DURBAN – The eThekwini Municipality’s attempt to overturn a court order requiring it to repair and maintain sewer infrastructure has been dismissed by the High Court.
A full bench of the High Court rejected the municipality’s appeal on 30 September, upholding a December ruling that requires eThekwini to repair broken sewage infrastructure, publish weekly beach E. coli test results and warn communities about pollution hazards.
The DA, which brought the original court case, said the municipality chose to spend money fighting the ruling rather than allocating funding to repair infrastructure.
The December court order was secured after the DA took eThekwini to court over sewage flowing into communities, rivers and the ocean. The municipality’s beaches have been repeatedly affected by pollution.
The DA has called for immediate implementation of the court order, a public repair timetable and full disclosure of legal costs incurred in challenging the ruling.
Water losses reach 65%
The sewerage crisis is one of several service delivery challenges facing the municipality. Water losses have reached approximately 65% by June 2026, up from 48.9% in 2021, according to municipal data. This amounts to approximately 21 billion litres of water lost every month.
There are around 13 000 active unattended leaks across the city. The reported financial cost of water losses reached approximately R2.9 billion in 2024/25.
Spending on water tankers has grown from R102.6 million to R814.8 million, according to municipal figures.
Infrastructure and financial challenges
The municipality reported 2 368 sewer faults in January. Electricity losses hit 25.2% according to a recent reconciliation audit.
Municipal debtors have grown from approximately R15.9 billion in 2021 to R49 billion, according to the latest financial report. Irregular expenditure has risen to R4.48 billion, a 482% increase since 2021.
DA rejects salary increases
In September, the DA rejected a proposal to increase salary limits for eThekwini’s city manager and executive directors by R3.1 million per year. The party voted against the measure at a full council meeting on 7 September.
ALSO READ: DA opposes R3.1m salary hikes for eThekwini top officials amid service crisis
DA eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen said residents should not fund higher salaries whilst enduring water cuts, power outages and crumbling infrastructure.
In 2023, council approved raising City Manager Musa Mbhele’s total package to R3.9 million. This decision drew opposition and remains under scrutiny by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance.
The municipality approved a 4.75% general salary increase for all employees in July, in line with the national collective agreement.
The eThekwini Municipality is governed by an ANC-IFP-EFF coalition. Local government elections are scheduled for 4 November.
