Councillor Ngiphiwe Smoh Xulu

31/08/2026

I am thrilled and deeply honoured to announce that I have been nominated by the DA as the Ward candidate for Ward 92, covering Westville (Atholl Heights, Chiltern Hills) and Clermont (Ndunduma, Vezamafa, Christianenbury, Ringini and Umqhele).

This isn’t a new relationship for me. I live in this ward. I know these streets, these homes, and these communities…not from the outside looking in, but because this is where I live too. For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of serving Ward 92 as a DA-deployed PR Councillor, working closely with residents on the issues that matter most: water and power outages, road maintenance, and holding the municipality accountable when it falls short.

Too many families in Ward 92 have been waiting; for water that should have been restored weeks ago, for power faults that take too long to fix, for a municipality that responds like it understands the urgency of daily life without basic services.

I’ve sat with residents through that waiting. I’ve seen how much patience this community has had to find, simply because the system keeps failing to move at the speed people’s lives demand. That’s not something I can walk away from.

Ward 92 deserves a municipality that treats service delivery as non-negotiable, not optional. It deserves representatives who stay close to residents, who don’t let complaints disappear into red tape, and who keep pushing- publicly and persistently until things actually change.

That’s why I’m standing! Not for a title, but because there’s still real work to do, and I believe I can keep being part of pushing for it alongside our DA team, and this community itself.

To everyone who has ever felt unheard by the system: this is for you. Let’s keep working for all, Ward 92. 💪💙

19/08/2026

eThekwini Municipality service delivery PROMISE vs REALITY‼️

12/08/2026

Catch Councillor Smoh Xulu live on Vibe FM this morning at 11h00, discussing service delivery failures in eThekwini.

04/08/2026

🟦 Ngiphiwe Xulu, a DA councillor, said what the municipality is doing is simply not working.

“Every quarter we receive another explanation for why the debt has increased. We are told about unemployment, poverty, illegal connections. Nobody is denying that those challenges exist. The discussion should be what has actually changed,” she said.

Xulu said the municipality has problems with revenue management, collections, enforcement, and accountability.

Concerning household debt, Xulu called on the municipality to rethink its revenue collection methods, supporting those who genuinely cannot pay while decisively addressing those who choose not to.

“Somebody must be able to explain why the municipality keeps losing ground despite all the interventions that are supposedly in place.”

As eThekwini faces a staggering R47 billion municipal debt, Mayor Cyril Xaba calls on councillors to mobilise communities for timely payments, stressing the importance of financial responsibility.

04/08/2026

*Last Chance to Register to Get Your City or Town Working for All!*

This Friday at midnight, the voters' roll for the 2026 Local Government Election closes.

If you are not registered to vote at the correct address, you will lose your chance to vote in the election that matters most to your daily life.

Remember: You can only vote at the voting station where you are registered.

If you're not correctly registered, your voice won't count in deciding who runs your city or town for the next five years.

This election will determine who fixes your roads, keeps the lights on, maintains your water supply, collects your rubbish, creates an environment for jobs, and keeps your community safe.

If the Democratic Alliance already governs your municipality, register to protect the progress that's been made.

If your municipality is failing, this is your last opportunity to change it.

Earlier this year, the DA won a ward from the ANC by just eight votes. Your vote could be the one we need to tip the balance of power away from the failed ANC towards the capable DA.

If you don't register correctly before the voters' roll closes, you are choosing to sit this election out - and others will decide the future of your community for you.

The worst time to discover you're registered incorrectly is on Election Day. By then, it will be too late to fix it. Check or get help registering today in just a few minutes:

Website: Check.da.org.za
WhatsApp: 060 014 0305

If you want your city or town to work, make sure you're correctly registered before this Friday 7 August 2026 at midnight.

*Let's get South Africa Working for All.*

02/08/2026

⚠️ Many municipalities are on a razor’s edge.

If DA voters stay unregistered, the EFF and MK could become powerful enough to install unstable coalition governments and hold municipalities hostage.

Your town could lose years to corruption, chaos and failing services.

Register at your nearest voting station before 17:00 today, or WhatsApp https://whatsapp.da.org.za/chat for help.

Do not wake up on 5 November wishing you had registered.

Get Our Towns and Cities Working For All. Register and Vote DA

02/08/2026

Where you're registered is where you'll vote.📍

Don't miss this last chance to ensure that you are ready for election day. Check your registration NOW and make sure you're registered to vote in the right place.

