The eThekwini Council has officially adopted the municipality’s 2026/2027 Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF), with a total budget of R75.3b, while opposition parties indicate disapproval.

The adopted budget comprises an operating budget of approximately R69b and a capital budget of R6.3b.

Addressing Council during the adoption of the budget, Mayor Cyril Xaba said the budget represents a practical and sustainable financial plan for the City.

Also read: Ratepayers, opposition reject City R70b budget plan

“The 2026/27 budget is not an aspirational document. It is a funded, credible, and sustainable plan assessed as such by the National Treasury.

“It prioritises the acceleration of repairs, the upgrading of bulk infrastructure, and the full implementation of our trading services turnaround strategies,” said the mayor.

The DA rejects the newly adopted budget. DA Caucus Leader councillor Thabani Mthethwa indicated that the approved budget fails to respond meaningfully to the financial and service delivery crisis facing the city.

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“The ANC-IFP-EFF coalition has demonstrated its inability to manage public funds responsibly, and the DA has no confidence in its handling of this new budget. Residents cannot rely on the figures presented in this budget either because, within months, requests to reprioritise funds from one project to another will once again begin surfacing, as has become the norm under this administration. This reflects the same poor planning that has characterised this financial year and those before it,” said Mthethwa.

Action SA’s Saul Basckin echoed DA’s sentiments. “Action SA has voted against eThekwini’s 2026/27 budget because it asks residents to pay more while failing to address the fundamental causes of the municipality’s financial and service delivery crisis,” he said.

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“Although the municipality has reduced some of its originally proposed tariff increases, residents will still face increases of property Rates – 2%, electricity – 9%, water (Residential) – 12%, water (Business) – 13%, sanitation (Residential) – 8%, sanitation (Business) – 9%, and refuse Removal – 9.5%.

“There is also little evidence that this budget adequately addresses the long-standing problems of irregular expenditure, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, corruption, fraud and weak consequence management.

“This is not a budget of reform. It is not a budget of growth. It is not a budget that demonstrates decisive leadership,” Basckin concluded.

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