President Ramaphosa outlines progress of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group

While the Presidential eThekwini Working Group (PeWG) has made strides, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledges that challenges remain.

In a parliamentary response to questions by the DA’s Anna van Zyl, Ramaphosa disclosed the implementation and achievements of the PeWG since its establishment in April of last year. Also, how service delivery has been improved and which accomplishments have been achieved in this area. 

In his response, Ramaphosa said the PeWG has made significant progress against its priorities, mainly accelerating eThekwini’s Water Turnaround Strategy, approved by the City Council in 2023; positioning eThekwini as an investment and tourism hub to boost the local economy and create jobs; and, improving service delivery, including road infrastructure maintenance and enhancing public safety.

“While the Presidential eThekwini Working Group has made significant progress, momentum must be maintained – and in some areas increased – to tackle complex challenges such as reducing water demand and driving investment into long-term infrastructure projects. The achievements so far provide confidence that further progress can be made to improve service delivery for the people of eThekwini,” Ramaphosa said.

He said focal areas have seen the following achievements:

Water and Sanitation

• eThekwini’s medium- to short-term water supply needs will be addressed upon finalising water supply agreements for the Upper Mkhomazi Water Project.
• Launching the ‘Water Secure eThekwini’ programme, a multistakeholder initiative aimed at reducing water consumption from 270 litres to under 220 litres per person per day.
• Transferring management of 10 of the largest wastewater treatment works in eThekwini to uMngeni-uThukela Water, improving effluent compliance from 49% to 68% by the end of 2024.
• Reducing non-revenue water from 58% to 53% in 2024 through infrastructure refurbishment and rehabilitation, which had declined further to 51% by January 2025.
• Securing additional funding for the Water Turnaround Strategy, including a R189.5 million grant from National Treasury and increasing the annual allocation to R1 billion for pipe replacement.

Safety and Security

• Enhancing safety during the holiday season through Operation Shanela, with over 60 000 law enforcement officers deployed. No significant security incidents were reported during the festive season.

Tourism and Economic Revitalisation

• Revitalising tourism through investments in the Durban beachfront, including renewing the Maharani and Elangeni Hotel leases and reopening the Hilton Hotel, unlocking over R1bn in tourism-related investments.
• Maintaining a successful summer holiday season, with all but two beaches remaining open. Durban tourists were pleased with the enhanced cleanliness, upgraded tourism infrastructure, and increased police presence at popular tourist destinations.
• Achieving a 53% improvement in business confidence between Q1 and Q4 2024, as measured by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Governance and Financial Sustainability

• Reducing unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure and improving audit outcomes.
• Increasing debt collection efforts, including recovering R122m from national government departments.

Service Delivery

Ramaphosa said: “According to our latest data from December 2024, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality responded to 94% of burst pipes, 96% of sewer blockages, and 89% of customer-reported leaks within 48 hours.”

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za