Parliament, Friday, 21 August 2026 — The KwaZulu-Natal delegation of Permanent Delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), working jointly with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, has officially concluded its week-long 2026 Provincial Week oversight programme with a final report-back session in Richards Bay.
Operating under the national theme, “Confronting the Challenges Facing the Timely Delivery of Viable Public Infrastructure to Communities and Building Viable Municipalities for Enhanced Delivery of Basic Services to Communities”, the session served to consolidate findings and consider the draft report.
The delegation used the final platform to warn that public infrastructure can no longer be planned in silos, asserting that a serviced housing site left without roads, sewer systems or electricity does not constitute true service delivery. Human settlements must be planned as integrated communities, with access to water, sanitation, electricity, roads, public transport, schools, healthcare facilities and economic opportunities. Funding and implementation responsibilities for bulk infrastructure must be confirmed before housing projects are approved and internal services are constructed.
Over the four days of intensive site inspections, the delegation monitored substantial service-delivery progress across previously stalled project pipelines.
The delegation verified that the multibillion-rand uMkhomazi Water Project has successfully reached 76% completion, providing critical water security for more than five million people across Durban and Pietermaritzburg. While primary construction works are complete and preliminary testing is running on temporary power, full commissioning is currently awaiting a permanent electricity-grid connection by Eskom.
To resolve transport disputes raised by local taxi associations, the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board has budgeted R70 million for an eight-month upgrade of the 8km access road, which is scheduled to commence in September 2026.
Progress was also recorded at the Kennedy Road Housing Project in eThekwini, which has achieved 66% physical progress and 60% financial progress. Built to deliver secure housing solutions for informal-settlement families, 117 units have been completed at Barton Place, with the remaining structures on track for a revised final completion date of November 2027.
The delegation emphasised that the completion of housing units must be accompanied by a fair, transparent and auditable beneficiary-allocation process. State-subsidised housing must be allocated only to qualifying applicants through a verified Housing Needs Register and approved allocation policy.
Project beneficiary lists, allocation criteria and the applicable registration cut-off dates must be made accessible to affected communities, subject to the protection of personal information. This is essential to prevent political interference, corruption, favouritism, the manipulation of beneficiary lists and queue-jumping.
Beneficiaries must also receive title deeds without unnecessary delay. Housing delivery should provide families with secure tenure and a legally recognised asset, rather than leaving beneficiaries without formal proof of ownership.
Furthermore, at Woodlands Primary School in Pietermaritzburg, the delegation verified that the multiphase build is tracking towards a final completion date of October 2027, with the Department of Education managing the temporary relocation of learners within the school while on-site remedial construction moves forward.
Alongside these turnarounds, the delegation identified critical structural and socio-economic challenges that must be addressed through time-bound intergovernmental recovery plans.
In Richards Bay, within uMhlathuze Local Municipality, the delegation found that the Aquadene Housing Development cannot proceed because sections of the P231 road are operating far beyond capacity. The delegation has recommended an extensive intervention to upgrade and widen the P231 into a dual carriageway capable of handling projected traffic volumes.
The delegation stressed that the eventual allocation of housing opportunities at Aquadene and other major developments must be governed by the same transparent and verifiable principles. Communities must be able to understand who qualifies, how beneficiaries are selected and where applicants stand on the housing register. No councillor, political party, official or community structure should be permitted to manipulate housing allocations.
The delegation raised deep concerns regarding severe budget pressures affecting Human Settlements, Transport and uMhlathuze Municipality, highlighting a worrying trend of late payments to contractors. Delayed payments destabilise the built environment, contribute to contractor insolvencies, disrupt project planning and undermine accountability on construction sites.
Consequently, the delegation demanded marked improvements in the timely payment of contractors to protect infrastructure delivery. Departments and municipalities must pay legitimate invoices within the prescribed period, while maintaining strict controls to ensure that payments are made only for work that has been properly completed and independently verified.
The delegation further classified the rampant vandalism and neglect of public infrastructure as economic sabotage. It also called for strict consequence management against non-performing contractors who continue to receive state tenders despite poor performance.
Public contracts must be awarded on the basis of capacity, value for money and demonstrated performance. Contractor-performance records must be properly maintained and considered before further tenders are awarded, while officials responsible for inadequate contract management must also be held accountable.
Strong condemnation was directed at “construction mafia” syndicates using intimidation, violence and extortion to capture the public construction industry. The delegation called for strengthened legislation, regulations and municipal bylaws, together with firm law-enforcement action, to halt this lawlessness and protect legitimate contractors, workers and communities.
Going forward, the consolidated report of the delegation will be formally submitted to Parliament to ensure that its outcomes are integrated directly into committee programmes for thorough action and continuous monitoring.
Delegation leader and KwaZulu-Natal NCOP Provincial Whip, Mr Mzamo Billy, concluded the findings by emphasising that the oversight programme was an organic expression of putting the people first. He confirmed that the KZN delegation has established a continuous monitoring programme to track the executive’s implementation of all commitments made during the week.
The success recorded in unblocking several stalled projects demonstrates that parliamentary oversight must extend beyond identifying failures and adopting reports. It must result in responsibilities being assigned, deadlines being enforced and tangible services being delivered to communities.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE KZN LEADER OF THE DELEGATION, MR MZAMO BILLY.
For media enquiries or interview coordination, contact the Delegation Media Officer:
Name: Mr Temba Gubula
Cell: 081 402 3531
Email: tgubula@parliament.gov.za
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