📲Don't forget to check if you are correctly registered by texting: whatsapp.da.org.za/chat

01/08/2026

You have one one more day left! Please get out there and register to vote!

Let's turn eThekwini blue.

Register to vote DA.

23/07/2026

DA calls for better communication and accountability from eThekwini Water and Sanitation
by Cllr Allan Peterson - DA eThekwini Trading Services Whip

Date: 22 July 2026
Release: Immediate

-EWS Department needs to implement real-time feedback mechanisms and improve communication with residents.
-The City has more than 12,000 outstanding water leaks.
-The DA will continue to demand accountability, improved service delivery and urgent action to address the water crisis.

The DA has called on the eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) Department to implement real-time feedback mechanisms and significantly improve communication with residents on reported water leaks, repairs and progress, while taking measurable steps to reduce the City's Non-Revenue Water (NRW).

This follows the Trading Services Committee's monthly meeting which took place on Monday, where it became evident that the City's complement of just 56 internal plumbers, without contractor support, is insufficient to address the scale of eThekwini's water crisis.

The DA also raised serious concerns over reports presented by the EWS Directorate and the NRW portfolio.

While the NRW portfolio is relatively new to the Committee, the latest report shows NRW reached 65% in June 2026, with an annual average of 55%. Both figures remain well above acceptable levels and are of grave concern.

The City also has more than 12,000 outstanding water leaks. Despite recommendations to implement the Contractor-Initiated Procurement (CIP) process to address the shortage of plumbers, no formal resolution has been adopted. As a result, the department remains without the capacity needed to respond effectively to the growing backlog. Today, contractor plumbers again protested outside the Pinetown Water Depot, disrupting operations and further affecting service delivery.

Every litre of treated water lost comes at a cost to ratepayers, weakens the City's already strained water infrastructure and worsens water insecurity, despite residents paying higher tariffs.

The DA will continue to demand accountability, improved service delivery and urgent action to address the water crisis.

Ends.

14/07/2026

DA condemns eThekwini’s lack of preparedness for Water Surcharge Levy claims process
by Councillor Ngiphiwe Smoh Xulu - DA eThekwini Councillor

Date: 14 July 2026
Release: Immediate

Note to editors: Please find soundbite by Cllr Ngiphiwe Smoh Xulu - DA eThekwini Councillor

- Sizakala staff are unequipped to assist residents with Water Surcharge Levy claims.
- The levy is intended to provide relief for qualifying underground water leaks.
- It is unacceptable to introduce a relief mechanism without properly equipping officials to implement it.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini strongly condemns the Municipality's failure to adequately prepare frontline staff to assist residents with claims relating to the newly introduced Water Surcharge Levy.

The levy is intended to provide relief to residents affected by underground, undetected and verified water leaks by allowing qualifying households to submit claims for assistance. However, recent oversight visits to various Sizakala Centres across eThekwini revealed that staff have neither been informed about nor trained to administer the new claims process.

It is unacceptable for the Municipality to introduce a relief mechanism without ensuring that the officials responsible for implementing it are properly equipped to do so. A programme is only as effective as its implementation. Without trained staff, the levy cannot serve its intended purpose, leaving residents to bear the consequences of poor planning and inadequate communication.

The current situation at Sizakala Centres means that residents who are already struggling with high water bills risk being turned away or provided with incorrect information when seeking assistance. This undermines public confidence and denies residents the support the Municipality claims to be providing.

The DA will raise this matter at the next Finance Committee meeting and call for the immediate training of frontline staff, clear operational guidelines, and the full implementation of the Water Surcharge Levy process across all Sizakala Centres.

https://kzn.da.org.za/2026/07/da-condemns-ethekwinis-lack-of-preparedness-for-water-surcharge-levy-claims-process


Media Enquiries



Councillor Ngiphiwe Smoh Xulu
DA eThekwini Councillor
071 503 1983

Noluthando Lamula
DA eThekwini Media Coordinator
063 068 0731

Note to editors: Please find soundbite by Cllr Ngiphiwe Smoh Xulu – DA eThekwini Councillor – Sizakala staff are unequipped to assist residents with Water Surcharge Levy claims. – The levy is intended to provide relief for qualifying underground water leaks. – It is unacceptable to introduce...