eThekwini in crisis — a city on the brink

15 April 2025

eThekwini in crisis — a city on the brink

By Chris Makhaye

eThekwini in crisis — a city on the brink

By Chris Makhaye

While eThekwini residents wait for promises of change to materialise, many are left wondering whether hope is enough – or if the city is destined to slide further into chaos. This is Part One of a series focused on the state of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

At 73, Bobby Govender had never imagined his golden years would involve chasing a municipal water tanker through the streets of Shallcross.

“Sometimes we go three or four days without water. We can’t wash clothes or bathe. I never thought I’d have to hustle for water at my age,” he said on Monday this week, his voice heavy with frustration.

Govender’s plight is not unique. Across eThekwini Municipality, residents are grappling with a dire water crisis that has left taps dry for years in some areas and forced many to depend on water tankers controlled by tender mafias. This crisis is emblematic of broader service delivery failures, from pothole-ridden roads to blocked sewers and waste disposal neglect that has led to flooding and unsanitary living conditions.

Shallcross resident Bobby Govender (73) fills a water container from an eThekwini Municipality-owned tanker. (Photo: Chris Makhaye)

73-year-old Bobby Govender and his wife carry water containers home in Shallcross after collecting it from the eThekwini Municipality-owned water tanker. (Photo: Chris Makhaye)

A mountain of debt 

Years of mismanagement have plunged eThekwini, South Africa’s third-largest municipality, into R35-billion of debt. Fraud, corruption and inefficiencies in billing and debt collection have compounded the city’s financial woes, leaving infrastructure crumbling under the weight of neglect.

The proposed 2025/2026 budget of R71.3 billion, split between operating and capital expenditures, claims to prioritise infrastructure development and social upliftment. Yet critics argue that politically connected individuals and companies siphon off funds, with tenders often awarded under Section 36, a provision that allows bypassing of standard tendering processes and has been linked to corruption.

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Tender mafias in control 

For years, activists have sounded the alarm about tender mafias entrenched within eThekwini’s leadership. Sbu Zikode, leader of Abahlali BaseMjondolo, did not mince words in his assessment.

“eThekwini has been hijacked by mafias and gangster politicians. Taxpayers’ money is in the hands of individuals who prioritise self-enrichment over public service.

“Instead of maintaining water infrastructure, contracts are awarded to water truck operators linked to politicians. Councillors fight over tenders while residents suffer from leaks, blocked sewers and floods,” Zikode said.

“We have a tap, but it hasn’t worked in over seven years.”

Thembi Magcaba

Residents in dire straits 

In Engonyameni, southwest of Durban, residents like Thembi Magcaba, 63, have spent years without running water.

“We have a tap, but it hasn’t worked in over seven years. Tankers come once a week, if at all. We send kids to fetch water from streams. It’s heartbreaking because we’re told this is so tanker owners and their political friends can profit,” she said.

Even middle-class residents face similar struggles. Govender’s story is a stark reminder that eThekwini’s woes cut across socioeconomic lines. Many suburban residents now rely on bottled water, fearing contamination from their taps.

Ish Prahladh, spokesperson for the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association, expressed frustration at the municipality’s inability to address the crisis.

“If the government of national unity fails to act decisively, eThekwini will continue its downward spiral. Corrupt networks and tender mafias are draining resources while residents are left with nothing. Ratepayer associations should have a greater role in overseeing tenders to ensure transparency and accountability,” Prahladh said.

No political solution in sight

Political commentator Zakhele Ndlovu described eThekwini as a municipality on the verge of collapse, plagued by corruption and cronyism.

Cars and buses parked and driving outside the Durban City Hall, the HQ of eThekwini Municipality. (Photo: Chris Makhaye)Three women crossing the Pixley kaSeme Street in Durban. This street is named after the late ANC leader Pixley kaSeme. (Photo: Chris Makhaye)The empty Durban beachfront on a weekday. (Photo: Chris Makhaye)The empty Durban beachfront on a weekday. (Photo: Chris Makhaye)
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“The ANC leadership is the primary cause of this state of affairs. Lately, they have incorporated many corrupt and shady politicians into their KZN task team. Mayor Xaba cannot fix this mess. The Durban CBD is filthy, bylaws are ignored and the city struggles to attract tourists or investment. Even if the ANC loses power, the MKP – led by disgruntled former ANC members – may not bring improvement. The outlook is bleak,” Ndlovu said.

Ndlovu criticised the inclusion of figures like Dr Mike Sutcliffe, a former Ethekwini city manager, now part of the Presidential Task Team responsible for addressing eThekwini’s challenges.

Sutcliffe and Dr Cassius Lubisi, the former director-general in the Presidency, were appointed by the IFP MEC for KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Thulasizwe Buthelezi to lead a Section 154 intervention that grants them a constitutional mandate to support municipalities in managing their own affairs, exercising their powers, and performing their functions.  

Their year-long appointment occurred in July last year, just weeks after former mayor Mxolisi Kaunda was recalled by the ANC and redeployed to the National Council of Provinces.

Maladministration, collapsing municipal services and the poor state of the city’s finances are among the issues Sutcliffe and Lubisi are addressing. 

They were appointed in a similar intervention last year by then Cogta MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi, but they were unable to make progress because of resistance from councillors deployed by the ANC’s eThekwini region.

The intervention, made in terms of section 154 of the Constitution, allows the team to assess the challenges the city faces and to develop a turnaround plan to address them and to act on the findings of several investigations eThekwini has commissioned, but not acted upon.

The team reports back to Buthelezi regularly.

Sutcliffe declined to comment, citing the restrictions of his current role.

A glimmer of hope 

Despite the challenges, Palesa Phili, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce, remains cautiously optimistic.

“Our business community faces water cuts, power outages and flooding due to ageing infrastructure. We’re working with the city to fast-track rebuilding. Collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential, along with accountability on key matters,” Phili said.

A detailed media query sent by Daily Maverick more than three weeks ago had not been answered, with Mayor Xaba’s spokesman, Mluleki Mntungwa, repeatedly saying he was waiting for “department heads to make an input” to his responses.

As eThekwini residents wait for promises of change to materialise, many, like Govender, are left wondering whether hope is enough – or if the city is destined to slide further into chaos. DM

Read Part Two of a series focused on the state of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

Murder and fear — inside eThekwini’s dangerous departmentsRead Article