It will cost an estimated R10 billion to rebuild water, electricity, and solid waste management infrastructure, in eThekwini.
Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, announced a R3.33 billion grant allocation to eThekwini for trading services reforms over the next three years.
This is a performance grant to be used to upgrade water and sanitation, electricity and solid waste management to ensure that trading services are self-sufficient.
Ggugu Sisilana Spokesperson of eThekwini, said the reforms for trading services will initially affect water and electricity for the first year starting in the 2025/26 financial year.
She said the City has also adopted a Water and Sanitation Turnaround Strategy (TAS) and further developed the Business and Investment plan and an Institutional and Governance Reform Road map.
The latter has the six strategic pillars that underpin the reform of EWS into a ring-fenced commercial business unit as echoed by Minister Godongwana in the recent budget speech.
The City said in addition, intends to increase investment into priority capital and operational programmes that will help realize the envisaged financial turnaround as well as stabilise the water and sanitation services to meet customer needs.
“The R3.33bn incentive grant will therefore help the City gear up its existing resources to accelerate the reforms required and reposition the trading services to attract the required investments to improve the business as per the business and investment plans that have been developed for the next five years” she said.