Sikhethasikhetha.co.za

Metropolitan municipalityETH· Part of KwaZulu-Natal

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

Executive mayor: Cyril Xaba; ANC
Wards: 112
Council seats: 222
Residents (Census 2022): 4 239 901

Who governs

ANC-led coalition (ANC 96 of 222 seats, with NFP and smaller parties; NFP holds the deputy mayoralty)

ANCNFP

Mayor:dailymaverick.co.za, Sep 2026 Coalition:en.wikipedia.org

2021 local election result

ANC42.1% · 96 seats
DA25.9% · 59 seats
EFF10.5% · 24 seats
IFP7.1% · 16 seats
Independent2.1% · 0 seats
ActionSA1.9% · 4 seats

All wards in Durban111

The big issues

Sewage spills and beach closures
Failing sewer pump stations keep sending raw sewage onto Durban's Golden Mile beaches and into the harbour (e.g. The May 2026 Mahatma Gandhi pump station failure closed three beaches), after a 2025 High Court order forced the city to publish weekly E. Coli results.
Sewage spill forces Durban South Beach closure, 21 May 2026
Flood damage repairs and climate resilience
Three years after the April 2022 floods, key roads, bridges, substations and the uMlazi Canal are still being rebuilt, and residents want to know how the metro will protect informal settlements and infrastructure from the next storm.
How KwaZulu-Natal is rebuilding after the devastating April 2022 floods, 29 Apr 2025
Refuse collection delays
Recurring refuse-collection delays across Durban suburbs are blamed on repeated truck breakdowns and an understaffed, under-resourced Cleansing and Solid Waste unit, with the city promising a second afternoon shift for hotspot areas.
eThekwini Municipality moves to tackle refuse collection challenges, 26 Aug 2026

Municipal website Find your ward and voting station on the IEC site

ANC-led coalition (ANC 96 of 222 seats, with NFP and smaller parties.

Make your next question count.

Choose an issue and copy a clear question for your councillor. Nothing is sent for you.

What needs attention?Street or area (optional)

Hello. I would like an update on water supply in my area, Durban. What is the reference number, which team is responsible, and when should residents expect the next update? Please also share any published repair plan or budget.

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See which parties match your views on the issues facing Durban.

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Your ward

Which ward are you in?

A ward is your part of the municipality, usually a few suburbs or a section of a township. You elect one councillor for it by name.

Durban has 112 wards, numbered 1 to 112.

Or search by suburb or township

Don't know your ward?

The IEC tells you. Check your registration on elections.org.za, or SMS your ID number to 32810, or WhatsApp 0600 88 0000. Your voting station notice also shows it.

elections.org.za ↗

What a ward councillor actually does

Your ward councillor is your ward's voice in the municipal council. Under the Structures Act they represent residents in council, chair the ward committee, run public participation, and tell the community what council decided. The Code of Conduct says councillors must report back to their constituencies at least every quarter. They do not run departments, hire staff, award tenders or give instructions to officials; the Code forbids interfering in the administration, which is led by the municipal manager. Ward committees (sections 72 to 78 of the Structures Act) are the councillor as chair plus up to 10 community representatives who advise on the IDP, the budget and local service problems.

Can do: represent the ward in council, chair the ward committee, hold public meetings, take service complaints to the administration and track the response, give input on the IDP and budget.
Cannot do: employ people, allocate tenders or houses, appoint municipal staff, or directly instruct officials (SALGA, and Code of Conduct item on interference in administration).
Ward committee: councillor plus up to 10 members representing interests in the ward. It advises and communicates; it does not take municipal decisions.
COGTA: the ward committee is council's recognised consultative body for the ward, including on the IDP and the budget process.
Realistic expectations: regular report-back meetings, a working ward committee, complaints logged and followed up with the administration, and clear feedback on what was fixed and what was not.

Seven questions to ask a ward candidate

Ask candidates about the job they are actually applying for. These questions are grounded in the councillor Code of Conduct, the ward committee rules and SALGA's explainer, except where we mark them as our own suggestion.

1. If you are the sitting councillor, how many council and committee meetings did you miss in this term? (Code of Conduct: a councillor must attend every meeting, and missing three in a row means removal.)
2. Do you live in this ward? If not, how will you stay visible and reachable? (The law does not require a councillor to live in the ward, but SALGA says they must remain visible and accessible.)
3. How, and how often, will you report back to residents? (The Code requires a report-back to the constituency at least every quarter.)
4. What exactly will you do about the top three problems in this ward, and which of them can a councillor fix rather than escalate? (SALGA lists water cuts, refuse, sewer spills, potholes and streetlights as things to escalate through a councillor, while the administration does the work.)

