Checked 27 October 2026
Where the facts in this claim come from
Every fact on the claim page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
What does the evidence show?
Why it is Verified
Lost electricity is power the metro bought but could not sell, so it earned nothing for it. The four-year figure is on the Auditor-General's eThekwini page in its 2024-25 report. The public accounts committee is the council committee that checks how the council uses public money. We found no outside check of its 2024-25 figure. The committee linked the losses mainly to how well the metro's equipment works and to illegal connections.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: Printed page 210 (PDF page 214), eThekwini dashboard, 'Distribution losses over administration': 'Electricity losses R6,35bn (4 years more than 10% norm)'; 'Water losses R8,93bn (4 years more than 30% norm)'
The Post. Published 17 April 2026.
Where to look: Bullet under the standfirst ('It lost 1.11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, amounting to R1.9 billion in the 2024/2025 financial year'); first body paragraph after it ('The figures were contained in the Municipality's Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) oversight report to council in March 2026 ... the losses equate to 11.23% of the purchases from Eskom'); next paragraph (2023-24: 1.12 billion kWh, R1.7bn); the paragraph after that (losses 'attributed to distribution losses, primarily influenced by the efficiency of the installed equipment and illegal connections')
What did the council do, and when?
Who ran the council
Mayor: Cyril Xaba (ANC). Council run by ANC, IFP, National Freedom Party. From Jul 2024 to present.
EWN. Published 10 July 2024.
Where to look: Paragraph 1 ('has been elected as the new mayor of the eThekwini Metro Municipality'); paragraph 3 ('elected unopposed in a special council meeting')
The Mercury. Published 12 July 2024.
Where to look: Paragraph 4 ('ANC-designated Cyril Xaba'); paragraph 5 ('the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP, who already have a working arrangement at provincial level, extend this arrangement at a municipal level'); paragraph 6 (speaker ANC, deputy mayor NFP, MPAC EFF). Paragraph 1 is the article's first line after the photo caption.
Daily Maverick. Published 10 July 2024.
Where to look: Paragraph 13 ('In Exco, the ANC has four members, the DA three, the IFP one and the other is from the National Freedom Party')
Sunday Times. Published 28 August 2024.
Where to look: Paragraph 1 (the DA in KwaZulu-Natal 'will continue to occupy opposition benches in eThekwini'); paragraph 2 (DA-ANC coalition talks deadlocked); paragraph 6 (the DA 'was satisfied with its role of opposition in the metro')
Daily News. Published 9 September 2024.
Where to look: Counting 'Durban — Despite working well...' as paragraph 1: paragraph 1 (the DA turned down the ANC's request to work together in eThekwini); paragraph 6 (the IFP's Mdu Nkosi chairs the Trading Services committee); paragraph 8 (Macpherson: 'in the best interests of the residents to remain in opposition')
The Mercury. Published 31 March 2025.
Where to look: Paragraph 2 ('The IFP is part of a government of unity in the city and leads the Trading Services committee'; 'The party said it took exception to claims that, by virtue of being part of the governance structure, it is running the municipality'); paragraph 6 (IFP councillor Jonathan Annipen: 'This municipality is not run by the ANC and IFP alone' and 'just one Exco seat and a caucus of 17 members'). Paragraph 1 is the first paragraph after the standfirst and photo credit ('The IFP in the eThekwini Municipality is pushing back...').
Daily Maverick. Published 14 October 2026.
Where to look: Paragraph 54 (claim by the IFP: 'Hlengwa lashed out at Hoosen for being in opposition in eThekwini but also occupying three of the city's executive committee seats'). Paragraph 1 is the first body paragraph ('Pollsters are predicting a major shake-up...'), after the standfirst and photo credits; section headings are not counted.
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