eThekwini councillors are expected to use the Community Infrastructure Projects ward-based municipal budgets programme to fix water pipe leaks, with the number of outstanding repairs escalating daily.
The 111 municipal wards receive a budget of R2 million per year to carry out basic ward-based projects.
Andre Beetge, eThekwini Executive Committee (EXCO) member, said that by the second week of June, open water faults had reportedly climbed to more than 12,000, adding that internal municipal capacity is unable to cope even with major bursts.
On Wednesday, June 10 alone, 199 major bursts were reported, while the central Durban region reportedly had only two plumbers on duty.
This is also compounded by the eThekwini Augmented Plumbers Panel march to the Durban City Hall on Monday, to hand over a memorandum to officials, demanding clarification on two tenders advertised in December 2025.
