The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini welcomes the adoption of the Special Debt Relief Programme during yesterday’s Special Sitting of Council. The programme will allow qualifying residents and businesses to receive a 50% write-off on municipal debt, provided they pay the remaining balance in full.
While this initiative is not without its flaws, we supported it because our residents are struggling under the weight of systemic municipal failures, failures they did not cause. For years, communities have suffered from broken meters, inaccurate billing, and unresolved leaks, all while receiving little to no support or recourse from the municipality.
This has eroded public trust and pushed households to the brink. Now, to access assistance, they are expected to come up with 50% of their arrears, effectively turning survival into a policy condition. We believe this cannot be where the conversation ends.
Importantly, this initiative is in line with the DA’s February 2025 proposal, which called on the Municipality to investigate the viability of implementing the debt relief programme on a permanent basis. At the very least, we urged the City to offer a longer fixed-term rollout to ensure that all deserving residents are afforded a fair opportunity to benefit.
The current programme is only open until 30 June 2025, coinciding with the end of the financial year. This short timeframe is wholly inadequate, especially considering the administrative inefficiencies and the widespread lack of communication on the ground. The DA demands that the programme be bolstered with a clear, multilingual public education campaign, trained staff, and proper support mechanisms to reach those most in need.
At the Finance Committee level, the DA made it clear that no resident should be forced to enter into a payment agreement based on inaccurate or unlawful billing. The DA will not stand by while families are strong-armed into covering costs arising from the City’s own administrative failures. We have a broken city! With an incompetent City Manager!
It is also disappointing that the Minority Front chose to abstain from voting on this item, an initiative that directly impacts the very working-class communities they claim to represent.
As much as this short-term debt relief is welcomed, we will not be fooled! The DA is the only party with a credible plan to govern and rescue eThekwini.