By Fred Felton | Apr. 20, 2026
The eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba
has started a series of consultations with key stakeholders on the Draft
2026/27 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Budget.
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| EThekwini Municipality, led by Mayor, Councillor Cyril Xaba, held its first sector consultation meeting at the Durban ICC, to discuss the Draft IDP/Budget for the 2026/27 financial year. | Photo: Supplied. |
Mayor Xaba engaged with representatives
from the business sector at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention
Centre on 13 April 2026.
There was a big turnout of business
leaders at this session to learn more about the Draft Budget and its possible
impact, while also providing valuable input to the City.
The total Draft Budget for 2026/27 amounts
to a capital allocation of R5.9 billion and an operating budget of R68.8
billion. It’s geared towards building a resilient and inclusive economy that
supports business development and job creation.
‘’Your input is important and critical to
us. It has been a challenging budget to balance, given the global and domestic
economic climate. We have placed a strong focus on upgrading infrastructure,
accelerating service delivery, and investing in catalytic projects,
particularly those that create employment,’’ said Mayor Xaba.
This budget introduced a range of
initiatives aimed at stimulating economic activity and enhancing the ease of
doing business. Key focus areas include infrastructure improvement, support for
small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs), and digital transformation
to modernise Municipal services and improve efficiency.
In partnership with the private sector,
several large-scale developments are underway and these include the Durban Film
City, TradePort expansion initiatives, and various nodal developments. These
projects represent a combined investment value of approximately R217 billion
and are expected to significantly boost the Municipal rates base while also
creating thousands of job opportunities.
After the presentation, stakeholders were
invited to provide feedback. While many welcomed the budget, others raised
concerns relating to tariff increases, road and stormwater infrastructure,
tourism development, the Go! Durban project, and the inclusion of local SMMEs
in procurement processes.
Mayor Xaba reaffirmed the City’s
commitment to working closely with the business sector to unlock economic
opportunities, improve on service delivery, and position eThekwini as a leading
destination for investment.
There will be upcoming engagements with a
variety of sectors in the next weeks. Keep your eyes on the City’s social media
platforms for more information on hearings in your area of eThekwini.
