After a 16-year delay and nearly R10 billion in capital investment, eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba has announced that the long-awaited GO!Durban public transport system will finally begin operations in December 2026, launching its initial routes along the C3 corridor between Pinetown and Bridge City.
The multi-billion-rand bus rapid transit network has weathered more than a decade of disputes, administrative bottlenecks, and intense negotiations regarding the integration of existing public transport operators. City leadership, alongside KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma, briefed the media on a finalized roadmap designed to bring the stalled infrastructure onto active roadways. The project has consumed approximately R9.7-billion over its protracted development cycle, according to regional reporting.
Phased Rollout Schedule and Corridor Expansion
Testing and commissioning for the initial operating phase are scheduled to begin in October along the vital C3 corridor linking the city’s northern region to Pinetown in the west. Municipal authorities structured the launch to unfold incrementally rather than flooding the entire network at once.
The remaining phase one services, here I mentioned C1, C2, and the Inner West distribution service will be introduced from the first quarter of 2027, further expanding the network and extending its reach across the city. From December to March 2027 we'll also embark on a process of integrating existing subsidized buses into the GoDurban network.
Mayor Cyril Xaba, eThekwini Municipality
The city agreed to procure 22 buses for the initial launch, while public transport operators will purchase dedicated feeder vehicles through a structured Vehicle Operating Company framework. The municipality will directly pay the operating company to manage transit services.
Industry Alignment and Workforce Integration
A central friction point throughout the 16-year history of the project involved incorporating incumbent taxi and bus operators who feared displacement from their livelihood. Recent negotiations successfully resolved fleet ownership, formal contracts, and compensation models, creating a framework for industry participation.
Mayor Xaba confirmed that 75 percent of all operational employees will be sourced directly from the displaced public transport workforce, aiming to secure economic empowerment outcomes alongside infrastructure deployment.
While the implementation of the programme has suffered delays, it has delivered tangible results in the form of infrastructure, systems and economic empowerment outcomes. The priority now is to translate the investment already made into a functioning public transport service, beginning with the C3 corridor,
Mayor Cyril Xaba, eThekwini Municipality
The eThekwini Metro Taxi Council has formally endorsed the rollout, acknowledging that past delays must be set aside to prioritize commuters.
And I think we have no choice to make this work. We have no choice to come to compromises to show that the real priority is the public of Durban as a city. And we feel as Santaco and EMTC, we should roll out the service that they've been very patient to come to see it being active.
Mathula Mkhize, eThekwini Metro Taxi Council Chairperson
Remaining Logistics and Operator Concerns
While the broader taxi industry has welcomed the deployment, bus industry representatives point to outstanding structural questions that require ongoing administrative attention from provincial and municipal authorities.
Speaking at the media briefing, bus industry spokesperson Vickesh Maharaj noted that while stakeholders support the C3 corridor launch from the city’s north region to Pinetown, government officials must still clarify the formal transfer of ownership to affected public transport operators. Maharaj stated that resolving the devolution of contracting rights will make the project deliver all the other corridors much easier, emphasizing that the bus industry is there to show its support and look forward to all the other corridors being launched.
Broader National Infrastructure Push
The breakthrough in eThekwini coincides with a wider national focus on clearing municipal bottlenecks. Infrastructure South Africa recently published the third edition of its Construction Book, featuring 110 infrastructure projects valued at roughly R395-billion designated for procurement over the next 12 to 18 months, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during a virtual address at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa in Cape Town. Ramaphosa confirmed that quarterly performance reports on the Construction Book would be published to ensure projects move from the page onto the ground.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson noted that while conversion rates from previous books improved to 58%, it was not yet good enough,
adding that quarterly performance reporting will identify advancing projects, lagging developments, and areas requiring intervention.
Municipal infrastructure accounts for the largest category in the national book by value at R112-billion, encompassing vital investments in energy, water, sanitation, property developments, and healthcare upgrades. Across the wider portfolio, 41 transport projects hold a total investment value of R81-billion, featuring a mix of procurement strategies from public-private partnerships to open and negotiated tenders pursued by the South African National Roads Agency, major municipalities, Transnet rail, and ports.
