eThekwini Municipality extends sludge treatment project deadline to December 2026

The eThekwini Municipality will extend its Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Water Research Commission to December 31, 2026, allowing for the completion of the sludge treatment project and associated deliverables. 

The eThekwini Trading Services Committee report to council, on Wednesday, states that the municipality had a two-year MOA with the commission for the sludge treatment project, which commenced in July 2022.

The project under the MOA supported the municipality's strategy objectives related to environmental sustainability, innovation in waste management, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goals. 

The committee explained in its motivation to the council that the sludge treatment project is a strategic initiative aimed at addressing sludge non-compliance issues while promoting sustainable development and circular economy practices.

It added that the project aligns with national and municipal environmental goals and has the potential to serve as a model for other municipalities. 

The municipality also noted that there were no financial implications associated with the MOA extension because all activities will be completed within the existing budget. The extension will also ensure that the municipality benefits from the research outcomes, including operational efficiencies and staff capacity building. 

The municipality stated that the extension could help complete:

• Commissioning and inspection certificate.
• Monitoring and operations for the period of 12 months.
• Knowledge dissemination workshop.
• Training of eThekwini water and sanitation staff and handover.
• Monitoring and operations report.
• Desktop market analysis. 
• Final project report.

Councillors also gave the municipality the go-ahead to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) to implement community impact projects and support the municipality’s strategic objective in water and sanitation service delivery. 

The areas of focus include:

• Non-revenue water management
• Automated meter reading (AMR) systems
• Pressure management using pressure-reducing valves (PRVs)
• Smart city and digital infrastructure integration 
• Inclusive sanitation and faecal sludge management 
• Vandalism prevention and community behavioural insights
• Automated reading and alternative mitigation solutions
• Tariff modelling tools for equitable water and sanitation pricing 
• GIS mapping for asset management and service coverage analysis

Saul Basckin, ActionSA eThekwini councillor, stressed the need for implementation, not extensions on paper.

“Three years later, not a single cent has been properly utilised. Meanwhile, residents face daily water cuts; water losses are estimated at extremely high levels, and billing errors continue to frustrate households and damage trust,” he said. 

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