Merrymakers could have a nasty surprise when they land in Durban for their Festive Season holidays next month – filth overflowing the streets and beaches submerged in litter.
This is as the eThekwini municipality is currently on the brink of a service-delivery standstill after it abruptly suspended its supplier self-service (SSS) portal, leading to a visible decline in public services and cleanliness.
The portal, used by all municipal departments to procure goods under R750,000, was scrapped a few weeks ago.
“The system, which was working fine, was scrapped a few weeks ago, and departments were told to stop using it. That was it. A few weeks later, departments were told that all the procurement they used to conduct via the portal would now be done by filling out forms and sending them to another person to upload online,” a source said.
“As a result, goods that are urgently needed and should be quickly obtained are no longer available, and employees come to work and do nothing.”
The forms that staff fill out manually sit for weeks before being processed, crippling the city’s ability to obtain urgently needed goods. The portal is also used by small businesses that want to do business with the municipality to file their paperwork and invoices.
Unwise decision
Frustrated city employees say the deterioration of public spaces is a direct result of this decision.
“Look at the mess you see at all our parks and public spaces; it is a result of that terrible decision, which has grounded the municipality,” one source said. “Check the streetlights that are not working, the filthy beaches and streets; it all stems from the suspension of the system.”
Another source explained that the inability to make quick purchases is halting essential maintenance.
“For example, if you need goods that are not available in the warehouse, like chemicals, you have to buy them. You can’t do that after the SSS system was scrapped,” the source said, adding that machinery for maintaining public spaces often sits idle due to a lack of fuel and minor spare parts.
The manual system that replaced the portal is not only cumbersome but is also allegedly open to abuse.
Necessary financial controls
The dumping of SSS was confirmed in an internal email sent by Mnqobi Mahlaba, the deputy head of SCM in the municipality, where he guided departments on how to manually fill in forms and procure the required services.
“Effective Monday, [6 October 2025], no procurement for quotations will take place without the approved quotation documents. This directive is non-negotiable and is a necessary control to protect the city from financial risks, as highlighted in recent audit findings.
“All open quotations must be extended to allow for uploading of the tender document, and all quotations that have closed and failed to address the PPFA regulatory requirements [must be] cancelled in the following week,” reads part of Mahlaba’s email on the matter.
At the time this report was compiled, the communication unit of the municipality said it was still trying to gather information about the matter and respond.
