There were mixed reactions to the eThekwini Municipality's R70.9 billion budget at a council meeting on Thursday.
Image: Willem Phungula
The majority of political parties in the eThekwini Municipality have approved the R70.9 billion municipal budget for 2025 and 2026 at a council meeting on Thursday.
Councillors representing various political parties had different views about how the budget would benefit the residents of eThekwini. The budget prioritises infrastructure rehabilitation and economic development.
The municipality stated that after extensive public consultations, they received the following comments:
- High tariffs are unaffordable;
- Ward committees are not active;
- Poor maintenance of leaking water pipes and sewers;
- Request for improvements of streetlights;
- Improvement in the replacement of electricity meters;
- Road rehabilitation of existing roads, as they are full of potholes and storm disaster damage;
- Progress in housing projects;
- Poor building and maintenance of social facilities such as halls, sports fields, pools, and verges;
- Insufficient youth programmes.
According to the municipality, it made amendments to the draft budget after public consultation by reducing water, refuse removal, and sanitation tariffs.
ANC councillor Zama Sokhabase said the budget is designed to reshape eThekwini's future and stimulate economic growth with the revitalisation of public spaces and working together for the public.
Sokhabase said the budget will also focus on health programmes such as teenage pregnancy.
Andre Beetge, a DA councillor, said they have heard the same rhetoric year after year, with items adopted several years ago that were not implemented. Plans can be tabled, but the proof remains in service delivery.
Beetge said the DA will not support a fairytale budget.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi stated that the budget will deliver on the municipality’s trading services, which include water, sanitation, cleaning, and solid waste management, to keep the city clean.
Nkosi said The budget aims to generate quick wins, gain service delivery momentum, and provide essential services.
Councillor Jay Singh, representing the United Independent Movement (UIM), rejected the budget.
He condemned the electricity tariff increase as a measure that unfairly targets compliant ratepayers while failing to address revenue leaks and the city’s debt.
Singh said the budget lacks concrete plans to dismantle the “electricity and water mafia” networks profiting from illegal connections in informal settlements.
Zwakele Mncwango, of ActionSA, said the tariff increases were high and the budget failed to provide a budget for public transport and crime prevention, adding that the city also failed to collect debt because of poor financial management.
Imtiaz Syed, President of Active Citizens Coalition (ACC), said that 75% of the budget was contributed by ratepayers, which he described as an injustice and penalising those who work daily to pay their bills.
Syed said it also did not deal with the informal settlement growth, which was prejudicing ratepayers.
Patrick Pillay, leader of the Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC), said he did not support tariff increases that are way above the inflation rate.
Pillay said the budget is providing a social package, one of a kind, when compared to other municipalities, that will bring great relief to pensioners, grantees, and the unemployed.
Sunitha Maharaj, of the Minority Front, said the ordinary ratepayers need the same investment in their infrastructure to enjoy the benefits of their payments to the city's coffers.
Aslam Shaheed, the leader of the Truly Alliance (TA), said that while the budget vision is bold, it must be grounded in the realities that residents face daily.
“We should implement a monthly performance review framework directly tied to key budget items, which would provide transparent updates, progress of infrastructure repairs, job creation, and catalytic investments. This would be responsible governance,” Shaheed said.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the budget accommodates a new approach to boost service delivery and technological innovation.
Xaba added that they will continue to conduct unannounced site visits and are well aware that a delay in response time to service delivery complaints is a cost to the city.
“We will continue to adopt a financially sustainable revenue model,” he said.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za
The eThekwini Municipality R70.9 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year has been adopted today at a full council meeting held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.
Image: Zainul Dawood