DA and eThekwini Municipality clash over unpaid R500 million rates bill
A legal showdown is looming between KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure Martin Meyer MEC and eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba over R500 million unpaid rates bill.
Image: IOL Graphics / Independent Newspapers
A FIERCE standoff over a R500 million unpaid municipal rates bill between the DA-led KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the ANC-led eThekwini Municipality is escalating into a legal showdown.
Last week, the municipality took the drastic step of cutting off water and electricity to provincial government offices, demanding full payment of the outstanding debt. The move disrupted critical services, particularly at Transport licensing centres, drawing sharp criticism from Public Works MEC Martin Meyer.
Meyer slammed the city's actions as unreasonable, arguing that his department had already proposed a structured payment plan.
“The city’s demand of full settlement was unreasonable since his department had offered to pay the debt in terms,” he said.
The dispute took a political turn on Monday when eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba accused the DA of hypocrisy. He pointed out that while the party criticizes the municipality for service delivery failures, it remains silent on the Public Works Department’s failure to pay its dues.
“It is unfortunate that the DA continues to raise concerns about poor service delivery, and has recently taken the municipality to court over sewer infrastructure, while its own deployee in government is delaying to settle municipal debt that would help alleviate the very infrastructure challenges it complains about,” said Xaba.
“At this moment, DA Executive Committee members in eThekwini are running a misinformation campaign regarding beach water quality results, which are conducted by credible scientists, yet their silence is deafening regarding the money owed to the city by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. These funds could significantly improve our infrastructure. We call on the DA to be truthful and honest with the public,” he added
Xaba urged DA members in the city’s Executive Committee to help persuade the department to urgently settle the debt.
In response, Meyer accused the mayor of politicizing the issue and emphasized that the debt was inherited from previous administrations.
“My department was working every day to address the historical debt that has accumulated over many years, long before this administration took office,” he said.
He warned that if the municipality continues to reject the proposed payment plan, legal action would be considered. Meyer revealed that he and the department’s head, Dr Vish Govender, had reached out over 30 times to the mayor, municipal manager, and CFO to negotiate a resolution, but were met with refusal.
“The city’s conduct is irrational, potentially unconstitutional, and not aligned with lawful credit control. Credit control must be fairly applied and not used as a political weapon,” Meyer stated.
He further revealed that, “On 28 November 2025, we formally declared an Intergovernmental Dispute under the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act. This is a legally mandatory process for resolving disputes between organs of state, however, eThekwini has chosen to ignore it entirely, in direct violation of the Constitution. This leaves us with no choice but to consider our options further.”