The New Development Bank (NDB), the multilateral lender established in 2015 by the BRICS nations, has approved $1 billion to fund infrastructure upgrades across eight South African municipalities, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, and eThekwini. The financing will go toward essential urban services such as water supply, sanitation, electricity, and solid waste management. The investment is significant given that South Africa faces an estimated infrastructure funding gap of between $254 billion and $329 billion for the period 2022 to 2030.