Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda announced that the 2024 South Africa Governance Performance Index (GPI) has ranked eThekwini Municipality as the third-best performing municipality out of eight in the country.
He revealed this during his State of the City Address at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Tuesday.
Kaunda stated that the GPI results are evidence of the city's improved governance over the years.
"According to GPI performance and citizen sentiments, the city scored an average of 3.5 out of 5. The 2024 GPI has now ranked eThekwini Municipality in position three out of eight metros, a significant improvement from being ranked eighth in 2021," he said. He also highlighted that eThekwini is one of the few municipalities that does not owe money to Eskom.
Furthermore, Kaunda noted a significant decline in unemployment, with the city creating 45,000 new full-time jobs across various sectors.
"The municipality currently boasts the lowest unemployment rate among the country's metros at 22.1%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 32.1%. This confirms that we are indeed a caring and liveable city," he explained.
In terms of security, the municipality has embarked on an aggressive programme to repair and upgrade at least 500 CCTV cameras to assist law enforcement in detecting and preventing crime. Plans are also in place to procure an additional 200 cameras by the end of December, focusing on the beachfront and CBD areas.
Despite significant progress in other areas, Kaunda acknowledged that the municipality continues to face service delivery challenges, including intermittent water and electricity supply, inadequate road infrastructure, and unkempt parks and recreational facilities.
However, he expressed confidence in the ongoing initiatives, including the establishment of a service delivery war room chaired by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, aimed at enhancing the quality of services provided to residents.
Regarding the city's infrastructure, Kaunda noted that the municipality is taking steps to become more climate resilient by building structures capable of withstanding severe weather events and addressing issues of aging infrastructure.
"We have set aside R260 million to upgrade the Hammarsdale Wastewater Treatment Works, and R17 million for the upgrade of the Ohlange Pump Station, with the contractor already on site," he stated.
Kaunda also mentioned efforts to combat infrastructure vandalism, including working with law enforcement to apprehend culprits and enhancing security around critical infrastructure.
To address sanitation blockages and sewer spillages, the city has purchased 16 new jetting machines and expects an additional 28 by August.
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