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Media statement: KwaDukuza Mayor launches into deep seas as he activates the summer season

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As transport month draws to an end, KwaDukuza Mayor Siduuduzo Gumede today, 22 October 2026, used the marine safety equipment to activate the summer holiday season, heading to the deep seas of Salt Rock Beach with two high powered jest ski’s that were being officially introduced to the municipal fleet family to strengthen sea rescue operations. This historic activation is a clear indication the municipality is ready for the upcoming summer holiday season where we expect thousand to flock into our five Blue Flag beach sites and in several other tourism offerings. The Mayor used this occasion to also hoist the Salt Rock Beach Blue Flag that was accorded by WESSA for the 2026/27 season along key partners within the marine safety value chain including KZN COGTA PDMC, KZN SAPS Search and Rescue teams and other partners. “I am very proud today! This is a demonstration of how KwaDukuza will look like in the future. We want a municipality that will form partnerships for the good of our communi...
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edia statement: KwaDukuza Mayor celebrates tourism excellence as KwaDukuza receives approval to hoist five Blue Flags along its shores

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KwaDukuza Municipality has obtained official approval to hoist the coveted Blue Flag in five of its bathing beach sites that comply with international standards, retaining its pole position as one in three leading municipalities in the province that have demonstrated sound adherence to international protocols and show effective stewardship.   The Blue Flag is a prestigious coastal tourism status which symbolises excellence in beach safety and accessibility, best practices, water quality, environmental education, and sustainability. For the 2026/27 season, the municipality obtained four Full Blue Flags out of 62 in the country for Salt Rock Main Beach, Willard Beach, Thompson Bay Beach and ClubMed-Tinley Manor. The Tinley Manor Main Beach was accorded a pilot status which means that the beach is on course towards fulfilling the minimum requirements for Blue Flag status in the future. The Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) recognised top performing South Afri...
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Media statement: Gumede lauds progress of the Gledhow Compounds Upgrade Project during Operation Siyahlola

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KwaDukuza Mayor, Cllr Sduduzo Gumede, has expressed his heartfelt appreciation of the Gledhow Compounds Upgrade Project which consists of a sewer reticulation line and six communal ablution facilities that were initiated by the municipal council to address long-standing sanitation challenges and for the overall improvement of living conditions of the local community. The compounds are a human settlement area in Ward 15 that was acquired by the municipal council through Ithala Bank which was a creditor of a company that was under liquidation. The property consisted of facilities that were in a state of deterioration, with ageing infrastructure, inadequate sanitation facilities, roof failures which worsened living conditions. Over the years, the municipality has been investing resources towards maintenance, repairs and constant upgrades which have amounted to over R3,2 million including roof replacements, stormwater control and refurbishment of multiple buildings. Today, 26 August 2026, ...
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Media statement: KwaDukuza hosts Energy Indaba to address energy losses

KwaDukuza Mayor Siduduzo Gumede today, led the discussions of the Energy Indaba billed to address the heavy costs of electricity while generating minimal revenue.   The Indaba took stock of key threats coupled with meaningful inputs from stakeholders based on proven best practices and measures.   The municipality’s bulk electricity purchases account for over half of its entire operating budget. Illegal connections, billing errors, under-estimates, faulty meters, transformer losses associated with the high cost of living, population growth, informal settlements, unemployment and subsequent poverty were some of the factors raised as key contributors to the stagnant electricity revenue generation and huge losses. Mayor Gumede was candid about the conditions of which the municipality is operating under. “Each and every year, our losses are in the millions and this is the single most pressing financial challenge plaguing our municipality. We are losing revenue that should be resurf...
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Media statement: KwaDukuza Mayor of reflects of on architects of democracy as government commemorates Milestones of Freedom at uMfolozi TVET College

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  KwaDukuza Mayor Siduduzo Gumede used the Milestones of Freedom event to reflect on the historical moments of defiance by towering figures under apartheid, revisiting the indelible marks of the young Anton Lembede, which the nation observes the 79th anniversary after his passing. Gumede’s message coincides with governments commemoration of four milestones that have shaped the nation. “It was around this time in 1947 that Anton Lembede, the son of this very province passed on at only 33 years of age. In a life cut-short, Lembede gave the liberation movement its first fully-formed philosophy of African Nationalism, a conviction that shaped the young Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and Walter Sisulu, and that laid the intellectual foundation for the 1949 Programme of Action which would come to define a new, more militant chapter in our struggle for freedom.    Lembede did not live to see the fruits of the movement he helped build. But his legacy endures in every young South A...
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Media statement: Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala visit to KwaDukuza marks progresses towards completion of new Home Affairs building

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KwaDukuza Mayor Siduduzo Gumede together with the Deputy Minister for Public Works & Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala today, 05 August 2026, received a detailed technical handover report of the new Home Affairs building that was stalled due to failures experienced by the contractor.  The deputy minister announced that the project is to be re-established by the Independent Development Trust (IDT) which is a Schedule 2 state-owned entity under the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure that is to implement the project on behalf of Home Affairs. The deputy ministers visit to the facility signals the commencement of work behind the scenes for IDT to undertake due diligence towards the appointment of a new contractor and a team of professionals following practical failures by the previous contractor as a result of cash flow challenges and poor contract management. KwaDukuza Mayor described the handover of the site to IDT as progress informed by strong intergovernmental corpora...
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KwaDukuza Mayor Siduduzo Gumede today, 29 July 2026, signed the municipalitys integrity pledge , committing all councillors and the administration  to deliver with high ethical standards, zero-tolerance to corruption and maladministration. Mnguni signed the pledge a long the municipality's  independent oversight committee chairpersons, the Speaker of council, Whip of council and the Acting Municipal Manager during the full sitting of council. The Mayor characterised the historic event as a defining moment in the current office tenure. In a prepared speech,  Gumede  remarked, "I stand before this august house to what I consider as one of the defining moments of this term of office, which is the signing ceremony of the KwaDukuza Good Governance Pledge and I wish to thank the Speaker of Council for offering us this opportunity. This signing ceremony is binding declaration to our people as we understand exactly what is required of us as custodians of public tru...
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