RESTRUCTURING municipal wards every five years has been identified as one of the challenges destabilising the functioning of municipalities.

This emerged at a recent virtual meeting held by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) and various ratepayers’ associations from Durban on October 16.

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The meeting followed a series of engagements with residents as Chinatown and Navy residents in Ward 75 want to be reincorporated into Ward 68 – a ward to which they previously belonged. Residents want to be incorporated into this ward ahead of the 2026 municipal elections.

Provincial coordinator Mthobisi Manzini said that challenges emerge in instances when a ward that has been used as a planning unit for infrastructure and service delivery moves into a new ward. As a result, residents are left battling to access public services.

During his presentation, Manzini highlighted other challenges that may arise during the demarcation process.

“The formula for ward delimitation remains the same across the country, yet there are vast differences between provinces and municipalities in terms of population densities and geographic vastness. The feasibility of using registered voters versus population remains an area of concern.

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“Due to the large size of some settlements and traditional council areas, it is not always possible to delimit them into a single ward. Also, the delays in the publication of the formula for determining the number of councillors compromises the MDB’s consultation processes,” said Manzini.

After the draft, the MDB will have consultations with the public where they will be able to guide the board on how they want their wards to be configured. The MDB will allow a period of objections should residents still have concerns.

The call for the reassignment of Chinatown and Navy areas back to Ward 68 emphasises ongoing frustrations with local governance and a pressing need for responsive administration in the area. Residents have complained about poor governance in Ward 75, including the persistent sewage blockages that plague the Chinatown and Navy areas.

From October until February 2025, officials will conduct consultations on the demarcation processes. Following this, a final draft will be presented to the KZN Demarcation Board in March next year for review.

Once the board has reviewed the proposal, it will engage with residents for public consultations from April to June next year.

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