In an effort to strengthen international ties, eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cyril Xaba, recently visited India to participate in the Kerala Urban Conclave. The gathering brought together mayors, ministers, urban planners, business leaders, and academics to discuss urban development challenges.
Mayor Xaba used the platform to call for enhanced urban planning, emphasizing the need to accelerate service delivery and create liveable conditions for vulnerable communities. He highlighted that rapid urbanisation and recurring disasters must be a top priority for cities. Xaba noted that rapid migration to urban areas often results in settlements in undeveloped zones, which increases disaster vulnerability. He stressed that cities must reassess their approach to informal settlements and work towards creating more habitable environments.
During his visit, Xaba emphasised the value of knowledge sharing to overcome service delivery hurdles, pointing to significant technological advancements in some developing cities. He engaged in discussions with fellow mayors on technological innovations to enhance water, sanitation, and waste management services and visited a local landfill site to examine the city’s industrial waste treatment, recycling, and disposal practices.
“By learning from each other, we can harness technology to boost quality service delivery and improve the ease of doing business,” he said.
