Staff Reporter
eThekwini is trying to sell a R569 million northern-region service delivery package to communities that have been among the city’s most exposed to water interruptions, infrastructure failures and tanker complaints.
The municipality consulted residents from 20 northern-region wards at JL Dube Stadium in Inanda on its 2026/27 draft Integrated Development Plan and budget this weekend, including proposed projects for housing, wastewater treatment, roads, traffic calming and community facilities.
The regional package forms part of eThekwini’s proposed R74.7 billion 2026/27 budget, which the city has marketed as a service-delivery and infrastructure budget after years of poor performance in delivering water, sanitation, roads and municipal services. The draft budget includes about R68.8 billion in operating expenditure and about R5.86 billion in capital spending.
Among the northern projects listed by the city are the eTafuleni Housing Project, wastewater treatment works, the rehabilitation of uMzinyathi Library, the gravel-to-surface upgrade of Landa Road, Rotary Stadium upgrades, KwaMashu Hostel development and the refurbishment of Inanda Swimming Pool.
Basic-service failures have been plaguing the northern areas, where water-supply problems have affected Phoenix, KwaMashu, Ntuzuma, Inanda, Mzinyathi and Etafuleni — areas supplied by the Northern Aqueduct during a temporary water-rationing plan in March.
That rationing followed a damaged valve at Nagle Dam, which affected raw water supply to Durban Heights Water Treatment Works and left reservoirs low. uMngeni-uThukela Water said at the time the disruption had created a supply deficit of about 150 megalitres to the eThekwini Metro, and that reservoir recovery could take up to two weeks even after full pumping capacity was restored.
A March oversight visit to the Ottawa Municipal Depot, north of Durban, focused on tanker availability and non-revenue water losses, with opposition councillors saying they found that some tankers were inoperable, unlicensed or short of drivers. The municipality said at the time that it had about 268 tankers across four areas, including 93 in the north, and that interventions were underway in areas with intermittent supply.
Residents at Saturday’s consultation were also told about relief measures, including rates exemptions for properties valued at R350,000 or less, additional relief for qualifying households earning R7,000 or less, free basic water for qualifying households, and free refuse removal for rural areas, informal settlements and non-kerbside areas.
Mayor Cyril Xaba said the consultation allowed residents to express their views and contribute to municipal planning, and that the budget was intended to support inclusive governance and community-centred development.
“We are attracting businesses to invest billions of rands in the city in a bid to generate more revenue that will be reinvested into service delivery,” Xaba said.
The northern consultation is part of a budget roadshow in which the city has been trying to present its R74.7 billion budget as a response to infrastructure backlogs and community priorities.
But criticism of the process has already surfaced, with opposition parties saying key ageing-infrastructure needs were ignored and labelling the public consultations as a box-ticking exercise.
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