Holding the winner to account after 4 November

Go to ward committee and public meetings and ask for the quarterly report-back the Code of Conduct requires. Since November 2021 the Code sits in Schedule 7 of the Structures Act. It says a councillor must attend every council and committee meeting, is removed from office after missing three consecutive meetings, must disclose interests and withdraw from matters where they have one, may not be more than three months in arrears on municipal accounts, and may not interfere in the administration. If you think a councillor broke the Code, complain in writing to the Speaker, who must investigate, give the councillor a chance to reply, report to council in a public report and inform the MEC. Council can warn, reprimand or fine the councillor, or ask the MEC to suspend or remove them. For service failures, log a call with the metro call centre and keep the reference number, then give it to your councillor to follow up. If a ward seat becomes vacant, the MEC must call a by-election within 90 days.

Complaints about a councillor: Speaker's office. The Speaker's report on a breach is open to the public, and council can also set up a special committee to investigate.
Money oversight: every council must have a Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Structures Amendment Act 3 of 2021), and the Auditor-General reports on each municipality's audit outcome every year.
Service complaints: Johannesburg 0860 56 28 74 (0860 JOBURG), 24 hours; Tshwane 012 358 9999 or toll free 080 111 1556; Ekurhuleni 0860 543 000. Always get a reference number.

Why service delivery is about the whole council

Water, electricity, refuse and roads are delivered by the municipality's administration, working to a budget and an Integrated Development Plan that the whole council adopts, so a stable council majority and a capable administration matter more than any one councillor's ideology. The Auditor-General's 2023-24 report says the trend of poor audit outcomes continues and that many municipalities cannot produce credible financial and performance reports, so check your municipality's audit outcome and its finances on National Treasury's Municipal Money site before you vote.

The IDP and the annual budget are council decisions; ward committees and public meetings are where residents feed into them.
The record to check: the Auditor-General's MFMA report for your municipality, and Municipal Money (municipalmoney.gov.za) for income, spending and debt.

Sitting-councillor records use the 2021 ward set and include researched updates. A 2026 ward with the same number can cover a different area. Confirm your 2026 ward with the IEC.

What parties promise for Durban

Specific to this municipality, in the party's own words, with the source. National slogans are left out.

Democratic Alliance

Mayoral candidate: Haniff Hoosen

Declare a 'war on crooked tenders and corruption' in eThekwini.Source 2026-09
Fix the water crisis and repair leaks by bringing in technical experts and ring-fencing water revenue to upgrade pipes.Source 2026-09
Fix potholes, end sewage spills on the beaches, fix streetlights and improve sanitation.Source 2026-09
Run a transparent government that lets residents track service-delivery improvements.Source 2026-09

Economic Freedom Fighters

Mayoral candidate: Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi

Root out corruption and bring administrative competence to the City of eThekwini.Source 2026-09
Improve municipal infrastructure and support industrialisation in the metro.Source 2026-09
Improve service delivery and housing access for vulnerable communities, with grassroots development for the poor and working class.Source 2026-09
Encourage women to take up leadership and decision-making roles in eThekwini's local government.Source 2026-09

uMkhonto weSizwe Party

Mayoral candidate: Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi

Fix water shortages, sewage spills and power failures to restore basic services 'before the city sinks deeper into neglect'.Source 2026-09
Tackle eThekwini's housing shortage and reclaim hijacked buildings.Source 2026-09
Take decisive action to make the municipality safer for residents and businesses alike.Source 2026-09

ActionSA

Mayoral candidate: Zwakele Mncwango

A ten-point plan to fix eThekwini, including insourcing essential municipal services so they do not rely on contractors.Source 2026-08
Conduct lifestyle audits on all eThekwini councillors and protect whistleblowers.Source 2026-08
Convene a Go!Durban summit with stakeholders and transport experts within 30 days and commit no further funding until a full audit is done.Source 2026-08
Reduce eThekwini's water losses and restore basic service delivery and infrastructure.Source 2026-09

Inkatha Freedom Party

Mayoral candidate: Mkhuleko Hlengwa

Run a 'two-horns' eThekwini campaign (Hlengwa with deputy mayoral candidate Sizwe Skhakhane) to restore effective, accountable and people-centred governance to the metro; detailed manifesto due 20 September.Source 2026-08

Only pledges we could source are shown; a party with no entry may simply not have published a local plan yet.

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

Who governs

2021 local election result

The big issues

Sewage spills and beach closures

Flood damage repairs and climate resilience

Refuse collection delays

Make your next question count.

Take the quiz for Durban

Announced mayoral candidates

Billions in irregular and unauthorised spending

ANC-led coalition, corruption scrutiny and the MK surge

Your ward

Which ward are you in?

What parties promise for Durban