The eThekwini Municipality says it is cracking down on fraud and corruption and has taken action in several matters in the 2024/2025 financial year. The municipality provided statistics on the matters at the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Seminar held on Thursday at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Durban International Convention Centre. The City noted in a statement that corruption remains the number one challenge in local government, depriving communities of resources and hindering service delivery. EThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba commended the City Integrity and Investigations Directorate for its commitment to strengthening internal controls and…

Read More

Mayor Xaba Calls For Stronger Systems And Community Education To Tackle Corruption ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAYOR XABA CALLS FOR STRONGER SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION TO TACKLE CORRUPTION A multipronged approach to curb fraud and corruption and create clean, accountable governance is central to winning the fight against unethical practices. This was the key message at the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Seminar held today, 20 November, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Durban International Convention Centre. Corruption remains the number one challenge in local government, depriving communities of resources and hindering…

Read More

Concerns were raised about the eThekwini Municipality’s cash collection rate and the cash on hand for 25 days at a council meeting on Tuesday. The eThekwini Finance Committee noted the overall financial performance analysis of the municipality as of the end of August 2025 in a budget statement report. The report outlines the actual operating revenue of 103% of the year-to-date budget, with a variance of 3%. The actual operating expenditure was reported as a percentage of the year-to-date budget figure of 84% with a variance of -16%.

Read More

External debt collectors (EDC) contracted by the eThekwini municipality to collect R11.9 billion have managed to collect R610 million, drawing mixed reactions from political parties. In a report presented at a council meeting on Tuesday, the total debtors stood at R41bn, with household debt making up the bulk of the debt at R28bn, while commercial debt includes business accounts, which amount to R8.4bn. The municipality stated provincial and government departments owe R1.9bn. As a result of EDC initiatives, 65 summons to the value of R21m were served, and 2031 letters…

Read More

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has sounded the alarm on a spike in municipal vehicle thefts and violent attacks on staff members, urging city officials to implement decisive action to protect both public assets and employee safety. Xaba’s firm stance comes amid reports indicating that around 100 municipal vehicles have been stolen in the past two years, with vehicle theft incidents continuing to rise unabated. In a recent address, the mayor highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating: “We are concerned about this challenge because it instils fear among employees who…

Read More

THE Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigation into the eThekwini Municipality’s housing programme has uncovered serious irregularities and potential corruption involving the sale and purchase of 29 sites including community parks and sport grounds in Phoenix. The SIU was mandated to establish if the municipality had disposed of or alienated its immovable property through its Human Settlements Infill Housing Programmes (IHP) in a proper manner. In addition, it was tasked to establish if the transfer or sale of vacant properties by developers was in breach of the developers’ contractual obligations and contrary to…

Read More

The eThekwini municipality has filed a R200-million lawsuit against the developers of Salta Sibaya, alleging their construction activities worsened destruction in Umdloti during the April 2022 floods. The legal action, filed in the Durban High Court, names Devmco (Pty) Ltd and Stefanutti Stocks Holdings Limited – one of South Africa’s largest listed construction firms – as defendants. The case was first reported on August 12 by freelance journalist Nicole Barlow on Medium. Municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana confirmed the case, saying: “The court documents have been delivered to the Durban High Court.”…

Read More

eThekwini residents have demanded accountability from the municipal management after a technical glitch led to billing discrepancies. The eThekwini municipal tariffs annual increase for the 2025/26 financial year included the water tariff residential proposed increase was reduced from 15% to 13%, and for business was reduced from 16% to 14%. Similarly, the sanitation tariff for residential increases was reduced from a proposed 13% to 11%, and for business, 14% to 12%.

Read More

Concerns were raised at a recent eThekwini Municipality council meeting after R820 million was disbursed in public tender awards for June 2025. In a report presented by the eThekwini Finance Committee, concerns were expressed on the increased utilisation of Section 36 awards of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Regulations for June. The municipality stated that there were plans in place to reduce these appointments by having a panel of service providers for unforeseen circumstances and catastrophic events. The report also noted that some councillors raised concerns that the percentage of…

Read More

Approximately R9 billion has been spent on the Go!Durban project to streamline public transportation, but there are no buses on the route 13 years later. The money was spent on infrastructure, fleet procurement, and related professional services, according to municipal reports. In a general statement, the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) stated that it intends to redefine its Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN) under the GO!Durban programme, presenting a revised strategy aimed at overcoming key challenges in its implementation.

Read More