The South African city where 65% of water is lost, and municipal debt stands at R49 billion

Concerns are being raised regarding the current governance situation affecting the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

Covering the city of Durban and its surrounding areas, eThekwini is one of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities created at the turn of the millennium.

With a population of 4.2 million as of the 2022 national census, it is the third-largest metro in South Africa by population.

It has been facing an escalating water crisis in recent years, with estimates that it was losing 21 billion litres of water every month as of June 2026.

This represents a 65% loss of the municipality’s water, up from 48.9% in 2021, with 13,000 active leaks across the city left unattended.

The reported financial cost of water losses in eThekwini reached R2.9 billion in 2024/25, while spending on water tankers has grown from R102.6 million to R814.8 million in five years.

In April 2023, eThekwini introduced a water turnaround strategy to address the growing water crisis. By that time, water losses in the city had already reached 58%.

Former National Assembly Member Haniff Hoosen called on eThekwini executive mayor Cyril Xaba to suspend Executive Director for Technical Services, Ednick Msweli.

Msweli previously served as the Director of Water and Sanitation Services and deputy head of eThekwini Water and Sanitation during the city’s current administration.

“The administration knew the condition of the water system and had five years to act,” Hoosen said. “Instead, losses rose, and infrastructure deteriorated, while residents paid more for less.”

“That’s why we called for the suspension of the Head of Water and Sanitation, Mr Ednick Msweli, so that the department’s performance can be properly accounted for.”

Msweli was promoted to his current position in November 2025, overseeing multiple municipal directorates under the Technical Services Department, including Water and Sanitation.

Meanwhile, registered civil engineer Siyanda Mwelase took over as Director of the Water and Sanitation Directorate on 1 August 2026.

Aside from water, the city’s financial situation has been brought under scrutiny, as eThekwini’s municipal debtors grew from R15.9 billion in 2021 to R49 billion.

During the same period, its irregular expenditure rose to R4.48 billion, representing an increase of 482% since the current administration took office in 2021.

Major infrastructure and public transport issues remain unsolved, with the Go! Durban public transport network set to soft launch next month after 15 years of delays and R9 billion spent.