Africa's Most Liveable City

EThekwini Municipality is a metropolitan municipality in the South African Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The population is the largest in the province and the third largest in the country with over 3 442 398 people (Census 2011). The Municipality spans an area of approximately 2555km2.

Recognised as one of the 7 Wonder Cities of The World, Durban is ranked as the top South African city with the highest quality of life. The Municipality is unique amongst major urban centres in that only 35% of the metropolitan area is predominantly urban, with over 60 000 households living in traditional rural style dwellings. Due to the diverse society the city
faces various social, economic, environmental and governance challenges.

SOCIAL
The Municipality in its operations has recognised its responsibility, as the sphere closest to communities, to provide sustainable service delivery to its residents. The Municipal vision is that ‘By 2030 the eThekwini Municipality will enjoy the reputation of being Africa’s most liveable city, where all citizens live in harmony’. The vision will be achieved by growing eThekwini’s economy and meeting people’s need so that all citizens enjoy a high quality of life with equal opportunities in a city that they are truly proud of. To this end, the city has made a concerted effort to ensure service delivery to the poorest of the poor.

ECONOMY
EThekwini ranks as the second largest economic centre with the second most significant industrial region in South Africa. The Municipality is home to Africa's busiest port, Durban Port, Dube Tradeport - a multimodal logistics platform and King Shaka International Airport. These facilities provide vital links between the regional economies of Pietermaritzburg (and onward to Gauteng) and Richards Bay.

The inner city is home to the primary tourism assets of the region and a hub for office and business activity. The City is also widely acknowledged as a global player with world-class facilities to host international conferences with Durban hailed as Africa's "Leading Meetings and Conference Destination" at the World Travel Awards Africa 2018. Sporting events such as the Durban July and Comrades Marathon attract millions of domestic tourists annually.

There are ongoing efforts to ensure that emerging businesses benefit from the City's inclusive Radical Economic Transformation Framework (RETF) plan. This has been done by empowering and assisting businesses to identify and exploit available opportunities. The Durban Business Fair is held regionally, which gives SMMEs opportunities to showcase their work, to be empowered by conferences, demonstrations and partnerships with big business and to contribute meaningfully in the City's economy.

EThekwini Municipality is increasingly exploring strategic factors to achieve competitive advantage over its counterparts, locally and internationally. The City has identified a number of catalytic projects in key areas to look at creative ways of utilising limited resources to stimulate the economy. The provision of support to facilitate investment into these key catalytic projects is a major drive.

Consequently, a current focus is to "Take Durban to The World" and share the facts around why Durban is Africa's 'premier investment destination'.

ENVIRONMENT
A variety of projects linking tourism, environmental clean-ups and alien eradication, recycling and job creation are underway.

These schemes include the drive to increase local content, boosting metal fabrication across sectors, the promotion of black industrialists, promoting exports and the over-arching eThekwini Industrial Development Policy Action Plan.

The Durban Green Corridors Programme is implemented by the Green Corridors Non Profit Company. The Programme seeks to rehabilitate and conserve important natural resource areas associated with eThekwini's river catchments and develop their social and economic value through outdoor leisure, ecotourism, youth development, and SMMEs.

GOVERNANCE
Local government is in the 4th generation of democratic local government. Like any other organisation, good corporate governance remains at the centre of eThekwini Municipality's operations. Hence, deliberations, decisions and actions of the eThekwini Municipal Council have been based on ethical values underpinning good corporate governance, namely, responsibility; accountability; fairness; and transparency.