The eThekwini Municipality has come out strongly to refute recent claims made by the Democratic Alliance (DA), labelling them as “misleading” and “politically motivated.” This follows a DA media briefing on Monday, in which the party accused the City of gross underspending, administrative incompetence, and failure to properly support flood victims.
In a detailed statement, the Municipality reaffirmed its solid financial standing and rejected the narrative of dysfunction. According to the City, under the leadership of City Manager Musa Mbhele, eThekwini continues to rank among the top-performing metros in South Africa with regard to financial management. The City highlighted that National Treasury has allocated an additional R293 million for the 2024/25 financial year, which it views as a vote of confidence in its ability to manage grants and deliver services. “These assertions of underspending are not only misleading but completely disregard our proven track record,” said Mbhele.
As of the 2024/25 financial year, the capital budget expenditure stands at 88%, totalling more than R7 billion. High performance was reported across key departments: Housing (99.27%), Water (107.83%), Sanitation (83.20%), Solid Waste (76.35%), Engineering (94.60%), Electricity (97.25%), Transport (70.67%), and Metro Police (67.98%).
The Municipality added that it has achieved or exceeded targets in its grant expenditure, listing the following figures: Urban Settlements Development Grant (106%), Social Housing Grant (99%), Housing Hostel Refurbishment Grant (140%), Electricity Grant (116%), Transport Grant (207%), Water Grant (92%), Sanitation Grant (95%), and Engineering Grant (77%).
The City said it has implemented extended directorate engagements and special Executive Management Committee sessions to ensure projects are delivered timeously and within budget. “We urge stakeholders not to undermine the significant progress being made. We remain committed to transparent, prudent, and effective financial governance that serves the residents of eThekwini,” said Mbhele.
Addressing complaints from service providers about delayed payments, the Municipality acknowledged that internal processing backlogs have caused some disruptions but said these are being addressed through stronger workflow systems and improved coordination between departments.
The DA’s Monday briefing in Riverhorse Valley centred on the plight of flood victims who were evicted from the Bayside Hotel due to non-payment by the Department of Human Settlements. The party claimed that many vulnerable residents, including women and children, were forced to sleep on the streets for two nights. Thabani Mthethwa, DA eThekwini Caucus Leader, said, “The DA has written to the South African Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector to urgently investigate the neglect of flood victims. This is a human rights violation, and someone must be held accountable.”
Mthethwa said that the City Manager’s office must take responsibility for what he described as a failure of leadership. He also announced that the DA would be tabling several motions of no confidence in the upcoming council meeting on 31July . These include motions against City Manager Musa Mbhele, for alleged collapse in service delivery and stalled flood relief; Mayor Cyril Xaba, for what the DA describes as failure to restore accountability and deteriorating infrastructure; Councillor Mdu Nkosi, Chairperson of the Trading Services Committee, for being “invisible” during the water crisis; and Councillor Themba Mvubu, Chairperson of Human Settlements and Infrastructure, for failing to complete key infrastructure projects and overseeing the Bayside Hotel eviction.
“It is clear that eThekwini needs new leadership. Only the DA can rescue this City,” Mthethwa concluded.
In response, Mbhele dismissed the DA’s actions as political grandstanding. He noted that the issue of the resettlement of flood victims had already been addressed by all spheres of government. He cited several developments communicated by MEC for Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, including that delays in obtaining approvals, to avoid audit findings and irregular expenditure, unfortunately led to the eviction.
Duma reportedly travelled to Gauteng to meet with the national Human Settlements Minister to resolve the matter. Government has already paid R185 million to hotels and self-catering providers for flood victim accommodation. The KZN Human Settlements Department has also engaged with the Human Rights Commission on the matter.
Duma added that government could have constructed houses for some flood victims on identified state-owned land in areas such as Shallcross, but communities chased away contractors. He condemned the “Not in My Backyard” syndrome, saying it was a barrier to rebuilding efforts. He also emphasised that government cannot rebuild homes on unsuitable land that was previously washed away during the floods.
As political tensions rise ahead of the full council meeting at the end of the month, flood relief progress and questions of leadership remain at the centre of eThekwini’s governance debate.
