The Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition (NMBCSC) has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for urgent national intervention to address the accelerating collapse of electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure in Nelson Mandela Bay. The Coalition warns that the conditions confronting residents and businesses are no longer merely administrative failures; they constitute serious violations of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
The Coalition represents a broad, non-partisan cross-section of society, including non-profit organisations, faith-based institutions, organised business, labour formations, civic structures, youth formations and community-based organisations. United by shared values, the Coalition exists to promote collaboration, accountability and ethical leadership in pursuit of sustainable development and the delivery of basic services in the metro.
The Constitution obliges local government to prioritise the basic needs of communities (Section 153(a)). In providing essential services such as water, sanitation and electricity, municipalities must ensure that every resident has access to at least a minimum level of basic service (Section 139(5) of the Constitution and Section 73(1) of the Municipal Systems Act). These obligations have been reinforced by Constitutional Court rulings, including Joseph and Mkontwana.
The Constitution further states in Section 152(1)(e) that a key object of local government is “to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in matters of local government.” This creates a direct constitutional mandate for municipalities to enable civil society participation. The Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000 and Amendment Act 3 of 2022) further reinforces the right and responsibility of civil society to participate actively in local governance.
As part of its commitment to constructive engagement, the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition facilitated the signing of a Social Compact on 28 January 2026, through which multiple sectors reaffirmed their readiness to support the rebuilding of the city.
Despite these efforts, the Coalition states unequivocally: Nelson Mandela Bay is in crisis.
On 6 December 2025, a strategic engagement led by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, brought together Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe, members of the Mayoral Committee, the Speaker, municipal officials and representatives from national and provincial COGTA. The meeting was convened to clarify the implementation of Section 154 of the Constitution, which obliges national and provincial government to support municipalities in fulfilling their functions.
Regrettably, this intervention has produced no tangible results to date. As acknowledged during that engagement, the invocation of Section 154 in Nelson Mandela Bay – now for the fourth time – has historically failed to deliver meaningful and sustained improvement.
The deterioration of governance and infrastructure in the metro is not primarily due to insufficient financial resources. Rather, it is the consequence of political interference in municipal operations, supply chain blockages, and a steady erosion of skills, accountability and professional management within the municipality.
Since 2023, National Treasury has withheld at least R1.6 billion from the municipality due to irregular and wasteful expenditure and the failure to spend conditional grants appropriately. These funds were intended for critical investments in water, sanitation and electricity infrastructure.
The consequences are now evident across the metro:
- Dam levels have dropped to approximately 32% usable water, while unaccounted water losses have escalated to 63%, making Nelson Mandela Bay the highest water-loss metro in the country and placing the city’s water security at significant risk.
- The lack of proactive maintenance and inadequate monitoring of electricity infrastructure has resulted in repeated power disruptions. Since 2023, at least 202 power outages have occurred in the metro’s primary industrial and commercial areas, while power dips occur almost daily.
- These disruptions have direct economic consequences: factories halt production, export and customer orders go unfulfilled, scrap and wastage increase, and businesses are forced to place workers on short time or implement retrenchments.
- Residents increasingly live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions as electricity networks, sewerage systems and other essential infrastructure deteriorate. Vulnerable groups – including the elderly, the sick and young children – are disproportionately affected.
On 11 March 2026, another electricity pylon collapsed, only weeks after a previous failure had been repaired. These incidents are not isolated. They are the predictable outcome of years of neglected maintenance and systemic dysfunction. Each failure leaves communities without power while further undermining economic activity and public confidence.
Concerns repeatedly raised with both local and provincial authorities have not been met with the urgency required.
The contrast between what is possible and what is currently unfolding in Nelson Mandela Bay is stark. When South Africa hosted the G20 Summit in Johannesburg last year, government structures demonstrated that service delivery challenges and urban decay can be addressed when urgency, coordination and accountability are present. In Nelson Mandela Bay, however, deterioration has been allowed to continue.
This is no longer simply a municipal governance issue. It is a constitutional matter affecting the dignity, safety and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of residents.
Nelson Mandela Bay is a strategic economic hub for the Eastern Cape and the country. Allowing its infrastructure to collapse undermines investment, threatens jobs and places further strain on already vulnerable communities.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition has therefore called on the Presidency to urgently intervene to stabilise governance, restore infrastructure maintenance and protect the constitutional rights of residents. The Coalition believes such intervention should mirror the decisive action taken in Durban’s eThekwini Metro, where the establishment of a focused national working group has assisted in stabilising the situation.
As a further demonstration of its commitment to solutions, the Coalition met with the city’s leadership – including the Executive Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Section 154 representatives and municipal officials – on 9 February 2026. During that engagement, the Coalition and city leadership agreed, among other measures, to establish a Joint Technical Team tasked with developing a collaborative action plan to support the rebuilding of the city.
However, the Coalition now warns that the situation has reached an emergency level.
Nelson Mandela Bay cannot continue to be treated as an afterthought, even when national interventions such as the deployment of the Army have previously been required to address escalating criminality in the metro.
The people of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve a city that works. They deserve leadership that acts with urgency, competence and accountability, and above all, the protection of the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution.
The Coalition stands ready to work constructively with government to rebuild the city.
Monga Peter (Chairperson of NMBCSC)
Related: NMBM Reply – Municipality Notes NMBCSC Correspondence to the President
