eThekwini provides lessons on stabilising local government

Dear Fellow South African,
 
The progress being made by the eThekwini metro towards stabilisation demonstrates how effective leadership, coordinated action and strong societal partnerships can support struggling municipalities to regain their footing.
 
Last week, I met with the Presidential eThekwini Working Group stakeholders, which include national government, provincial government, local government, business, community-based organisations and organised labour. We established the working group in 2024 in response to concerns from business and residents about the city’s decline.
 
At the time, the metro was beset by service delivery failures, deteriorating infrastructure and sliding business and investor confidence.
 
Two years later, the interventions undertaken to tackle poor service delivery and failing infrastructure are driving an effective sustained recovery in the metro.
 
The Durban Business Confidence Index is at its highest level since it was established. In the manufacturing sector, confidence has risen by nearly 16% quarter-on-quarter, a significant