EThekwini Municipality Executive Committee Decisions
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Date: 2025-06-17 16:20:12

EThekwini Municipality Executive Committee Decisions

ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
17 JUNE 2025
 
ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DECISIONS
 
The Executive Committee (EXCO) held a meeting today, 17 June. Several resolutions were adopted to accelerate implementation and respond to current challenges facing the Municipality. 
 
These reports will proceed to Full Council for final approval.
 
*WATER AND SANITATION UNIT TO ENHANCE WATER MANAGEMENT MEASURES*
 
The City’s Water and Sanitation Unit will be intensifying measures to enhance water management through various initiatives. This includes installing strategic Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs) in key network zones.
 
Management from the Water and Sanitation Unit presented their action plan to the Executive Committee today, 17 June.
 
PRVs help to manage pressure effectively and reduce incidents of bursts and leaks which results in excessive water losses.
The plan is in line with the Water Turnaround Strategy that seeks to reduce non-revenue water until it reaches acceptable standards.
 
Other initiatives on the action plan include maintenance of PRVs, restrictor installation, to rehabilitate and refurbish district metered areas, performance-based contracts for leak detection and repairs, and installing data loggers and trunk main pressure sensors.
 
These initiatives are at the procurement process.
 
*RENEWAL OF MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS*
 
The City will enter into a new three-year strategic Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with academic institutions for the purpose of pursuing a common developmental research agenda for the use of evidence-based research for policy development and transformation for improved service delivery.
 
The Executive Committee granted authority for the City Manager to enter into a new three-year partnership with the Durban University of Technology (DUT), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of South Africa (UNISA), to commence with effect from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028.
 
Supporting the MoA, Chairperson of the Governance and Human Capital Committee Councillor Nkosenhle Madlala said the agreement will position eThekwini as a responsive and learning-oriented City.
 
“It is through such partnerships that we will be able to co-create solutions to our most complex developmental challenges, while ensuring that our policies are grounded in rigorous research and real world insight,” he said.
 
Parties are to contribute funding jointly to facilitate priority research deemed strategic and collaborative. The co-funding model will form basis of shared responsibility using the ratio 1:1.
 
The financial contribution by the Municipality will be as follows:
2025/26 financial year: R500 000
2026/27 financial year: R1 000 000
2027/28 financial year: R 1 500 000.
 
Two committees will be established to achieve effectiveness under this partnership, namely the Research and Operations Committee and the Steering Committee.
 
ENDS
Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Communications and Marketing Directorate.