Address by the mayor of KwaDukuza at the Town Hall Congress of People 2025 at KwaDukuza Town Hall

17 October 2025

 

Fellow councillors,

Traditional leadership representing the seven councils within KwaDukuz,

Municipality,

SALGA KZN Provincial Working Group Chairperson, Ndabuko Zulu,

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment,

Local government for sustainability (ICLEI Africa),

KZN EDTEA,

Management of KwaDukuza,

Sector departments,

Provincial Disaster Management Centre,

Members of civil society and community-based organisations,

Education and Academia,

Members of the business community,

 

I feel particularly honoured to convey warm greetings and words of welcome to all delegates and participants at the occasion of the Town Hall Conference of Parties that is organised at the home of the great Zulu King Shaka kaSenzangakhona. We draw inspiration from his vision of unity, much like how our forebears would have in pursuit of a united South Africa.

 

Today marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty where we are called upon to recommit to our nations vision of a just society, building on the progress made since 1994 while addressing the challenges that remain in our communities.

On this day, we also celebrate the 80^th birthday of Graça Machel, a beacon of hope who dedicated her life to children's rights, education, and peace, reminding us of the interconnected struggles across our continent.

As we gather in preparation for the country’s third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), we are reminded of the values of cooperation and human solidarity that provided us the stamina we needed to traverse the difficult terrain as we sought to achieve our democracy. Today, we have to join forces with the global community as the world prepares for the UN COP 30.

 

 The Nationally Determined Contribution sets out the country’s climate action commitments, including targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening adaptation to climate impacts, and ensuring a just transition that protects workers and communities. Our voices as local government and community are essential to shaping the Nationally Determined Contribution.

 

Programme directors and distinguished guests,

 

At the outset, I wish to convey our sincere gratitude to SALGA, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and ICLEI Africa for affording KwaDukuza Municipality the opportunity to host this important gathering.

 

Today’s gathering is necessary because the impacts of climate change continue to test our resilience, with unpredictable weather patterns affecting our budgets, infrastructure and communities.  We need to find and strengthen strategies so that we can reduce carbon emissions, adapt and create resilience. 

 

The disruptive flood disaster of April 2022 were a clear indication that we are in a climate crisis. This, coupled with severe economic pressures, including the rising costs of living, underscoring the urgency to deliver equitable and sustainable services. KwaDukuza Municipality, among the country’s secondary cities, has made some noticeable strides with regard to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

 

Over the years, we have developed and implemented policies ranging from response strategies to green procurement. We are mainstreaming Sustainable Development Goals into the IDP. We have signed a pledge, committing to implement and align with at least 12 of those goals.

 

With these SDGs, priority is given to the following:

Ending poverty, ensure gender equality, making our city and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of ecosystems, forests, and reverse biodiversity loss. 

 

Our gathering today is significant as we seek to strengthen the means of implementation of policies, systems, and reviving the local, provincial and global partnership for sustainable development.

 

KwaDukuza became a member of the ICLEI since 2013, as a peer review mechanism to monitor progress in the implementation of our climate actions and harnessing technical support.

 

The year 2025 marks 12 years of membership and guidance from ICLEI and we have been renewing our membership every three years, with the most recent renewal in August 2025.

 

We have received technical support which has led to the review of our Greenhouse Gas Inventory in 2022, and recently the Urban Low Emissions Strategy Review adopted in September 2025.

 

The Municipality has been voluntarily reporting on the CDP portal and received a compliant badge for the Global Covenant of Mayors since 2018 for full compliance.

 

As we cast our eyes into the future, our focus is on dealing with extreme flooding events, to protect our people from flood risk areas by planning for coastal vulnerability, with the review of the Coastal Management Programme planned for this financial year.

 

We have also added more resources to address the costly and complex drainage issues in KwaDukuza, improving infrastructure by making development decisions with green building guidelines in mind, which we are implementing on our side with the KwaDukuza Library, KwaDukuza Museum and Nokukhanya Luthuli Building.

The Municipality has further engaged local schools and the public to help tackle climatic challenges, with initiatives such as food gardens, tree planting, awareness clean-up campaigns and EPWP related programmes such as Transformative Riverine Management Programme (TRMP) and waste booms in rivers.

 

In terms of businesses, we have welcomed transformative projects, including the Club Med Coastal Resort, ALPLA Recycling, and new commercial developments that have beefed-up our local economy. The types of businesses we attract is also indicative of the sustainable city we want to become. 

 

Our partnership with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs has become a cornerstone of climate adaptation as we have received a grant to the value of R 4.2 million for Transformative Riverine Management Programme (TRMP) over a period of three years, creating over 820 short term opportunities for the community. 

 

The importance of this programme is that it focuses on removing waste which block bridges and storm water channels, leading to flooding. Removal of waste and other objects to minimise the risk of such infrastructure being washed away during heavy rains.

 

Even as our resources are limited, we have been able to contribute R1 million towards TRMP over three years for project management. Over and above this, we will ensure that projects dedicated to rehabilitate ecosystems are prioritised. We realised that working with wetlands and rivers saves costs and protects our infrastructure during flash floods. 

 

We need to manage our environment to protect ourselves. These initiatives are creating jobs and are re-igniting investor confidence which positions KwaDukuza as a hub for tourism, investment and attraction of green industries. KwaDukuza Municipality continues to solidify its reputation as a prime investment destination, and this is evidenced by the significant economic growth particularly along the coastline. 

 

We can no longer wait for promises. We are calling on the Global North and members of the G20 to fulfil their commitments towards the Global South on Climate Finance, prioritising cities because that is where the rubber meets the road.

 

We have been undertaking projects and programmes and showcased commitment with our limited budgets. However, we have noted that the market is not receptive to secondary cities and small towns. Therefore with this Conference, we look forward to robust engagement on giving a seat for secondary cities/small towns in the platforms dealing with climate change agenda and financing.

 

Our financial stewardship has remained a cornerstone of our success and service delivery as we have received accolades for its performance in service delivery, financial sustainability and governance at the South African Property Owners Association, affirming our dedication to fiscal discipline, transparency, and operational excellence.

With the Climate Change Act now inn place, we hope to see significant reforms in the grant system, to include climate change adaptation programmes forming part of the criteria of incentive grants. 

As a Municipality, we have full confidence that SALGA will ensure that the Climate Change Act is being implemented, and municipal obligations are also considered when grants are provided to municipalities or equitable share for local municipalities.

As already indicated, our municipality is prone to flooding, and I call on businesses and our communities to partner with us in creating safe spaces that comply with law. 

 

We discourage communities from building their homes in flood zones. We also call on our communities to dispose their waste responsibly and avoid blocking stormwater drains as this results to avoidable damage to infrastructure. 

 

As an enthusiastic secondary city, we express our their interest in hosting this Town Hall COP as a concept for multi-stakeholder engagement across government, civil society, youth, traditional leadership, academia, and business to engage in and plan for local climate action. I hope with today’s engagement we can actively participate and raise our voice as a secondary city to contribute to the Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 and South Africa’s position for COP30 November 2025.

We are not only here to draw collaborative actions but also to showcase our municipal climate response, explore climate finance gaps and opportunities with partners in the room, and capacity gaps, including technical and advisory support. 

In terms of the municipality’s demographics, young people constitute the majority of our population. This is a common thread in our country and the continent. It is against this background that I encourage our youth to actively participate and contribute to this platform.

As we look to the future, our vision is to transform KwaDukuza into a world-class destination that balances economic prosperity, community resilience with social equity. 

 

Let us work together to build a climate smart city that guarantees sustainable development for ourselves and future generations where everyone can be safe and can thrive.

 

Thank you!