Latest news with #eThekwiniExecutiveCommittee
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Urgent plans to resolve Durban's 7,000 water pipe leaks by July 2025
The eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) unit is expected to conduct a clean 'sweep' of the outstanding backlog of 7,000 pipe leaks once the budget becomes available from July 2025. The EWS presented its status of water supply report for May 2025 to the eThekwini Executive Committee (Exco) on Tuesday Image: File The eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) unit is expected to conduct a clean sweep of the outstanding backlog of 7,000 pipe leaks from July 2025, subject to budget availability. The EWS presented its status of water supply report for May 2025 to the eThekwini Executive Committee (Exco) on Tuesday. The municipality intends to create a separate management entity for the EWS with a planned Water Turnaround Strategy (WTA) to resolve its problems. Sibusiso Vilane, the acting HOD for EWS, said the municipality was ranked 'very poor' when it came to the Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) interpretation. This was in the category of unavoidable annual real losses (UARL) and current annual real losses (CARL). The ILI defined poor as an urgent need for leakage control and asset renewal. With demand exceeding supply, Vilane said that reducing Non-Revenue Water is crucial for improving the financial and operational performance of EWS. 'When we get access to the budget, we are going to be sweeping all areas of backlogs from the list from July 2025,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Vilane also touched on plumbing contractors that cost the city an estimated R56 million per month. He said a review of the policy was in place for contractors, including upskilling many of them to meet requirements. According to Vilane, the EWS has been hard at work installing restrictors, generators, and meters at reservoirs. He said they were looking at a new management approach to streamline the EWS and hold people accountable. Councillor Nkosenhle Madlala, ANC Exco whip, commended the EWS on the interim arrangement to supply Clover with water to stabilise the supply. Madlala called on the EWS to extend this approach by identifying other critical stakeholders such as hospitals, hotels, and other essential service institutions, and to urgently design a targeted water supply plan to ensure uninterrupted service to these facilities. Madlala said the commencement of the second phase of the installation of back-up generators is a crucial intervention to guarantee water supply during periods of electricity outages. 'This forms part of a broader resilience strategy that we fully endorse. The introduction of performance-based water management contracts is noted and supported. These contracts will not only promote efficiency but will also help in driving accountability and measurable outcomes.' Madlala said the adoption of a single point of accountability approach could significantly contribute to reducing the ILU to below 4, an important milestone in curbing NRW. He stated that these interventions reflect a proactive and responsive approach to water and sanitation service delivery, adding that the ANC will continue to support and provide oversight as these plans are rolled out. 'We urge the unit to expedite the meter audit process. This will assist in improving billing accuracy and managing demand effectively. We reiterate our support for the insourcing of plumbers. This will not only improve service turnaround times but also enhance accountability and ensure value for money.' Madlala stated that the city must communicate more proactively about challenges posed by informal settlements and developments outside existing water supply lines. 'This will help manage community expectations and inform long-term planning. We fully support the decision to acquire our plant and fleet. This is a strategic move that will improve operational efficiency, reduce reliance on external contractors, and result in long-term cost savings for the municipality,' Madlala said. Yogis Govender, DA Exco member, called for enforcement to deal with illegal water and electricity connections. 'There is always a plan with no enforcement. There are never any arrests or statistics on what the consequences were for those found with illegal connections. I am happy that there is a tracking mechanism for the EWS implementation processes,' she said. Thabani Mthethwa, DA head in eThekwini, urged the EWS to move from planning to implementation. He also called for a period of amnesty for those who were connected to the system illegally to come forward without being penalised. He said this was a reason why the demand exceeds the supply. Themba Mvubu, EFF Exco member, described the report as transparent and honest. He also agreed on the skills development of plumbers. eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said they took the matter of water seriously and that he was concerned about the water loss figures. 'When departments are honest, we can support them in various ways. If you hide things, we will always be blaming you for all the problems people complain about. We have to deal with illegal connections before people think it is a norm and that they are entitled to free water,' Xaba said.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Sibaya Coastal Precinct: A R23 billion development supported by eThekwini's road upgrades
An aerial view of the Sibaya Precinct, north of Durban. The eThekwini municipality is expected to contribute R7,8 million towards a road infrastructure upgrade in Umdloti that will unlock Sibaya coastal precinct housing development north of Durban. The municipality intends to upgrade the M27 and M4 slip lanes leading to Jabu Ngcobo Drive. The municipality's Economic Development and Planning Committee (ECOD) is estimating that they will receive R3,8 billion in property rates during the 8-year roll-out period of the housing development. In a report before the eThekwini Executive Committee(Exco) the recovery of the funds is expected to come from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport (KZN DoT). The Sibaya Coastal Precinct is conceptualised as a living, vibrant community that will contain offices, shops, restaurants, educational institutions, recreational opportunities.
