The eThekwini Municipality says the rebranding project aims to improve service delivery and organisational culture. However, the DA has opposed this decision to proceed with the costly project.
Image: eTHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY
The eThekwini Municipality is undergoing a brand transformation journey and calls on residents to be part of this process.
Council approved the project to review the municipality brand on June 28, 2017.
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has opposed this decision, saying it will cost millions of rands and is unnecessary.
The current municipal brand, referred to as “the Dome” due to its design, was introduced in 2000 as part of the consolidation of all Durban local councils into the eThekwini Metro. Over time, several sub-brands were developed internally, which had little to no visual connection to the main brand, said eThekwini Municipality head of communications, Mandla Nsele.
“The goal of the rebranding project is to create a new logo that reflects the city’s evolving identity, future aspirations and a brand that resonates with all eThekwini residents and stakeholders,” said Mr Nsele.
“This new logo will symbolise unity, a commitment to enhanced service delivery, and a responsive municipal administration. The rebranding project should not be viewed in isolation, rather it’s an integral part of the city’s broader marketing strategy aimed at strengthening its identity and promoting marketability.”
The DA launched a petition to oppose the municipality’s decision to proceed with a costly rebranding project, which will see millions of rands spent on changing the city’s logo and municipal branding, said DA Councillor Thabani Mthethwa.
“The first phase of the rebranding project, set to begin this week, has been allocated R2.8 million for community and in-house engagements. However, the full cost of the project remains undisclosed,” said Mr Mthethwa.
“The DA’s petition calls for the halt of this rebranding project and demand that these funds be redirected toward essential services. We call on the residents and businesses of eThekwini to support this petition and make their voices heard. The petition will be submitted to the council to ensure that taxpayer money is spent wisely.”
He added that this comes at a time when eThekwini is facing serious financial challenges and service delivery failures.
The initial proposal to change the logo was approved in 2017, but the DA has been vocal in its opposition, arguing that there was no need for such an expensive and unnecessary exercise.
Now, in 2025, Mr Mthethwa said the municipality is pushing ahead with this ill-advised project, despite the fact that eThekwini is still recovering from the economic impact of Covid-19, five catastrophic floods, ongoing power outages, water shortages, and a failing infrastructure network.
“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 of rands,” said Mr Mthethwa. “Instead of wasting money on a logo change, the municipality should be using every cent to fix our broken infrastructure, improve service delivery, and combat rampant corruption.”
He added that the reckless spending comes at a time when residents and businesses suffer from persistent power outages and an unreliable electricity supply.
There are frequent water supply disruptions that leave communities without access to basic services.
Tourism revenue is declining due to poor infrastructure and mismanagement, and sewage spills into rivers and oceans continue to harm the environment and public health, he said.
Mr Nsele said the costs include public participation campaign on community and mainstream media calling for proposals, roadshows to internal departments, campaign concept development, competition prizes, professional design of the new logo, and the production of a branding manual.
He said that reports of millions of rands being spent on the city’s logo and municipal branding are not true.
“The rebranding will not immediately require a complete overhaul of municipal uniforms, vehicle branding, signage, stationery and assets but this will be done in a phased-out approach over a five-year period,” Mr Nsele said.
“A progress report on the implementation of the project was tabled at the Governance and Human Resources Committee special meeting held on March 20. The report, along with its implementation plan, will be submitted to the city’s Executive Committee for their review before the project is launched.”
He added that the city already allocates an existing budget to maintain and communicate the current corporate identity. The budget for the rebranding is not sourced from service delivery units but forms part of the Communications Unit budget, which is mandated to communicate service delivery programmes, promote and market the city.
Mr Nsele said the city acknowledges the service delivery needs of communities and has allocated R10 billion to rebuild water, electricity and solid waste management infrastructure.
This allocation was communicated last week, when the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana announced a R3.33 billion grant allocation to eThekwini for trading services reforms over the next three years.
“The municipality is serious about service delivery and has allocated funding to address the needs of communities. The rebranding project is not about the logo, but seeks to tackle service delivery challenges through inculcating a service delivery ethos among employees. This includes improving the organisational culture and instilling ‘Batho Pele’ principles as the cornerstone of improving service delivery,” said Mr Nsele.
He said there will be a rigorous public consultation process. An internal communication and brand steering committee has been established to ensure that city staff are also part of the journey and guide the process.
eThekwini Municipality’s artistic and creative communities are invited to take part in the process through submitting designs they think will best represent a united, inspirational, diverse, multicultural, and dynamic city.