The eThekwini Municipality's R45 billion debt collection report for April 2026 outlined that household debt makes up the bulk of the debt at R34 billion.
ActionSA has criticisedthe eThekwini Municipality’s debt collection report for April 2026, calling it a cut-and-paste exercise of excuses while debt rises to R45 billion.
According to the Finance Committee report, presented at June’s council meeting, water accounts for 42% of the total debt, while property rates and electricity account for 23% and 14%, respectively. Household debt makes up the bulk of the debt at R34 billion. Also, a total of 3,785 municipal employees owe R77.5 million
The committee stated that this reflects an increase in the number of households struggling to pay their municipal bills. Organs of state, including government departments and parastatals, owe R1.8 billion. The provincial government owes eThekwini R1.2 billion and the national government owes R83 million.
The municipality said the growing arrears debt poses a serious risk to financial sustainability and the service delivery mandate.
