New wastewater treatment works to be built in Umdloti and Umkomaas, eThekwini Municipality confirms

The eThekwini Municipality is set to construct new multi-billion rand wastewater treatment works in the Umdloti and Umkomaas areas, demonstrating its commitment to addressing the city’s sewage infrastructure challenges. This project will be constructed in terms of a public-private partnership.

Russell Curtis of Invest Durban spoke recently about the investment, telling business people and delegates attending the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference that a private investor is set to provide close to R2.4 billion for the wastewater works project in Durban.

The conference attracted a significant number of pledges for investment, with numerous individual investment commitments coming to Durban and the KwaDukuza municipalities. The investment has been welcomed by opposition parties, who stated that such infrastructure is key to improving sanitation in the city.

City spokesperson Gugu Sisilana provided details of the planned project.

“The reference made during the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference relates to the new Umdloti and Umkomaas Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project for the construction of new regional wastewater treatment works. A tender has been issued for the design, building, financing, and maintenance of the new regional wastewater treatment works. The tender closed in August 2025, and the City received proposals from four consortiums through the formal tender process.”

Sisilana mentioned that the evaluation of these proposals is currently underway in accordance with the National Treasury’s Municipal Public Private Partnership Framework and the municipality’s Supply Chain Management Policy.

She added that this process aims to identify the preferred proposal that offers the best technical design and the most affordable option for the municipality. “Further details regarding the selected investor, investment amount, and implementation timelines will be communicated once the evaluation process and approvals have been concluded,” she stated.

DA councillor Thabani Mthetha expressed support for the planned project, stating, “The DA supports this critical infrastructure development, which aims to improve our sanitation infrastructure. The public-private partnership is something that the DA has been advocating for because we believe that the sustainability of services is dependent on multi-stakeholder involvement. We hope that the necessary approval processes will be expedited so that implementation starts as soon as possible.”

IFP councillor Jonathan Annipen said the party welcomes any genuine initiative that seeks to improve service delivery and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Umdloti and Umkomaas. “A new wastewater treatment facility in these areas is long overdue and, if implemented efficiently, will bring much-needed relief to communities that have suffered for years under deteriorating sanitation infrastructure.

“Clean and reliable wastewater management is not just a service — it’s a basic human right, and this project has the potential to restore dignity to our residents while supporting sustainable development.”

“However, we must express our deep concerns about the state of the eThekwini Municipality's Water and Sanitation Unit. This department has become synonymous with dysfunction, corruption, and mismanagement. “Service delivery has collapsed in many areas, sewage spills are now a common occurrence, and residents continue to live in unbearable conditions due to the department’s failure to perform its most basic duties,” he said.

THE MERCURY