eThekwini Municipality says its reported water-leak backlog fell from 13,000 in July 2026 to 3,900 by 7 October. The figure appears in a municipal statement issued on 7 October and was followed by a news item dated 8 October on repair work in uMlazi Wards 80, 81 and 88.
The municipality said technical teams repaired more than 9,000 leaks after operational problems affecting municipal plumbing contractors were addressed. It also reported that non-revenue water declined from 58% to 55%, with a target of below 50% before year-end.
During the uMlazi intervention, Mayor Cyril Xaba inspected water and sanitation infrastructure, leak repairs, and the clearing and flushing of sewer blockages. The city identified misuse of sewer infrastructure, vandalism and illegal water connections as continuing causes of faults and network pressure.
The backlog and water-loss figures are municipal operational claims, not an independently audited performance report. The statements provide no expenditure amount, procurement identifier, contractor list or ward-level completion schedule. The next useful accountability records would be the underlying fault register, dated closure data, contractor-payment records and independently reconciled water-balance figures.
What it means
A fall in logged leaks would be material for service delivery and water-loss control, but the city's figures need to be tested against the fault register, repeat failures, repair quality and the audited water balance.
Correction history
No material correction is recorded for this article as of 10 October 2026. Any correction will be listed on the corrections register.