eThekwini Municipality beaches

A number of beaches under the eThekwini Municipality have been reopened. Photo: eThekwini Municipality

eThekwini beats Cape Town in service delivery index…by one point

eThekwini Municipality has been independently rated and found to have surpassed Cape Town’s efficiency when it comes to service delivery.

eThekwini Municipality beaches

A number of beaches under the eThekwini Municipality have been reopened. Photo: eThekwini Municipality

eThekwini Municipality has welcomes the latest research findings which suggest that the city has surpassed Cape Town’s service delivery performance, attributing its success to its mayor’s turn-around strategy.

News24’s Out of Order Index findings announced this week, were the outcome of a study conducted across South African municipalities.  The study indicated that of the metros and municipalities researched, eThekwini had led the pack and outperformed Cape Town because of its underspending against its budgeted operating expenditure in the 2018/19 financial year.

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolosi Kaunda said it was heartening that the city’s turnaround strategy, was beginning to yield positive results.  

“Following these findings, the city will continue to accelerate service delivery by multiplying our efforts to usher in a better life for scores of people. We are appealing to our residents to bear with us and join us in making eThekwini a livable city for all,” Kaunda said.

  During the tabling of Budget Policy Statement, Kaunda promised that the City would invest R1 billion of the city’s procurement spend in the township and rural economy by the end of the 2021/22 financial year.  

Over the past five years, the city has built 15 799 houses, rolled out water infrastructure to rural communities and informal settlements within eThekwini, while upgrading existing and replacing aging water infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted water supply.  Households with access to water increased from 898 457 in 2016 to 960 710 in 2021.

Within the period, the municipality had also rolled out electricity bulk infrastructure to new townships and informal settlements to eradicate illegal connections and 1237 kms of access roads were rehabilitated while 94 kms of access roads in rural and township areas were upgraded from gravel to surface.  

During the 2019/20 financial year, the city’s irregular expenditure decreased by more than 54 percent.  This follows the implementation of the city’s ‘Clean Administration and Clean Audit Strategy’ that reinforces clean governance as well as effective and efficient service delivery to communities.  

The municipality also maintained its track record of achieving an unqualified audit opinion.   A recent report by the Global Credit Rating Agency stated that the municipality had improved its credit rating outlook to positive despite the tough economic climate which resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Most of these achievements were part of the data sourced from the Auditor General and Statistics South Africa that the researchers used to arrive at the positive outcome.