Note to editor: These remarks were delivered by ActionSA’s eThekwini Municipality Caucus Leader, Cllr Zwakele Mncwango, during the council debate on the 2025/26 Budget Speech
Honourable Speaker, esteemed councillors, and fellow citizens,
As the representative of ActionSA, I stand before you today to express our party’s concerns and reasons for not supporting the 2025/2026 eThekwini Municipality budget.
While we acknowledge the efforts made by the municipality to address some of the pressing issues facing our city, we cannot in good conscience support a budget that fails to adequately address the needs of our citizens.
Firstly, the proposed tariff increases are excessive and will further burden our citizens who are already struggling to make ends meet.
The 13% increase in water tariffs(while facing 58% water loss is a major) and 11% increase in sanitation tariffs will have a significant impact on low-income households, making it even more difficult for them to access basic services.
Secondly, the budget fails to provide sufficient funding for critical services such as public transport, crime prevention, and land management. The allocation for public transport is insufficient to address the needs of our growing city, and the lack of funding for crime prevention will make the situation worse. Thirdly, the municipality’s financial management is a major concern.
The collection rate is low, revenue is decreasing, while expenditure is increasing. This is unsustainable and will have long-term consequences for the municipality’s financial health.
Furthermore, irregular expenditure continues to increase, which is unacceptable and raises questions about the municipality’s ability to manage its finances effectively.
Moreover, we are concerned about the municipality’s inability to collect debts from other municipalities. Ugu district municipality owes Ethekwini Municipality R37 million, and Umgungundlovu district owes R11.5 million.
It’s unacceptable that the city continues to supply residents of other municipalities while cutting supply to local residents. This lack of prioritization of local residents’ needs is a clear indication of poor financial management and a lack of accountability.
Additionally, the unequal treatment of residents when it comes to payment for services is a concern. We’ve seen instances where some residents are allowed to accumulate large arrears on their accounts without consequence, while others are subjected to strict 60-day non-payment suspension.
This lack of consistency and fairness in the application of the municipality’s policies is unacceptable and creates resentment among those who are paying their dues.
The loss of the Go Durban project grant from National Treasury is also a significant blow to our city’s public transport system.
We are concerned that the municipality failed to adequately motivate for the grant when given the chance, and this lack of foresight and planning will have far-reaching consequences for our city’s economic growth and development.
In light of these concerns, ActionSA cannot support this budget. We believe that the municipality needs to go back to the drawing board and revisit its priorities, ensuring that the needs of our citizens are put first.
We urge the municipality to consider the following:
- Reducing tariff increases to make services more affordable for our citizens.
- Increasing funding for critical services such as public transport, crime prevention, and land management.
- Improving financial management, including increasing the collection rate and reducing irregular expenditure.
- Prioritizing local residents’ needs and ensuring that they are not disadvantaged by the municipality’s financial decisions.
- Developing a comprehensive strategy to address land invasion and unauthorized occupation of land.
- Providing a clear plan to mitigate the impact of losing the Go Durban project grant and exploring alternative funding options.
- Ensuring fairness and consistency in the application of payment policies for all residents
Until these issues are addressed, ActionSA will not support this budget. We believe that our citizens deserve better, and we will continue to hold the municipality accountable for delivering services that meet their needs.
Thank you.
ActionSA Rejects eThekwini 2025/26 Budget Over Excessive Tariffs, Poor Financial Management, and Service Delivery Failures
Until these issues are addressed, ActionSA will not support this budget. We believe that our citizens deserve better, and we will continue to hold the municipality accountable for delivering services that meet their needs.