Latest news with #eThekwiniFinanceCommittee
IOL News
5 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
R820 million tender awards spark concerns in eThekwini Municipality
Concerns were raised at a recent eThekwini Municipality council meeting after R820 million was disbursed in public tender awards for June 2025. Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers Concerns were raised at a recent eThekwini Municipality council meeting after R820 million was disbursed in public tender awards for June 2025. In a report presented by the eThekwini Finance Committee, concerns were expressed on the increased utilisation of Section 36 awards of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Regulations for June. The municipality stated that there were plans in place to reduce these appointments by having a panel of service providers for unforeseen circumstances and catastrophic events. The report also noted that some councillors raised concerns that the percentage of tenders awarded to youth, disabled, and women-owned businesses was low for June. 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. 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. Advertisement 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. 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 ✕ The municipality stated that interventions were being made through data analysis and procurement planning to ensure that all categories were represented. The report stated that there were improvements, with further interventions to be implemented in the 2025/26 financial year. At a council meeting, councillors noted that where information is available for wards and registration numbers, it is included in the report, as information used to compile the report is taken from submissions made by the units. Councillors were also informed that the city manager reserves the right to investigate the awards to take disciplinary, criminal, and recovery actions where wilful and negligent violations of SCM policies and Municipal Finance Management Act provisions are observed. Zwakele Mncwango, ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal leader, stated at the council meeting that he was concerned that the Section 36 SCM awards process was being abused. 'There is an increase in this process even in cases where it cannot be justified why the normal procedure was not followed. The accounting officer must explain the rationale and how, in the future, we must avoid the abuse of Section 36. More attention needs to be paid to this process,' he said. Sithembiso Mzimela, ANC and eThekwini Ward 40 councillor, described the report as transparent and provided accountability on the tender award details at the finance committee. Mzimela said he saw nothing wrong with the report presented.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Durban's water crisis: Communities demand action amid soaring distribution losses
While Durban communities grapple with prolonged water outages the eThekwini Municipality has recorded a 57,81% in water distribution losses in its April 2025 financial report. Image: Paballo Thekiso While Durban communities grapple with prolonged water outages the eThekwini Municipality has recorded a 57.81% in water distribution losses In an eThekwini Finance Committee, April 2025, report the municipality stated that this loss was above the norm which is 15 to 30%. The municipality blamed illegal water connections, ageing infrastructure and damage to infrastructure due to the floods. On Thursday, the Reservoir Hills Ratepayers Association (RHRA) demanded immediate action and responses concerning the ongoing and unresolved water supply failures that have affected large parts of Clare Estate and Reservoir Hills. This included an outage on 5 May 2025, which left surrounding communities without water for extended periods. Yogesh Naidoo, Director of RHRA stated that failures are not isolated or unforeseen. Naidoo stated that between 9 January 2025 and 29 January 2025, RHRA issued multiple urgent notices to the municipality detailing: •Over 60 burst pipes reported within days •Repeated supply disruptions, some exceeding 10 days •Failed or substandard repairs leading to immediate re-bursts •Lack of skilled personnel, Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) regulations, and basic resources (e.g. backfill and asphalt) •Nightly cut-offs allegedly linked to the Sherwood 3 Reservoir without public explanation •Total breakdown of the municipality's complaint logging and response systems (call centre, WhatsApp app). 'Dating from January 2025,the Water and Sanitation Department has repeatedly ignored or inadequately responded to warnings by the ratepayers and ward 23 Councillor Alicia Kissoon,' he said. Naidoo said that despite these documented failures, including requests to inspect PRVs and commission unutilised infrastructure built at public expense, no substantive response or action plan has ever been received by RHRA. Naidoo said that the RHRA demanded a comprehensive report outlining The specific cause of the 5 May 2025 outage The current operational status of Sherwood 3 Reservoir and Wiggins Waterworks Details of any planned repairs, scheduled upgrades, or supply interruptions The name and contact details of the senior official responsible for this infrastructure A detailed log of all reported pipe bursts and unresolved complaints in Ward 23 from 1 January 2025 to date, including steps taken. Meanwhile, concerned resident Musaddiq Ebrahim said that the Bonela and Chesterville community had been experiencing water outages with some days having no supply at all. Ebrahim said the community is at breaking point which led to residents of Chesterville, who are also connected to the same reservoir, resorting to blocking the N2 freeway on multiple occasions out of frustration.
