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eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba is trying to lead a turnaround, but the city faces spiralling debt and a billing crisis.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba is talking it up, and who can blame him?
The man at the helm of a city hobbled by corruption is putting his best foot forward, trying to build trust with citizens fed up with crooks.
Last week, Xaba passed a R70.9-billion budget, and his recent speeches to council and business have been measured and optimistic.
Xaba, constantly drilled by ratepayers, is basking in a bit of glory after Durban successfully pulled off a host of big sporting events, which saw the city spruce up and the metro police out in full force.
But while the mayor’s reassuring language is laden with mollifying words about National Treasury prescripts and the virtues of consequence management, he is in the spotlight.
The city’s public relations machine aims to signal competency and accountability, distancing Xaba from the ineptitude and looting that have come to characterise the municipality.
The jury’s out on how much difference Xaba has made since he was parachuted into the top job a year ago.
His installation coincided with a provincial intervention in the city headed by former city manager Mike Sutcliffe and former presidential director-general Cassius Lubisi.
A month before their arrival, President Cyril Ramaphosa established a working group in response to business concerns about city failures.
And, a year before that, the city launched a turnaround strategy.
So, while First Citizen Cyril is trying hard, ratepayers, business and opposition parties are concerned that the city is sliding deeper into debt. Not everyone likes Xaba’s numbers, especially tariff increases.
- The average property rate increase is 5.9%;
- Electricity is up by 12.72%;
- Water is up by 13% for residents and 14% for businesses;
- Sanitation is up by 11%; and
- Solid waste is up by 9%.
Click here to read the full article by Greg Ardé of the Daily Maverick.