Residents in parts of Durban have told IOL they are tired of leaking pipes, poor sanitation and long waits for housing. Their complaints come as the ANC fights to keep eThekwini in the local government elections on 4 November 2026.
The ANC lost its outright council majority in the municipality in 2021. The contest covers all 112 wards in eThekwini, according to IOL.
“Every election we are told there is a scheme being built and our names are on the list. When we follow up we are told the housing schemes are being built in phases,” Vincent Mpanza told IOL. Mpanza lives in the Boxwood informal settlement.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa campaigned in eMaGabheni, south of Durban, on 28 October. He said infrastructure work would address water shortages and that tankers were providing temporary relief.
“We are sorting out the bulk water issues and installing pipes,” Ramaphosa said. He also said he was confident the ANC could regain a council majority.
Mpanza also complained about broken pipes, wasted water and delays in repairing an ablution block. Ndumiso Ngobese, from Kenville, raised concerns about electricity outages, poor ablution facilities and families without enough income.
Sea Cow Lake resident Ernest Phakathi said water supply problems, rising municipal bills and unemployment were his reasons for being unhappy with the ANC. Durban resident Razia Shaik accused politicians of only being visible in communities during election campaigns.
Louie Perumal, who has lived in Kenville for 50 years, said there had been little development. Perumal urged ANC leaders to visit communities and see the conditions for themselves.
“The municipality cannot attend to a water pipe leak timeously. It is ridiculous and concerning the amount of water being wasted,” Perumal said.
Ward 34 includes Greenwood Park, Effingham, Kenville, Redhill, Avoca and Sea Cow Lake. The DA won the ward in 2011 and kept it in 2016 and 2021.
After DA councillor Bobby Maharajh resigned, independent candidate Andrew Akkers won the by-election in August 2024. According to the IEC, Akkers took 43.93% of the vote, with turnout at 25.91%. The MK Party came second with about 19%, the ANC had about 18% and the DA about 15%.
Akkers said he had set up service delivery groups in Kenville and Sea Cow Lake. He said he met informal settlement leaders often and followed up with municipal departments on housing and sanitation.
Akkers admitted that a councillor could not fix the housing crisis alone. He told IOL he had been announced as ActionSA’s Ward 34 candidate, but had not yet formally joined the party.
Anil Beekrum chairs the Kenville and Sea Cow Lake Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association and also the DA’s Ward 34 branch. Beekrum also criticised falling service standards and housing promises that were not kept.
In Ward 71 in Chatsworth, the ANC’s Previn Vedan won the seat from the DA in a 2018 by-election with 45.70% of the vote. The seat went back to the DA in 2021.
Vedan now leads the ANC branch there and is not standing in this election. Vedan is backing Mxolisi Wilson Thobela as the party’s ward candidate.
“Residents want more than promises. They want representatives who listen, engage the relevant authorities, and remain involved until problems are properly addressed,” Vedan said.
Thobela said the party needed to admit its shortcomings. “Where mistakes have been made, they must be acknowledged and corrected,” Thobela said.
Ward results are only part of the count, as support on the separate proportional representation ballot also adds to council seats. If no party wins an outright majority, agreements between parties will decide who leads the municipality, IOL reported.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.