eThekwini Municipality is pursuing extending the special debt relief programme in an attempt to ease the financial burden on residents struggling to pay the major debts they have accrued. The programme will run from November the first to January the thirty first, 2025. In a statement, the municipality said, “Customers who are unable to pay their arrears in full may do so through instalment plans, provided the debt is fully settled by January 31st, 2026.
“Additionally, customers that have accumulated debt from 1 February 2025 to 30 June 2025, must settle the outstanding debt.” If customers are unable to make payments immediately, they may enter into a payment arrangement with the municipality to be completed by June 30, 2026. No interest will be charged on the outstanding balance.
Extending Special debt relief to eThekwini resident is a good path of leadership for local governance. Residents are feeling a heavy burden paying rent and rising bills as regards water and electricity. Another matter is the issue of families having to pay school fees. Parents have to send their children to school and need to balance paying the school fees with paying rates. Making a payment arrangement with the municipal authorities free of interest is a good way to even the odds of debt. Meanwhile there was a revival of approval as the municipality won significant honours at the 2025 Municipal Engineering Excellence Awards.
The eThekwini Municipality has walked away with top honours at the 2025 Municipal Engineering Excellence Awards, earning recognition for three major infrastructure projects that improve access, safety, and climate resilience in communities across Durban. The awards, co-hosted by the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) and Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), were presented in East London on Wednesday at the opening of the annual IMESA Conference and Exhibition. More than 700 engineers and municipal officials attended the event, which celebrates innovation in municipal infrastructure every two years. Tooley described it as “an innovative approach to water-efficient sanitation systems… designed to recover water, energy and nutrients while reducing environmental contamination.” The project is supported by the Gates Foundation, the Water Research Commission, and the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Improving life in eThekwini/Durban through construction of infrastructure through key projects is important to the success of any city. eThekwini region needs improvement in every way. eThekwini Municipality like any other bustling coastal port needs to constantly upgrade infrastructure such as roads, bridges and pipes for the public. The IMESA Conference is held every year to usher in a new era in terms of engineering. This is especially true of upgrading infrastructure. The city needs constant monitoring of its roads, bridges and the delivery of fresh water at all times. The IMESA is a key event for South African local regions to also expose flaws in the infrastructure of various cities. Although this is rarely done. All in all, eThekwini region/ Durban Metro did a fantastic job as regards to its own municipality overall.
There is still more that needs to be done but the city has improved.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
