eThekwini: Municipal snapshot | EWN Elections - EWN

In September 2026 a council meeting revealed the municipality's debt bill was over R47 billion.

LGE 2026 | Municipal snapshot | KwaZulu-Natal Metro 8 of 9 eThekwini R47bn owed to city In September 2026 a council meeting revealed the municipality's debt bill was over R47 billion. South Africa's third-largest metro by population is home to Durban, Africa's busiest port, and is the economic hub of KwaZulu-Natal. 1 Economy South Africa's third-largest metro by population, the largest city in the province and home to Durban, Africa's busiest port. 60% Of the provincial GDP eThekwini is the economic hub of KwaZulu-Natal 60% Of national container traffic is handled by the port No. 2 Second-largest concentration of manufacturing in South Africa KwaZulu-Natal eThekwini Durban Pietermaritzburg Provincial capital eThekwini +24% Increase in direct tourism spending in 2025 R2.7bn Direct tourism spending Main economic sectors Agriculture Mining Manufacturing Electricity Construction Trade Transport Finance Community services

2 Population and demographics 4.24 million Population, Census 2022 1 339 259 Households 21.2% Unemployment, Q2 2026 Poverty ~52% Of households in eThekwini are indigent Meaning they require government support in order to access basic services. Lower-bound poverty rate, 2023 Share of the population unable to afford a basic standard of living 40.7% eThekwini Highest of South Africa's metros 19.1% Cape Town Lowest of the metros

3 Auditor-General 2024-25 report Confirmed finding Unqualified with findings Every year since 2015-16 "The metro has consistently received an unqualified audit opinion with findings each year since 2015-16, and has made little effort to improve to a clean audit status. The metro seems to tolerate breaches in compliance requirements and has a false sense of achievement in its performance. As a result, material non-compliance with legislation and unreliable performance reporting have continued, resulting in the audit outcome not improving." The AG's blunt framing in the 2024-25 report An unqualified audit opinion with findings means an organisation's financial statements are accurate and free from major errors, but the auditor still discovered issues with non-compliance or performance reporting. What it means Governance "Relatively stable" The council, mayor and senior management. Financial health "Good" Confirmed finding The metro "remains financially viable" eThekwini recorded a surplus for the 2024/25 financial year, confirming that revenue exceeded expenditure, signalling a more stable financial position. However, the AG cautioned that: Prolonged debt-collection periods Delayed creditor payments Strained cash flow ...increase the risk of breaching loan conditions. R47bn+ The municipality's debt bill, revealed in a council meeting in September 2026. Households R35bn Commercial R10bn R2bn+ Biggest debtors to the municipality: households owe R35 billion, followed by commercial clients at R10 billion and government departments at over R2 billion. Source: EWN, "Cyril Xaba alarmed at eThekwini's more than R47 billion debt bill", 2 September 2026 Credit rating AA Negative long-term investment credit rating A1 Positive short-term rating Outlook: to Negative Stable This means eThekwini is creditworthy and the risk of a downgrade has eased. UIFW expenditure Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful R3.25bn Irregular expenditure R81.46m Fruitless and wasteful expenditure Almost 54% of water supplied to eThekwini by the Umngeni-uThukela Water utility is classified as non-revenue water. ~54% 171m+ Cubic metres of clean tap water wasted every year Non-revenue water Enough to supply the two biggest cities in the Eastern Cape, or the entire Northern Cape, lost to municipal pipe bursts, leaking valves or overflowing reservoirs. Source: Daily Maverick, "Water down the drain", 29 April 2026 Other irregularities or concerns raised by the AG Confirmed finding Institutional integrity and conflict of interest eThekwini was named among metros where employees or their close family or business associates held undisclosed interests in awarded suppliers. R3.63m R6.25m 18 3 Awards to suppliers owned or managed by state officials Awards where employees themselves participated in the procurement process "No consequence management implemented, despite this being a repeat finding from the previous year." 68months Average delay eThekwini was named among the metros with the most delayed infrastructure projects overall, alongside: Buffalo City Ekurhuleni Tshwane Namibia Housing Project, Inanda Launched around 2015 to deliver 343 units. In 2019 residents were moved into transit camps for what was planned as a R100m, two-year build. By September 2024 Only 29 of 343 units (8%) were done R146m+ 68 Cost, up from R100m Families still in transit camps A revised December 2024 deadline looked unlikely, blamed on land disputes and informal settlements blocking the site. Families in the camps have no water, sanitation or electricity, and face raw sewage and illegal connections that sparked two fires. Source: Auditor-General of South Africa, MFMA 2024-25 Confirmed finding Etafuleni housing project 12+ years Delayed The single longest-delayed infrastructure project according to the latest AG report, ahead of Mangaung's Vista Park. It was due for completion in 2014. Some beneficiaries are occupying incomplete homes without basic services.

