DA eThekwini caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa says the city's rebranding is a waste of money.
Image: Willem Phungula
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini has launched a petition to halt the municipality's decision to move forward with a costly rebranding project, which would see millions of rands spent on redesigning the city's logo and municipal branding.
The DA argues that this money should be redirected to address the pressing needs of the city’s infrastructure and essential services.
Councillor Thabani Mthethwa, DA eThekwini caucus leader, urged the public to take a stand against this expenditure.
''The first phase of the rebranding project is set to begin this week, with R2.8 million allocated for community and in-house engagements. However, the full cost of the project remains undisclosed.''
“We call on the residents and businesses of eThekwini to support this petition and make their voices heard,” said Mthethwa, adding that the petition would be submitted to the council to ensure that taxpayer money is spent responsibly.
He further emphasised the petition’s goal: “This petition will be submitted to the council to ensure that taxpayer money is spent wisely and in the best interest of the people.”
This opposition to the rebranding project comes at a time when eThekwini is facing severe financial challenges and service delivery issues, including water and power outages, potholes and crime.
The DA has consistently opposed the rebranding initiative since its approval in 2017, arguing that the project is unnecessary and a waste of resources. As Mthethwa put it, “The DA has been vocal in its opposition, arguing that there was no need for such an expensive and unnecessary exercise.”
Despite the ongoing recovery from the economic fallout of COVID-19, five major floods, power outages, water shortages, and a crumbling infrastructure network, the municipality is pushing ahead with the rebranding project in 2025.
Mthethwa expressed his concern, noting, “The DA is deeply concerned that once the new logo is finalised, the rebranding will require a complete overhaul of municipal uniforms, vehicle branding, signage, stationery, and other assets — potentially costing ratepayers millions more in funds that the city simply does not have.”
Mthethwa also highlighted the ongoing issues that the city is currently grappling with, including frequent power outages, unreliable electricity supply, water disruptions that leave communities without access to basic services, declining tourism revenue due to poor infrastructure and mismanagement, and the persistent sewage spills into rivers and oceans that continue to harm the environment and public health.
“The municipality should be using every available cent to fix our broken infrastructure, improve service delivery, and combat rampant corruption,” Mthethwa said, urging that the focus should be on addressing the city’s immediate needs rather than wasting money on a logo change.
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