The eThekwini Municipality has reopened its Special Debt Relief Programme for customers whose account disputes were still under consideration when the programme closed in January 2026.
The decision, approved by the eThekwini Municipal Council on Tuesday, applies exclusively to customers with unresolved disputes relating to electricity, water, and property rates accounts.
The reinstated programme is open with immediate effect and will remain open until the end of August 2026.
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Approximately 154 qualifying account disputes, with a combined value of about R112.3 million, have been identified.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has called on eligible customers to take advantage of this once-off opportunity.
"When we first introduced the programme from May to June 2025 to write off 50% of qualifying debt owed to the city as at the end of January 2025, ratepayers and various key stakeholders appealed to us to extend the programme.
"As a listening and caring municipality, we responded by extending it from November 2025 to January 2026, to help alleviate the financial burden on households and businesses," Xaba said.
The mayor said during continued engagements with the public, customers who had lodged account disputes with the municipality requested that they also be afforded an opportunity to benefit, as their disputes were still being considered when the programme ended.
"We have listened to our residents with genuine concerns, and we are pleased to provide them with this opportunity. We encourage all eligible customers to take advantage of the programme," he said.
The Special Debt Relief Programme, which concluded in January 2026, resulted in the municipality writing off R515 million in qualifying debt, providing much-needed financial relief to more than 4 500 customers.
Xaba urged all qualifying customers with pending account disputes to visit their nearest municipal customer service centres before the reinstated programme closes at the end of August.
Progress in smart meter rollout
The council also noted the Accounts Management Dashboard Overview Report for the month ending in May 2026, which highlighted progress in modernising the municipality's water and electricity metering systems to improve billing accuracy, reduce losses and strengthen revenue collection.
The report noted that the Smart Water Metering Programme has exceeded its annual installation target, with 1 865 smart water meters installed and 135 currently being rolled out in areas including uMhlanga, Westville, New Germany, Bellair and Amanzimtoti.
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The programme is replacing ageing conventional meters with smart technology to reduce water losses, improve consumption monitoring, enhance billing accuracy, and ensure fair allocation of free basic water.
The rollout of smart electricity meters aims to address ageing infrastructure, faulty meters, electricity theft and billing inaccuracies.
The smart meters provide real-time consumption monitoring, tamper detection and improved integration with the municipality's billing and vending systems, helping to improve customer service and protect municipal revenue.
The report highlighted that approximately 95% of urban water meters are read and billed based on actual consumption.
It also acknowledged ongoing challenges, including faulty electricity meters awaiting replacement, which continue to contribute to estimated billing.
The municipality said it continues to implement measures to improve billing accuracy, ensure compliance with legislative requirements and enhance revenue collection.
