ZF Mgcawu District Municipality
ZF Mgcawu District Municipality is a district municipality in Northern Cape, covering 102 504 square kilometres. It coordinates 5 local municipalities: !Kheis, Dawid Kruiper, !Kai! Garib, Kgatelopele and Tsantsabane. It takes in 13 recognised towns and settlements, among them Beeshoek, Brandboom, Danielskuil, Eksteenskuil, Groblershoop, Kakamas, Keimoes, Kenhardt.
Census 2022 counted 283 624 residents, making it the 2nd most populous of the 31 municipalities in Northern Cape and 86th of 257 nationally. That works out to 2.8 people per square kilometre. The population is very sparsely distributed across a large area. There are 70 433 households, averaging 4.0 people each. 26.8% of residents are under 15 and 5.9% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 5.4% hold a higher education qualification and 5.0% have had no schooling.
The council has 23 seats across 5 parties, with ANC holding the largest share at 11 seats (47.8%). It is governed by a coalition: Coalition Council. Ms Maureen Cathrine Basson (Chairperson: Municipal Finance Viability) serves as executive mayor (ANC), and Mrs Samantha Aumaureen Tatas-Titus 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, Z F Mgcawu scores 56.9 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of C, described as fair. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R92.1 million in operating revenue against R96.9 million in expenditure, an operating deficit of R4.8 million. At the last census, 57.7% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 91.9% used electricity for lighting and 65.2% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- ANC 11 47.8%
- DA 7 30.4%
- EFF 2 8.7%
- HFTF 2 8.7%
- KSR 1 4.3%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Clean audit | Clean audit | Clean audit |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | - | - | - | - | - |
| Investment revenue | 1 710 | 1 746 | 1 234 | 699 | 562 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 89 633 | 88 024 | 85 212 | 82 847 | 80 138 |
| Other own revenue | 736 | 1 950 | 4 568 | 1 002 | 389 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 92 078 | 91 720 | 91 014 | 84 547 | 81 089 |
| Employee costs | 65 082 | 62 602 | 59 711 | 57 418 | 60 173 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 5 549 | 5 401 | 5 271 | 4 654 | 3 975 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 1 350 | 1 190 | 1 263 | 1 043 | 786 |
| Finance charges | 4 210 | 3 958 | 4 247 | 513 | 48 |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 696 | 517 | 400 | 634 | 459 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 499 | 491 | 911 | 304 | 594 |
| Other expenditure | 19 520 | 20 629 | 17 423 | 17 700 | 14 729 |
| Total Expenditure | 96 907 | 94 789 | 89 226 | 82 266 | 80 763 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -4 828 | -3 069 | 1 788 | 2 281 | 325 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 116 | 377 | 1 190 | - | - |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | -4 712 | -2 692 | 2 978 | 2 281 | 325 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | -4 712 | -2 692 | 2 978 | 2 281 | 325 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 1 557 | 1 340 | 1 550 | 2 164 | 841 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 116 | 337 | 1 190 | 482 | 90 |
| Borrowing | 827 | - | - | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 613 | 1 004 | 178 | 31 | 721 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 1 557 | 1 340 | 1 368 | 513 | 811 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 1 126 | 1 757 | 2 525 | 2 978 | 3 680 |
| Total non current assets | 24 115 | 23 504 | 22 875 | 22 091 | 20 510 |
| Total current liabilities | 12 056 | 10 258 | 10 626 | 11 596 | 13 034 |
| Total non current liabilities | 36 904 | 33 732 | 31 237 | 32 844 | 32 819 |
| Community wealth/Equity | -23 719 | -18 877 | -16 463 | -19 350 | -21 989 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 86 554 | 50 968 | 72 211 | 70 602 | 25 435 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -1 326 | -2 141 | -2 030 | -956 | 4 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -8 | -371 | - | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 85 671 | 50 162 | 72 307 | 71 927 | 26 461 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | - | - | - | - | - |
| Irregular expenditure | 280 | 99 | 25 | 2 204 | 3 041 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | - | 119 | 24 | 9 | 523 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 283 624 | 252 692 | 236 783 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 26.8% | 26.9% | 28.4% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 67.3% | 68.1% | 66.4% |
| Population over 65 | 5.9% | 5.0% | 5.1% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 48.5 | 46.9 | 50.5 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 95.3 | 105 | 103 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.8% | 1.5% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 19.2 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 22.7 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 5.0% | 6.1% | 9.5% |
| Matric | n/a | 28.5 | 21.7 |
| Higher education | 5.4% | 5.1% | 6.0% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 70 433 | 74 091 | 61 097 |
| Average household size | 4 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 35.5 | 35.7 |
| Formal dwellings | 78.1% | 75.9% | 79.4% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 62.5 | 49 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 76.0% | 65.7% | 72.2% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 65.2% | 67.6% | 70.3% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 57.7% | 45.6% | 48.5% |
| Electricity for lighting | 91.9% | 85.5% | 86.6% |
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 | 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? | 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? | 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) | 59 711 | 57 418 | 60 173 | 54 909 | 44 728 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 5 271 | 4 654 | 3 975 | 3 850 | 3 677 |
| Total Employee Positions | 114 | 109 | 107 | 112 | 135 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 3.5% | 7.3% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 5.9% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 33 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Published documents
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