Overview
- President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading door-to-door campaigning in eThekwini this week as the ANC makes a final voter push before the November 4 local elections.
- Residents repeatedly told campaigners that high electricity costs and unreliable water are top grievances, with Ramaphosa saying more than 44% of eThekwini households face outages lasting two days or more.
- The government has announced plans to fix bulk water infrastructure, install new reticulation pipes and use temporary water trucking to stabilise supply while longer repairs proceed.
- More than 500 SANDF soldiers have been deployed since October 9 to support police in KwaZulu‑Natal through the end of November at a reported cost above R34 million, and officials say the troops are a support element rather than a replacement for police.
- The ANC says it remains confident of regaining control of the metro and is defending its 32-year record in office, but voters’ service delivery concerns will be the decisive issue on election day.