President Cyril Ramaphosa: Presidential eThekwini Working Group Meeting with Stakeholders

Ministers,
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Thami Ntuli,
MECs,
Mayor of eThekwini, Mr Cyril Xaba,
Councillors,
Representatives of business and labour,
Officials,
Colleagues, 

It is a privilege to join you once again under the auspices of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group. 

Thank you to the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry for inviting us to collectively take stock of our achievements, confront continuing challenges and launch the second phase of our partnership. 

When we first met in early 2024, we were navigating uncertainty. Confidence was fragile. Service delivery challenges were acute. The future of eThekwini required urgent, coordinated action. 

Today, we gather in a changing context. 

After two years of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group, there are tangible signs that the decline has been arrested, that stability has taken root and that recovery is underway. 

The latest findings of the Durban Business Confidence Index tell an important story. Business confidence now stands at the highest level recorded since the index was established. 

This is the result of strong political leadership, administrative stability and all three spheres of Government coming together on a united mission. 

It is the result of the insistence of all social partners that eThekwini must work. 

In tourism, we have witnessed a remarkable recovery. 

I understand that during the recent festive season, eThekwini welcomed nearly 1.2 million visitors, a significant increase from the previous year. 

Occupancy rates rose to 77 percent. Tourism spend reached R2.7 billion. 

Durban is once again a destination of choice. 

In manufacturing, confidence rose by nearly 16 percent quarter-on-quarter. This matters deeply in a city that is home to the second-largest manufacturing sector in the country and whose prosperity is intrinsically linked to the Port of Durban. 

I welcome the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality’s Council approval of the Partnerships Framework in September 2025. 

This framework establishes a transparent, legally compliant system for public-private collaboration on infrastructure and catalytic projects. 

We have always maintained that water security in the metro is foundational to economic growth. 

Critical projects, like the Southern Aqueduct Upgrade, are under construction. 

Bulk dam levels remain stable. 

The structural reform of metro trading services in eThekwini is advancing.

There has been improved coordination during high-risk periods, enhanced CCTV coverage and better integrated safety planning. 

These improvements enhance investor confidence and strengthen the rule of law. 

Transnet has completed repairs to the Umlazi Canal, a critical intervention protecting the South Durban Basin’s industrial infrastructure. 

While we applaud this progress, stabilisation is not the same as transformation. 

Two-thirds of surveyed business leaders still believe that service delivery complaints may not be resolved in a reasonable timeframe. 

Environmental management, roads and water remain areas of concern. 

Non-revenue water stands at 55 percent, far above acceptable benchmarks. This represents lost revenue, lost capacity and lost opportunity. 

The second phase of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group will therefore focus on economic development. 

Through the Partnerships Framework we must unlock infrastructure investment at scale. 

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition will need to play a greater role in the Working Group as we confront illicit trade, dumping and industrial vulnerability. 

If eThekwini is to compete with other metros, we must reduce friction in development planning, accelerate approvals and reform cost structures that deter investment. 

A reform agenda in this area will form a central part our efforts in the second phase. 

Derelict and hijacked buildings in the city centre undermine tourism, reduce property values and affect investor confidence. 

Addressing problem buildings is not merely about enforcement. It is about enabling redevelopment, incentivising investment and restoring dignity to the urban core. 

This next phase will require capacity. 

I am happy to announce that the National Business Initiative will support the establishment of the Independent Public-Private Partnership Office within the City Manager’s office with technical expertise. 

We will continue to embed the Working Group’s approach within the District Development Model to ensure sustainability beyond direct Presidential oversight. 

We have always understood that partnership must be mutual. 

Government must create certainty, enforce standards and remove obstacles. 

Business must invest, innovate and uphold the highest standards of compliance and social responsibility. 

All social partners must be ready to play their part.

Colleagues, 

Two years ago, eThekwini stood at a precipice. 

Today, it stands at a threshold. 

The green shoots are visible in tourism numbers, business confidence, revenue performance and infrastructure projects underway. 

But we must not confuse early recovery with guaranteed success. 

The work ahead requires discipline. It requires courage. It requires partnership. 

The extension of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group – as requested by the social partners – is both a vote of confidence and a recognition that the journey is not yet complete. 

Together, we can move eThekwini from stabilisation to catalytic growth. 

Together, we can protect its industrial base, modernise its infrastructure, secure its water future and restore its urban core. 

And together we can ensure that eThekwini once again stands as a gateway to the continent, and as a beacon of resilience, partnership and shared prosperity. 

I thank you.