eThekwini councillors slam diversion of R31m to finish Old North Coast Road works

eThekwini councillors have criticised the municipality’s decision to repurpose R31 million from other delayed projects to complete upgrades on Old North Coast Road, after work on the project stopped in May 2026 when the contractor exhausted the allocated budget.

Work halted after budget exhausted

The Old North Coast Road upgrade and widening in Glen Anil (Phase 1) had a total allocation of R222.9 million and was scheduled for completion by June 2026. Work came to a halt in May 2026 when the contractor said it required an additional R31 million to finish the project.

Where the R31 million came from

In a report to council, the municipality said it reprioritised funding from three delayed projects to cover the shortfall:

• R8.5 million from Brickworks phase 2;
• R2 million from the Oceans Umhlanga alternative Public Transport Facility (PTF) development;
• R20.5 million from Cornubia Boulevard phase 1, which was delayed due to procurement challenges.

Councillors respond

DA Councillor Rowena Bosman criticised the municipality’s contract management and budget practices, calling the diversion evidence of broader governance failures. She said:

“We will always champion the development of our city’s infrastructure. However, building a city does not mean writing a blank cheque for administrative incompetence and non-existent accountability. The money was taken from the budgets of other delayed projects due to mismanagement. These serve as glaring case studies of the widespread breakdown in municipal governance.”

Bosman added:

“We have entered a dangerous cycle where ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ is considered normal management. Sacrificing one critical local development to temporarily patch up another is not a sustainable financial strategy. What concrete guarantees do we have that this road will ever be completed? How many more deadlines must pass, and how many more vital local projects must be gutted, simply because this administration cannot scope, budget, or manage a project properly from day one?”

She also urged the municipality to restore fiscal discipline and tighten oversight, saying the ratepaying public should not subsidise systemic and administrative failures.

Other political reactions

United Independent Movement councillor Jay Singh described the situation as an oversight failure and accused the city of “raiding other vital developments to hide planning failures.” He said residents deserved a government that completed projects without requesting more money mid-contract.

Minority Front Councillor Sunitha Maharaj said her party opposes diverting municipal revenue to meet provincial obligations, arguing that the practice undermines local service delivery.

Municipal explanation

The municipality’s council report noted that the second phase of the Old North Coast Road (Brickworks) project, which falls under the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, was also delayed.

This article is based on reporting from the municipality’s council report and councillors’ statements.