Municipal excellence: Pietermaritzburg residents question Msunduzi’s awards

The Pietermaritzburg CBD. Ratepayers have questioned the City being awarded accolades at the recent municipal excellence awards despite the widespread service delivery challenges. Questions have been raised about the criteria used to determine winners in the KwaZulu-Natal 2026 Municipal Excellence Awards after the Msunduzi Municipality scooped awards in key categories.

Ratepayers said the awards were surprising given the poor state of service delivery in Pietermaritzburg. In a statement themunicipality said it achievedthird place in the category for Best Traditional Council in coordinating service delivery. Also, third place for Best Developed Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the 2025/26 financial year, acknowledging the municipality’s efforts in developing a strategic and inclusive planning framework that guides sustainable development and service delivery within the city.

In the category for Municipal Entities, Safe City received a Clean Audit Award presented by the KZN Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). The award recognises the entity’s sound financial management practices, compliance, and commitment to good governance. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) hosted the awards last Thursday in Durban. Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla, said the awards reflect the collective commitment of the teams who continue to work tirelessly to serve the communities.