4 Management Council: 222 seats 96 ANC seats ANC DA EFF IFP ActionSA Others 16 Seats short of the 112 needed: the ANC runs a minority administration. Controlling party ANC mayor Cyril Xaba Composition of council ANC DA EFF IFP ActionSA ABC ACC ACDP AIC ADEC Al Jama-ah APF ATM DLC JEP KZNI MF MK MOSA NFP PFP PRM TA UIM VF Plus Independent 96 56 24 17 4 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Executive committee seats ANC 5 DA 3 IFP 1 NFP 1 EFF 1 The council has 222 seats with 23 political parties represented. Of those, the ANC is the biggest, with 96 seats. Party statement Co-operation, not coalition The EFF and IFP hold portfolio chairs under an October 2024 agreement that both describe as co-operation rather than coalition. Unresolved The deputy mayoralty is unsettled after the incumbent left the NFP on 3 September 2026.

5 Previous elections 2021 Top three parties ANC DA EFF 42.14% 25.95% 10.48% 96 seats | 653 444 votes 59 seats | 402 413 votes 24 seats | 162 447 votes 2016 Top three parties ANC DA IFP 56.01% 26.92% 4.2% 126 seats | 1 246 512 votes 61 seats | 599 073 votes 10 seats | 93 414 votes ANC 61.07% 126 seats | 1 186 153 votes 2011 DA 21.02% 43 seats | 408 179 votes Top three parties MF 5.31% 11 seats | 103 043 votes Support (share of the vote), seats and votes for the three leading parties in each election.

6 The Presidential eThekwini Working Group eThekwini moving from crisis to cautious recovery Established April 2024 After President Ramaphosa and five ministers met Durban leaders following a service delivery collapse: Water outages Flood damage Declining tourism Port concerns Crime It partners the Presidency, the metro and the Durban Chamber of Commerce around eight priorities, from water and safety to governance and tourism. By July 2026, Ramaphosa reported 63.38 +18% Business confidence, a record high Tourism spend, up to R9.72bn Points Phase 2 Now targets growth and jobs Unresolved Major gaps he acknowledged R1.6bn In unfunded mandates every year 50%+ Non-revenue water Construction mafias deterring investment. Source: City of eThekwini, PEWG press statement Development Progress Credits projects like the uMkhomazi Water Project Policing and CCTV have expanded A public-private infrastructure partnership launched

7 Service delivery Of eThekwini residents: 89.4% 98.5% 81.5% 80.4% Have piped water inside their dwelling Have electricity for lighting Receive weekly refuse removal Have a flush toilet SAHRC vs eThekwini water crisis April 2022 KZN floods devastate eThekwini's water infrastructure, triggering 600+ SAHRC complaints, mostly from the metro. Sept 2023 SAHRC's inquiry finds "systemic failures", citing poor planning, ageing infrastructure and corrupt water tankering. eThekwini was worst hit, with daily outages in Newlands West, uMlazi and Lamontville. Entities were given 12 months or face Constitutional Court action. Jan to Feb 2024 Verulam and Phoenix hit 90+ days without water and protests erupt. By March, the SAHRC doubts the metro can fix itself alone, citing no business plan and a 52% vacancy rate in water and sanitation. Oct 2024 SAHRC welcomes eThekwini's move to bring in retired engineers to address decay and mentor staff. 2025 to 2026 The crisis persists; monitoring and litigation threats continue. Water tankers Spending ballooned: R102.6m 2020/21 R814.8m 2024/25 R1.8bn R657m Total over five years Irregular expenditure The irregular spending came from hiring trucks while the City was meant to be buying its own fleet. Waste management As of May 2025 Two of the metro's four landfill sites were near capacity. 3-6months Of airspace left at Bisasar Road Collection backlogs have been worsened by vehicle shortages and strikes; a March 2024 municipal strike left the metro littered with refuse. R1.9bn Electricity lost, 2024/25 1.11bn 11.23% Kilowatt hours lost Of purchases from Eskom Contained in the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) oversight report to council in March 2026 on material debt impairments, losses and write-offs. Source: IOL, 17 April 2026 Infrastructure development Development R75.3bn Budget approved in June 2026 The 2026/2027 Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF), aimed at accelerating service delivery, renewing infrastructure and advancing turnaround strategies for the city's trading services. Source: SAnews Development First municipality approved to generate its own electricity August 2025 400MW Of new solar and gas capacity planned, to cut reliance on the national grid Electrical infrastructure upgrades south of Durban were reported progressing as of May 2025. Source: ESI Africa Development ~R35bn Beachfront and inner-city investment Driven by a new entity, the eThekwini Inner-City, to fast-track urban renewal and drive investment back into the Durban CBD. The project could transform the Point waterfront area. Source: The Mercury Development R1.2bn Southern Aqueduct upgrade An upgrade to the water trunk line serving outage-prone areas is under way, due for completion in December 2026. Source: ECR Development 14 000 New electricity meters installed (Nov 2025) Improving billing: a new billing platform, smart water meters and a service delivery app for reporting leaks, burst pipes and outages and submitting meter readings, to combat billing inaccuracies and estimated bills. Sources: City of eThekwini; Berea Mail

8 Other big issues 18+ Councillors assassinated Political killings In August 2026, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli revealed that at least 18 councillors have been assassinated in the province since the 2021 local government elections. Source: The Citizen Sources Stats SA Census 2022 | Auditor-General of South Africa, MFMA 2024-25 | EWN | Daily Maverick | City of eThekwini | IOL | SAnews | ESI Africa | The Mercury | ECR | Berea Mail | The Citizen. Findings, party statements and developments are reported as such. Infographic: Dion V. Rademeyer / EWN Research: EWN