eThekwini Municipality prepares for storms as flood recovery continues

While KwaZulu-Natal prepares itself for another torrential rainfall, infrastructure damage caused by the April 2022 floods is still being repaired in the south of Durban. 

The South African Weather Services (SAWS) issued a weather warning to expect heavy rainfall and thunderstorms for Tuesday and Wednesday in KZN and Durban. The eThekwini Municipality said their Disaster Wing and other emergency departments have been aware of this situation and are standing strong to deal with it. The municipality stated that the rains are expected to impact the roads, driving conditions, and infrastructure, especially mud houses..

Over 430 people lost their lives, and thousands were left homeless as entire neighbourhoods in eThekwini, oThongathi, and surrounding areas were submerged in water in April 2022. Most of the flood victims are still housed in temporary accommodation sites.

In December 2024, the eThekwini Municipality extended the contract periods for temporary emergency accommodation (TEA) for the April 2022 flood victims. In a statement, the municipality said the extension of the current lease agreement for five property owners providing TEA was extended for a further twelve months.

In February and March 2025, torrential rainfalls led to the death of 12 people and flooding of areas in the south of Durban. At a council meeting on March 31, the municipality presented its report on the heavy rainfall experienced in these months.

The municipality’s evaluation of the incidents revealed that most damages were caused by mud-slides due to the saturated ground and blocked drains which resulted in difficult driving conditions for motorists. The municipality said the implementation of a more aggressive maintenance approach for stormwater drains in eThekwini was needed and that preventative measures should be implemented to prevent foreign objects from entering the drains, which contribute to flooding and other infrastructure issues.

In February 2025 the Department of Human Settlements moved victims of the floods from a mass care centre to temporary emergency accommodation. A joint operation by the three spheres of government, the National and Provincial Departments of Human Settlements, and eThekwini Municipality, saw 47 households being moved to temporary emergency accommodation.

In council, Democratic Alliance Councillor Andre Beetge said what is further evident, from both the report and his personal observation, was the city's inability to restore, repair or replace what was damaged during the 2022 storm.

“Litter clogging up stormwater lines, likewise sand and other objects, that includes collapsed infrastructure, still not removed, streams and culverts still clogged resulting in the same residents being rescued from the same flooding results,” he said.

Beetge said illegal informal settlements, located within flood plains, were not removed resulting in the death of people in Lamontville. Beetge said residents of Isipingo and surrounding areas suffer daily water and electricity outages as well as repeated road challenges as a result of the April 2022 floods.

In council, eThekwini deputy mayor Zandile Myeni said flooding raises some of the new challenges brought about by climate change. She said that the recent heavy rains have highlighted a need to revisit the approved climate change strategy. She said this will provide proper planning for disaster to safeguard municipal infrastructure.

In April 2022, the eThekwini Economic Development Unit report stated that floods caused infrastructure damage to roads and the interruption of water and electricity services. The most affected sectors of the economy were manufacturing, agriculture, construction, wholesale and retail, and warehousing and logistics. A further 110 small businesses were impacted.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za