The eThekwini Transport Authority has budget R39 million from the Public Transport Network Grant to refurbish the existing Durban Transport bus depots in Ntuzuma and Umlazi. Part of the exterior office roof collapsed at the depot in Durban.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers
The eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) has budgeted R39 million from the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG) to refurbish the existing Durban Transport bus depots at Ntuzuma and Umlazi to be used for the GO! Durban operations.
Motorists passing the Durban Transport depot in Durban along Johannes Nkosi Street (formerly known as Alice Street) have noticed that part of the exterior office roof has collapsed. The municipality has not yet highlighted the state of the other depots.
The ETA is awaiting approval at Friday's council meeting for the reprioritisation of the 2025/26 capital budget of the PTNG.
The ETA, in its report to the eThekwini Executive Committee (Exco) on Tuesday, stated that the GO! Durban programme remains a key strategic intervention for transforming the municipality’s public transport system and improving mobility for residents of eThekwini.
“It is imperative that there is great emphasis on supporting efforts for GO! Durban to go live, while ensuring that the programme remains aligned with the revised national funding framework and protecting the substantial investment already made in infrastructure and systems,” the report stated.
In July 2025, the municipal council approved the revised implementation approach for GO! Durban, which gave the network a clear strategy, prioritised key corridors, and helped the municipality move toward operationalising services using the infrastructure developed through the programme.
Since then, significant developments at the national level have affected the funding environment for Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTN). In November 2025, the National Department of Transport advised municipalities that the PTNG would be progressively wound down over the Medium-Term Revenue Expenditure Framework (MTREF), as part of a national review of the IPTN programmes.
The ETA stated that it undertook a review of the GO! Durban implementation programme to assess the implications of the PTNG phased reduced funding. The municipality identified items required to ensure that operations start in the 2026/27 financial year, which include the refurbishment of the existing bus depot that will be utilised for the GO! Durban operations.
The authority added that it initiated a review of the GO! Durban programme focusing on:
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za