'I have a plan': Ramaphosa determined to make eThekwini proud again

President Cyril Ramaphosa says fixing governance problems in the eThekwini metro is his top priority as his government attempts to restore the metro to its former glory.

Ramaphosa made the announcement during opening of parliament address at the Cape Town city hall on Thursday.

The city of eThekwini has been marred by service delivery problems with several areas experiencing water and electricity cuts for days on end. The Durban city centre has many dilapidated buildings and piles of uncollected rubbish are a common sight. Tourism numbers are also on the decline as the city council struggles to deal with e.coli in the sea.

But Ramaphosa said this would soon be a thing of the past. 

He said he has already put in place the eThekwini Presidential Working Group “to enhance support from national and provincial government to turn the metro administration around, to fix the problems in water and sanitation, and attract new investment”.

The eThekwini municipality has seen leadership changes after former mayor Mxolisi Kaunda was recalled by the ANC provincial executive committee. He has been replaced by former ANC MP Cyril Xaba.

Outlining the priorities and policies of the seventh administration, Ramaphosa emphasised that growth happens at a local level — adding that municipalities must become both the providers of social services and facilitators of inclusive economic growth while attracting investment.

“As the national government, we have both a constitutional responsibility and a clear electoral mandate to assist municipalities in the effective exercise of their powers and functions.

“We will ensure that the institutional structure and funding model for local government is fit for purpose, and that municipalities are financially and operationally sustainable,” said Ramaphosa. 

He said the government will put in place systems to ensure that capable and qualified people are appointed to senior positions in municipalities, and ensure independent regulation and oversight of the appointment process.

This approach, Ramaphosa added, can encourage businesses to expand and create more jobs in municipal areas. Investors are attracted to cities with reliable and modern infrastructure.

“As an immediate priority, we will bring stability to governance in our metros and restore the delivery of services. We have already begun this work. When I visited eThekwini earlier this year, I met residents, local business leaders and municipal officials who they told me they wanted to work together to build a city that they could be proud of again.”

He said a similar intervention will be extended to other metropolitan cities that face serious challenges so cities become engines of growth and dynamic centres of opportunity.

“In the next five years, working together, drawing on our collective capabilities, we will forge a new, inclusive growth path for South Africa by pursuing a huge investment in infrastructure.

“Significant projects are under way around the country in areas such as transport, roads, water, energy and human settlements.”

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