eThekwini municipality has allocated about R10bn to rebuild water, electricity and solid waste management infrastructure.
This came as finance minister Enoch Godongwana announced a R3.33bn grant to the metro for trading services reforms in the next three years.
eThekwini municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the money would be used to upgrade water and sanitation, electricity and solid waste management to ensure that trading services are self-sufficient.
“The reforms for trading services will initially affect water and electricity for the first year starting in the 2025/26 financial year. With respect to the eThekwini water and sanitation unit, the city has adopted a water and sanitation turnaround strategy and further developed the business and investment plan and an institutional and governance reform road map,” she said.
Sisilana said the municipality had six strategic pillars which underpin the reform of the water and sanitation unit, as reported by Godongwana in his recent budget.
These are:
1. Institutionalisation of single point of accountability
2. Acquisition of management, technical and change leadership capabilities
3. Improvement of governance model
4. Financial ring-fencing of water and sanitation business unit
5. Improving budget execution rate and catalyse the flow of private and international long-term financing for water and sanitation
6. Augmentation of management capacity through a performance-based management contract.
Sisilana said the turnaround strategy, as adopted by the council, is in progress, with 22% of the goals achieved.
“As the city aligns its budget priorities, the additional funds will be directed to the water and sanitation unit, programmes to reduce water losses, improve customer call centre systems, water metering as well as intermittent water supply while reducing inefficiencies in all operations.”
ActionSA leader in KwaZulu-Natal Zwakele Mncwango said the allocations bode well for the city, provided the funds and programmes were governed properly.
“It is a good move if they are not going to steal that money because the city always sets aside budget for projects but the problem is the mismanagement of funds. If the city were to enforce good governance, we would see how each and every cent is spent,” said Mncwango.
IFP caucus leader in the metro Mdu Nkosi also welcomed the move, saying the money would go a long way towards addressing the city's ageing infrastructure.
“It is important for municipalities to look after their infrastructure because, if they do so, they are able to render efficient services to the people and also to attract investors,” said Nkosi. “The city also needs to look at redesigning its roads and drainage systems to mitigate the impact of floods claiming lives.”
**TimesLIVE**