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
eThekwini's R5,9 million Grant-in-Aid funding for community development under scrutiny
The eThekwini Municipality Grant-in-Aid (GIA) programme is expected to cost an estimated R5,9 million. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives The Grant-in-Aid (GIA) programme is expected to cost the eThekwini Municipality an estimated R5,9 million through workshops and a disbursement event. The GIA programme is divided into two categories, a capacity building workshop and the handover of the grants to the applicants. The matter was brought to the eThekwini Executive Committee on Tuesday for discussion. In the report tabled by the Governance and Human Resources Committee, the GIA capacity building workshops for six regions in eThekwini will cost R230,000 of which R140,000 is allocated for catering and R72,000 for sound hire. The committee stated that the purpose of the workshops is to impart knowledge and skills to organisations so that they can be able to access GIA and other sources of funding. The committee stated that the workshops will enhance the Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) and Non-Profit Companies (NPC) financial and narrative reporting skills for them to meet the policy requirements. The workshops target new organisations, beneficiary organisations and councillors and traditional leaders. The municipality will disburse R5,5 million to 111 GIA applicants. In total, 508 applications were received. The municipality is expected to spend a further R208,000 to cover the logistical arrangements pertaining to the event. A breakdown of the additional amount includes R80,000 for catering, R43,000 on marquee hire, decor R15,000 and entertainment R20,000. According to the committee the beneficiaries include; Early Childhood Development; Social Welfare; Sports Arts and Culture; Economic Development; Skills Development; and Faith-Based Organisations involved in community development work The committee stated that the panel followed the principle that all applications must be considered equally but placed special emphasis on rural and mostneedy communities. In this programme, the importance of reporting on how the organisation has utilised municipal funds will be emphasised and reiterated. Thabani Mthethwa, the DA's eThekwini Caucus Leader, said although the grant in aid was a good deed, the spending on hiring tents raised questions, adding that he had previously raised the issue in 2024. Mthethwa urged the city to use community halls and questioned the need to procure décor for the venues. Ethekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said, 'I thought the principle is that we should try to use our own facilities as far as possible. Only when those facilities are not adequate we must use alternative measures," Xaba said. Nkosenhle Madlala, ANC councillor and chairperson of the governance committee, said they have cut costs where they could. He said halls were subject to availability and this required the hire of marquees when they were not available. 'It does not necessarily mean what is approved here is spent. It is an anticipatory budget and there could be savings in certain areas. Every effort was made to spare the city resources and the overall costs are within limits. We host this event because of transparency,' Madlala said. Madlala stated that this will also be a platform where different organisations can network, share ideas and collaborate among themselves. The eThekwini municipality Audit Risk Committee (ARC) report for the second quarter ended 30 December 2024 presented to Exco, on Tuesday, also expressed concerns about the grant-in-aid. Siboniso Shabalala, Chairperson of the ARC stated that the Committee recommends the resolution of the non-compliance with the Grants in Aid policy requirements which were identified, as it suggests a lack of enforcement and adherence to the requirements set forth in the policy. Furthermore, poor monitoring of beneficiaries was noted, which hinders the ability to assess the effectiveness of the grant and ensure that resources are being utilised appropriately. City Manager Musa Mbhele said the policy has been circulated to internal and external stakeholders for comments. The comments will be reviewed by June 2025 and accordingly included in the draft policy during the finalisation stage of the policy where appropriate. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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