The eThekwini Municipality approved a massive R75.3 billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year on Friday.
The council passsed the budget alongside several steep tariff increases.
From July 1, 2026, residents will pay 9% more for electricity and 2% more for property rates.
Domestic water costs will spike by 12%, while business water increases by 13%.
Sanitation tariffs will rise by 8% for residents and 9% for businesses. Refuse removal will also increase by 9.5%.
ANC Councillor Bheki Mngwengwe acknowledged that the ruling party has sometimes failed to meet public expectations.
“We have heard the frustrations of our people,” Mngwengwe said at the council meeting.
“We are restoring the capacity of the state to deliver.”
Mngwengwe said the new budget prioritises housing, improved public transport, and better engineering services.
“The budget must be implemented with zero tolerance for waste and underperformance.”
DA eThekwini Caucus Leader Thabani Mthethwa said his party rejected the budget.
Mthethwa said crumbling infrastructure continues to harm local communities. He said residents face constant water leaks, prolonged outages, and sewage spills on streets and beaches.
“Uncollected debt has increased by almost R1bn in the past two months,” Mthethwa said.
“It now exceeds R45.4bn, more than 50% of the municipality’s newly adopted budget.
“The DA has no confidence in its handling of this new budget.”
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba defended the city’s progress.
Xaba said he inherited major structural challenges when he took office two years ago. These problems included inner-city decay, crime, high youth unemployment, and ageing water infrastructure.
“My administration did not look away from these realities,” he said.
“We confronted them. I can report that the trajectory of eThekwini has fundamentally changed.”
Nabob News
