Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) Executive Mayor, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe, has called on residents and businesses to work with the Municipality to restore the Metro’s former reputation as one of the cleanest municipalities in the country.
The Executive Mayor made the call on Tuesday during the launch of the Love Your Street Campaign at Young Park.
The campaign forms part of the Municipality’s Cleaning and Greening Programme and is aimed at promoting community activism and encouraging residents and businesses to take collective responsibility for keeping their streets clean, safe and habitable. Implemented by the NMBM in collaboration with the Ministry in the Presidency, the initiative brings together various stakeholders, including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and local communities.
As part of the launch, Mayor Lobishe officially handed over a site to a contractor for the development of a R1.5 million recreation and healthy lifestyle park in Young Park. The facility is intended to provide the community with a space for recreation and healthy living. By the end of January 2027 the park is expected to be completed.
Following the handover, the Mayor and stakeholders proceeded to Walmer Township, where they participated in a clean-up campaign targeting open spaces and recreational parks that had been turned into illegal dumping sites.
“We need a community-based approach that brings together all relevant stakeholders. We need to take our city back to its glory years. By working together with our communities and stakeholders, this is possible,” said Mayor Lobishe.
The Executive Mayor emphasised that the Love Your Street Campaign is not a once-off initiative, but part of the Municipality’s ongoing efforts to improve cleanliness and restore public spaces across Nelson Mandela Bay.
“As part of the Cleaning and Greening Programme that we introduced last year in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, we are now taking our efforts down to street level. This includes clean-ups, waste recycling, tree planting and cleanliness awareness campaigns,” added Mayor Lobishe.
The campaign will continue for the remainder of the 2026/27 financial year, ending in June 2027, after which progress and improvements will be assessed.
A key measure of the campaign’s success will be the extent to which communities take ownership of their neighbourhoods and initiate similar cleanliness programmes, with support from the Municipality.
The NMBM calls on all residents, businesses and community stakeholders to play an active role in keeping their streets and public spaces clean, green and habitable. Through collective action and sustained community involvement, the Municipality aims to restore pride in Nelson Mandela Bay and build cleaner, healthier neighbourhoods for all.
