962 | 394 682 | 370 908 | 290 201 | 272 532 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 743 205 | 692 899 | 683 073 | 591 990 | 651 271 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 626 889 | 593 388 | 613 481 | 564 790 | 576 831 |
| Borrowing | - | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 115 756 | 99 708 | 69 651 | 27 094 | 73 376 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 742 645 | 693 096 | 683 132 | 591 884 | 650 207 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 845 111 | 873 888 | 977 585 | 550 390 | 511 110 |
| Total non current assets | 7 140 704 | 6 665 077 | 5 996 143 | 5 506 612 | 5 193 028 |
| Total current liabilities | 1 159 503 | 1 146 024 | 1 097 139 | 771 789 | 1 998 093 |
| Total non current liabilities | 7 909 | - | - | - | - |
| Community wealth/Equity | 6 779 465 | 6 392 941 | 5 876 590 | 5 285 861 | 3 706 045 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 1 584 431 | 1 235 387 | 2 142 390 | 927 825 | 1 405 095 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -756 461 | -723 221 | -723 157 | -644 806 | -672 323 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | - | - | - | (43 011) | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 1 341 320 | 642 854 | 1 551 126 | 246 306 | 708 023 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 631 132 | - | 190 013 | 577 965 | 1 430 909 |
| Irregular expenditure | 105 387 | 117 750 | 92 749 | 105 183 | 223 587 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | 306 | 2 566 | 84 | 150 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1 653 022 | 1 393 949 | 1 294 722 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 32.3% | 34.2% | 34.9% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 61.2% | 61.0% | 58.9% |
| Population over 65 | 6.5% | 4.7% | 6.3% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 63.5 | 63.8 | 69.9 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 88 | 85.8 | 84.1 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 2.4% | 1.7% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 38.7 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 50.6 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 15.8% | 14.4% | 17.7% |
| Matric | n/a | 25 | 21.6 |
| Higher education | 10.6% | 9.6% | 9.7% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 436 959 | 382 357 | 335 275 |
| Average household size | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 51 | 52.6 |
| Formal dwellings | 93.9% | 86.3% | 87.7% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 76.9 | 64 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 29.4% | 16.0% | 15.6% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 25.0% | 16.5% | 13.7% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 25.2% | 7.4% | 15.4% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.1% | 94.6% | 87.2% |
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 | 275 875 | 275 875 | 275 875 | 275 875 | 271 788 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 270 434 | 270 434 | 270 434 | 270 434 | 266 347 |
| Inside the yard | 129 198 | 129 198 | 129 198 | 129 198 | 125 111 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 112 949 | 112 949 | 112 949 | 112 949 | 112 949 |
| More than 200m from yard | 28 287 | 28 287 | 28 287 | 28 287 | 28 287 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 55 072 | 47 142 | 47 142 | 47 142 | 47 142 |
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 | 138 000 | 138 000 | 138 000 | 138 000 | 138 000 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 61 071 | 61 071 | 61 071 | 61 071 | 61 071 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 10 476 | 10 476 | 10 476 | 10 476 | 10 476 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 66 453 | 66 453 | 66 453 | 66 453 | 66 453 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 17 374 | 17 374 | 17 374 | 17 374 | 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) | 706 418 | 672 593 | 650 723 | 607 053 | 521 214 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 14 694 | 13 940 | 14 423 | 14 665 | 13 332 |
| Total Employee Positions | 1 967 | 2 011 | 1 480 | 1 587 | 1 670 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 581 | 642 | 8 | 6 | 89 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 29.5% | 31.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 5.3% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 44 | 44 | 41 | 41 | 41 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 4 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury