After weeks of frustration over unpaid invoices and a lack of communication, eThekwini Water and Sanitation contractors gathered outside the department’s customer service offices on Thursday, 9 July, threatening to shut down operations unless senior management addressed their concerns.
The contractors, who previously handed over a memorandum of demands to the City, said the meeting marked the first time they had been given an opportunity to engage directly with senior officials.
The engagement was attended by acting Head of Water and Sanitation, Bavna Soni, who represented Head of Department Ednick Msweli, and Deputy Head Lungi Cele. The officials listened to the contractors’ grievances and explained the department’s current procurement process for plumbing work.
One of the contractors’ primary concerns was the non-payment of outstanding invoices. They said invoices had been submitted both manually and through the municipality’s online system but that they had received neither payment nor feedback.
The contractors recently compiled and submitted a consolidated list of outstanding invoices. During the meeting, officials assured them that the list would be reviewed and that outstanding payments would be processed.
Another issue raised was the appointment of five managing contractors responsible for allocating plumbing work to subcontractors.
The contractors argued that they had never been informed of the requirements imposed by the managing contractors, despite being registered, compliant and fully qualified to carry out Metro plumbing work. They claimed that many job opportunities had instead been awarded to other contractors.
Municipal officials explained that the current managing contractors had been appointed on contracts ranging from six to 12 months and outlined the procurement procedures currently being followed by the department.
To improve communication, the department agreed to engage directly with three elected contractor representatives on matters affecting the broader group. Officials also indicated that when plumbing work becomes available, registered contractors will be contacted directly through their companies.
While welcoming the engagement, the contractors said they would closely monitor whether the department honours the commitments made during the meeting, particularly regarding the payment of outstanding invoices and the fair allocation of future work opportunities.
