Durban Mayor Cyril Xaba and MEC Martin Meyer clash over unpaid utilities and service disruptions

Political mudslinging between Durban's Mayor, Cyril Xaba, and Public Works and Infrastructure MEC, Martin Meyer, over the thorny issue of unpaid utilities provided by the eThekwini Municipality, is presently on the go.

The recent decision by the municipality to cut off water and electricity at some government buildings, purportedly due to unpaid rates, has had a profound impact, particularly on the transport sector and various essential services across the city.

On Monday, Meyer expressed outrage over the disconnection of utilities, insisting that his department's inability to pay municipal rates stemmed not from mismanagement, but from a long-standing issue of underfunding that has plagued KwaZulu-Natal.

He contended that while his department was actively working on resolutions, including payment plans and budget adjustments, the municipality's approach has instead been politically charged, undermining the legal and administrative obligations surrounding credit control.

Meyer said: “Recently, the municipality disconnected electricity and water to our regional office, a fully paid-up building regarding rates, disrupting essential government services across multiple departments and affecting thousands of residents.

"This conduct is irrational, potentially unconstitutional, and not aligned with lawful credit control.”

He called upon the municipality to apply credit control fairly and emphasised that it should not be manipulated as a political tool against a strategic government asset.

In response, Xaba urged Meyer to address the outstanding debt that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure owed to the municipality, which currently exceeds R500 million.

Xaba refuted Meyer's claims, arguing that the MEC had been aware of this debt long before the public dispute escalated.

Xaba said while Meyer’s department had been vocal about service delivery concerns leading to court actions against the municipality for sewer infrastructure, there exists unresolved debt that could alleviate the very infrastructure challenges that are being highlighted.

“It is unfortunate that the MEC’s party (DA) continues to invoke misrepresentations regarding service delivery while neglecting the importance of their financial obligations to the City,” Xaba asserted.

He accused the DA of launching a misinformation campaign surrounding beach water quality while remaining silent about the significant departmental debt affecting city services and infrastructure improvements.

Meyer hit back by saying that his department was not liable for the utility bills incurred by other government departments.

“Cutting services to our public works buildings due to debts from other departments does not target the correct debtor. It suggests a sinister intention to disrupt government operations and negatively impact the public."

Meyer said over 30 attempts to engage with eThekwini's officials to negotiate a payment plan went unanswered, as the municipality disregarded their efforts to resolve the impasse.

DAILY NEWS