On Friday evening 27 June 2025 the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) presented a Lifetime Legacy in Action Award to former Executive Mayor, Nceba Faku.
Faku was South Africa’s first black Executive Mayor of a Metro and well known for his Vision 2020 project. Included in that project was the formation of the MBDA as the Metro’s development arm.
Champion of the MBDA and another former Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Zanoxolo Wayile did the honours in handing over the award to Faku and his family.
The Board of the MBDA in consultation with the Members Representative body of the Municipality took a decision to award the founding Mayor of the Bay, Nceba Christopher ‘Giraffe’ Faku as the inaugural Lifetime Legacy in Action Award recipient.
MBDA Board Chairperson Glenda Perumal said; This 22-year milestone is more than a mark of time—it is a tribute to the early visionaries of this city that saw it fit to plan beyond their tenure, casting a vision for a prosperous Bay, and forming the partnerships that ensured the establishment of the MBDA in 2003. You were truly ahead of your time.”
In his look back on achievements by the MBDA, Anele Qaba singled out Stadium Executive Manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Raaziq Poole for his continued upholding of standards at the stadium.
In his acceptance speech Faku also highlighted two critical areas needing attention by the present crop of leaders:
- The metro needs to be ‘self funding’ and stand on it’s own. The present reliance on National Grants was not always the case. Faku says that the municipality must look upon National Grant money as the cream on top and not as a vital component of our budget.
- Citing NMB’s around 100 kilometer coastline Faku said that we need to make the Marine Economy ‘sweat’ in our quest to make NMB prosperous and a beacon for tourism in South Africa.
Sure. the evening was a bit of political posturing (for the ‘old guard’ and also for the MBDA ahead of the 2026 local elections but what the hell, I got a chance to catch up with Wayile, Thobile, Shaun and the like.
It is often very interesting to note who was NOT at such an event. For me the most notable was Current Mayor – Bablwa Lobishe who tendered her apologies and sent Gary van Niekerk along for the photo op….