Zululand District Municipality
Zululand District Municipality is a district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, covering 14 800 square kilometres. It coordinates 5 local municipalities: Abaqulusi, eDumbe, Nongoma, Ulundi and uPhongolo. It takes in the towns and settlements of Louwsburg, Nongoma, Paulpietersburg, Pongola, Ulundi and Vryheid.
Census 2022 counted 942 794 residents, making it the 4th most populous of the 54 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and 22nd of 257 nationally. That works out to 63.7 people per square kilometre. Population is spread thinly across the area. There are 165 617 households, averaging 5.7 people each. 34.3% of residents are under 15 and 5.5% are over 65. Among residents aged 20 and over, 6.4% hold a higher education qualification and 12.6% have had no schooling.
The council has 14 seats across 3 parties, with IFP holding the largest share at 8 seats (57.1%). It is governed by a coalition: n/a. Mr MB Khumalo serves as executive mayor (IFP), and Mr Ntokozo Hlongwa 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, Zululand scores 38.7 out of 100 for 2024/25, a grade of E, described as distressed. Its most recent audit outcome was recorded as “financially unqualified”. In 2024/25 it reported R768.1 million in operating revenue against R1.2 billion in expenditure, an operating deficit of R437.5 million. At the last census, 35.0% of households had piped water inside the dwelling, 94.6% used electricity for lighting and 38.0% had refuse removed weekly.
Council and management
Seats: Electoral Commission, 2021 local government elections
- IFP 8 57.1%
- ANC 3 21.4%
- NFP 3 21.4%
Office bearers
Finances
National Treasury, audited outcomes
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDIT OUTCOME | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified | Financially unqualified |
Financial performance
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property rates | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charges | 73 543 | 74 901 | 54 001 | 50 999 | 52 765 |
| Investment revenue | 8 129 | 15 458 | 7 433 | 3 705 | 3 226 |
| Transfers recognised - operational | 680 583 | 746 444 | 658 830 | 537 979 | 577 833 |
| Other own revenue | 5 810 | 9 969 | 10 521 | 1 817 | 28 599 |
| Total Revenue (excluding capital transfers and contributions) | 768 065 | 846 773 | 730 785 | 594 501 | 662 422 |
| Employee costs | 343 349 | 315 068 | 286 293 | 263 669 | 241 953 |
| Remuneration of councillors | 10 539 | 10 362 | 9 276 | 8 616 | 8 489 |
| Depreciation and amortisation | 120 749 | 114 269 | 100 254 | 101 119 | 84 156 |
| Finance charges | 18 091 | 8 113 | 553 | 399 | - |
| Inventory consumed and bulk purchases | 57 950 | 45 332 | 51 978 | 22 023 | 34 835 |
| Transfers and subsidies | 9 064 | 3 534 | 4 683 | 11 295 | 12 891 |
| Other expenditure | 645 779 | 658 490 | 568 547 | 471 845 | 423 709 |
| Total Expenditure | 1 205 521 | 1 155 168 | 1 021 583 | 878 966 | 806 034 |
| Surplus/(Deficit) | -437 456 | -308 396 | -290 798 | -284 466 | -143 612 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (monetary allocations) | 851 477 | 768 386 | 610 502 | 611 248 | 446 737 |
| Transfers and subsidies - capital (in-kind) | 8 | 9 | - | 24 307 | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) after capital transfers & contributions | 414 029 | 460 000 | 319 704 | 351 089 | 303 125 |
| Share of surplus/(deficit) of associate | - | - | - | - | - |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year | 414 029 | 460 000 | 319 704 | 351 089 | 303 125 |
Capital expenditure & funds sources
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditure | 781 494 | 662 543 | 498 342 | 484 853 | 341 658 |
| Transfers recognised - capital | 732 522 | 660 294 | 492 948 | 471 110 | 337 040 |
| Borrowing | 48 200 | - | 191 | - | - |
| Internally generated funds | 772 | 1 963 | 5 203 | 13 258 | 4 617 |
| Total sources of capital funds | 781 494 | 662 257 | 498 342 | 484 367 | 341 658 |
Financial position
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total current assets | 169 179 | 199 465 | 151 903 | 137 483 | 112 550 |
| Total non current assets | 6 107 453 | 5 529 332 | 5 000 233 | 4 601 310 | 4 189 098 |
