The eThekwini Municipality has intensified efforts to eliminate administrative and regulatory barriers hindering large private projects, against the backdrop of a noticeable decrease in unemployment in the metropolis.
As part of the intervention, led by the City Manager's Office, the Municipality is monitoring and working to unblock twenty strategic investment projects within eThekwini. Half of these projects have already been fully approved.
The regional breakdown of problem resolution shows that the North Central region has achieved a 100% resolution rate, the North region at 86%, the Outer West at 67%, and the Central region at 25%.
The Municipality noted that removing these operational obstacles will allow for the more prompt attraction of private investment into the local economy.
These actions come amid the publication of the Second Quarter 2026 Labour Force Survey by Statistics South Africa, which recorded the unemployment rate in eThekwini at 21.2%, lower than the national average of 33.6%.
Year-on-year, employment in the metropolis increased by 90,000 people, while unemployment decreased by 92,000 people. This resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the unemployment rate by 5.6 percentage points.
Key drivers of employment growth were transport and logistics, which added approximately 44,000 jobs over the last nine months, accounting for almost all sector growth in KwaZulu-Natal. Furthermore, the financial sector and business services attracted another 25,000 jobs during the same period.
There was also an increase in formal employment by 149,000 people, indicating an expansion of formal employment opportunities. The Municipality emphasized that progress in unblocking strategic projects will help maintain momentum and foster conditions for sustainable private investment and economic activity.