eThekwini Municipality advances water and sanitation services
eThekwini Municipality aims to improve water and sanitation services throughout the city, as many areas continue experiencing water shortages.
ETHEKWINI Municipality has announced that it is making progress in transforming its water and sanitation systems, following support from a R54b six-year incentive initiative launched by National Treasury.
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This emerged at a recent Executive Committee (Exco) meeting in Durban on May 13.
In a presentation to Exco, deputy head of Water and Sanitation, Simon Scruton, outlined the municipality’s progress in meeting the programme’s rigorous requirements, including Council approval of key institutional reforms and strategic plans.
“With three of the four foundational steps completed (including the Turnaround Strategy and Business and Investment Plan), the municipality is now focusing on the adoption of eight minimum commitments to qualify for the first tranche of funding by June 2025,” said Scruton.
The eThekwini Water and Sanitation turnaround strategy, approved in April 2023, targets 13 critical areas, ranging from financial sustainability to infrastructure development and customer service.
“The notable achievements include a 30% reduction in repair backlogs, increased operational resources and major partnerships with the Department of Water and Sanitation, the World Bank and uMngeni-uThukela Water,” he added.
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EThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba applauded the team for the progress made, but cautioned of possible hindrances.
“Key among them is the urgent need for exemption from Municipal staff regulations to restructure executive oversight without which the Municipality may forfeit the potential R3.3b allocation. Also, tariff increases and underperformance on the Turnaround Strategy could jeopardise future grant disbursements,” Xaba added.
Final approval of the minimum commitments by Exco and Council is expected at the end of May, with formal documentation due to National Treasury by June.
If successful, eThekwini Municipality stands to receive its performance-based grant in September 2025, helping to propel trading services into a more sustainable and efficient future.
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