| Total current liabilities | 811 894 | 564 126 | 509 937 | 355 836 | 261 107 |
| Total non current liabilities | 126 218 | 128 414 | 45 231 | 42 112 | 33 042 |
| Community wealth/Equity | 5 644 524 | 5 047 151 | 4 597 982 | 4 340 844 | 3 733 949 |
Cash flows
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net cash from (used) operating | 2 817 051 | 2 937 644 | 1 831 000 | 434 211 | 725 587 |
| Net cash from (used) investing | -780 983 | -661 863 | -496 567 | -484 853 | -341 658 |
| Net cash from (used) financing | -18 304 | 89 484 | -1 533 | - | - |
| Cash/cash equivalents at the year end | 2 074 834 | 2 392 692 | 1 353 367 | -30 583 | 396 220 |
Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless & wasteful expenditure
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised expenditure | 243 304 | 233 746 | 233 980 | 127 448 | 127 661 |
| Irregular expenditure | 214 625 | 159 294 | 94 844 | 58 990 | 17 918 |
| Fruitless & wasteful expenditure | 52 090 | 3 248 | 1 047 | 304 | 363 |
Source: Audited Outcome A1 2026 Q1
People
Statistics South Africa, Census
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 942 794 | 892 310 | 803 575 |
Age structure
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 34.3% | 40.5% | 39.5% |
| Population 15 to 64 | 60.2% | 55.4% | 55.8% |
| Population over 65 | 5.5% | 4.1% | 4.7% |
Dependency ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 (15-64) | 66.2 | 80.6 | 79.2 |
Sex ratio
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males per 100 females | 86.3 | 88.6 | 86.3 |
Population growth
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per annum | 1.6% | 2.4% | n/a |
Labour market
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (official) | n/a | n/a | 41.1 |
| Youth unemployment rate (official) 15-34 | n/a | n/a | 51.2 |
Education (aged 20 +)
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No schooling | 12.6% | 12.2% | 19.2% |
| Matric | n/a | 32.4 | 27.4 |
| Higher education | 6.4% | 7.5% | 5.3% |
Household dynamics
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 165 617 | 178 516 | 157 748 |
| Average household size | 5.7 | 5 | 5.1 |
| Female headed households | n/a | 53.8 | 54.2 |
| Formal dwellings | 86.7% | 62.1% | 73.1% |
| Housing owned | n/a | 68.5 | 60.6 |
Household services
| Measure | 2022 | 2016 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 36.6% | 18.7% | 23.0% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 38.0% | 22.3% | 22.4% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 35.0% | 14.6% | 22.3% |
| Electricity for lighting | 94.6% | 84.7% | 69.8% |
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 | 242 422 | 208 357 | 204 959 | 183 642 | 141 012 |
| Number of domestic households/delivery points | 237 501 | 203 436 | 200 136 | 183 642 | 139 888 |
| Inside the yard | 159 995 | 146 145 | 146 145 | 146 145 | 99 987 |
| Less than 200m from yard | 59 999 | 39 784 | 38 984 | 37 497 | 39 901 |
| More than 200m from yard | 17 507 | 17 507 | 15 007 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 92 | 125 | 397 | 99 987 | 99 987 |
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 | 213 896 | 170 345 | 169 735 | 155 056 | 155 056 |
| Flush toilet - public sewerage | 31 555 | 30 258 | 30 258 | 30 258 | 30 258 |
| Flush toilet - septic tank | 2 611 | 2 611 | 2 601 | 2 611 | 2 611 |
| Ventilated pit latrine | 174 866 | 132 612 | 132 512 | 122 187 | 122 187 |
| Bucket system | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic households with access to free basic service | 92 | 125 | 397 | 25 981 | 25 881 |
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) | 286 293 | 263 669 | 241 953 | 219 973 | 201 677 |
| Remuneration of councillors (R’000) | 9 276 | 8 616 | 8 489 | 8 372 | 8 089 |
| Total Employee Positions | 1 266 | 642 | 570 | 1 093 | 1 111 |
| Total Vacant Employee Positions | 44 | 61 | 13 | 0 | 61 |
| Total Vacancy Percentage | 3.5% | 9.5% | 2.3% | 0.0% | 5.5% |
| Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions – S54A and S56 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Managerial Positions - by organogram | 47 | 29 | 29 | 19 | 22 |
| Vacant Managerial Positions - by organogram | 13 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Published documents
Hosted by National Treasury