Bela-bela: eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has called on residents to pay for municipal services to help sustain service delivery and maintain infrastructure. Xaba made the appeal while presenting the eThekwini Municipality's proposed R74.7 billion 2026/27 Budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) during a public engagement at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, south of Durban.
According to South African Government News Agency, the mayor urged residents facing financial difficulties to engage the municipality and make payment arrangements. He emphasised that payment for municipal services is critical to sustaining operations and maintaining infrastructure. 'As the municipality, we do not produce water ourselves. We purchase it from uMngeni-uThukela Water at a cost of R250 million every month and distribute it to residents. Similarly, we buy electricity in bulk from Eskom and supply it to communities. If residents do not honour their accounts, we risk being unable to maintain existing infrastructure and expand services to new developments,' Xaba said.
The mayor outlined a range of social relief measures aimed at assisting struggling ratepayers. He said residential properties valued at up to R350 000 will be fully exempt from paying rates. Additional relief will also be available, upon application, to owners of properties valued between R350 000 and R750 000, provided total household income does not exceed R7 000 per month. 'Pensioners, child-headed households, disability grant recipients, and medically boarded property owners would also qualify for rates exemptions, where their annual rates do not exceed the maximum rebate threshold of R5 290,' the mayor said.
As part of the social relief package, qualifying households will receive the first six kilolitres of water free to properties valued below R350 000, while properties valued up to R350 000 will also be exempt from domestic refuse removal tariffs.
Xaba also announced several key service delivery projects planned for wards in Umlazi: R3.7 million for housing and hostel construction in Ward 78; R23 million for replacement of a waste management compaction unit in Ward 80; R3.2 million for a housing project in Ward 81; R4.3 million for refurbishment of the Umlazi Fire Station in Ward 82; R15.2 million for traffic safety improvements and the Griffiths Mxenge Highway intersection upgrade in Ward 82; R3.5 million for construction of a pedestrian bridge in Ward 83; R24 million for housing and hostel development in Ward 83; R4.5 million for construction of the Umlazi Community Hall in Ward 84; and R14 million for sanitation infrastructure repairs in the Y-Section of Ward 86.
The mayor said the municipality would continue addressing challenges related to electricity, roads, housing, water, and sanitation infrastructure, including implementing a coordinated plan to tackle sewer system issues across all wards. Residents are invited to review the draft budget and IDP on the municipality's website https://www.durban.gov.za and submit comments via email to [email protected].