R12 Billion plan to transform eThekwini’s sanitation infrastructure

By Levy Masiteng 

EThekwini Municipality has presented a 10-year investment plan worth more than R12 billion to overhaul sanitation infrastructure and stabilise service delivery.  

The plan was announced during an Executive Committee (EXCO) ordinary meeting on Wednesday.

Presented by acting water and sanitation services director Sibusiso Vilane, the plan is intended to unlock new housing projects, attract industrial and tourism investment, and protect rivers and coastal ecosystems.

The municipality said spending would be concentrated in four major areas of the sanitation system. Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs) are earmarked for between R4 billion and R6 billion to expand capacity, improve sludge management, and ensure effluent complies with regulatory standards.

A further R5 billion to R7 billion is planned for sewer network rehabilitation and expansion, aimed at eliminating blockages, improving hydraulic capacity, and reducing pollution hotspots that have increasingly angered residents and environmental groups.

Pump stations, many of which have suffered