Date: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Time: 10.00
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Honourable Speaker of Council,
Members of the Mayoral Committee
All Councillors
Acting City Manager and all Senior Managers
Members of the Media present
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning to you all,
Today I am privileged to present to you this introductory note for the TABLING OF Integrated Development Plan as well as the 2025/26 to 2027/28 Draft BUDGET as mandated by the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act (32 of 2000) and the Municipal Finance Management Act (56 of 2003) to this Council meeting FOR NOTING.
As you know the purpose of an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) in a municipality is to serve as a comprehensive, strategic blueprint for economic and social development, ensuring coordinated and integrated service delivery to improve the quality of life for all residents. The budget document is aimed at responding to the IDP.
Within the above context I will present, in the next Council meeting, an assessment of Ward priorities against what has been achieved or completed as well as outstanding Ward projects with budget provision in the 2026 -28 MTREF.
I am sure we are aware that South Africa, as a country, operates within the global village and that any economic challenges that are facing other parts of the world are also negatively impacting our country. The war between Russia and Ukraine as well as what is happening between Israel and Gaza are directly affecting our country as we have seen prices of certain commodities skyrocketing.
The Draft Noted budget will offer the following:
- TRADING SERVICES REFORMS
National Treasury is investing over R130 million over the 2025/26 MTREF period to the NMBM so that we can implement the Trading Services reforms agenda across the municipality. We will require to work closely with National Treasury in the process of implementing the Trading Services’ reform Agenda.
- CONTINUE ASSISTING THE INDIGENT HOUSEHOLDS TOWARDS THE FREE BASIC SERVICES
Over R2.3 billion is budgeted for to continue with the implementation of the Indigent Subsidy scheme (Assistance to the Poor / ATTP) so that those community members who cannot afford the services can continue being subsidised.
The following Table shows the budget for various services to support this initiative: –
| Various Services | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
| Property Rates (Budget & Treasury) | 185,408,200 | 196,532,700 | 208,324,680 |
| Waste Water Management (Sanitation) | 213,191,810 | 213,249,410 | 213,307,010 |
| Water (Water) | 152,540,990 | 152,598,590 | 152,656,190 |
| Refuse (Public Health) | 146,336,410 | 146,394,010 | 146,451,610 |
| Electricity (Electricity & Energy) | 19,881,590 | 19,881,590 | 19,881,590 |
| TOTAL | 717,359,000 | 728,656,300 | 740,621,080 |
| Indigent Control Office (B&T) | 34,961,470 | 32,521,210 | 30,569,940 |
| Water Leaks Program | 25,838,280 | 26,380,200 | 26,949,210 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 778,158,750 | 787,557,710 | 798,140,230 |
- AMENDMENT OF VARIOUS TARIFFS POLICIES & BY-LAWS FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
In terms of this NOTED budget, we include the Tariffs Policies as follows: –
- Water Tariffs Policy,
- Sanitation Tariffs Policy,
- Miscellaneous Tariffs Policy, as well as the
- Property Rates Policy, and
- Tariffs By-Laws.
It is important that if we want to ensure that we can manage & implement the Trading Services’ Reforms, there are solid Policies and By-Laws in place, hence, the priority on these Policies.
- VARIOUS SERVICE DELIVERY PROJECTS CONTINUE BEING IMPLEMENTED FUNDED FROM VARIOUS FUNDING SOURCES SOME OF WHICH ARE AS FOLLOWS (Over the 2025/26 MTREF)
- Jachtvlakte HS 8 (Chatty 11 – 14) = 138 million: R138 000 000
- Walmer Airport Valley (Area B&C) = 55 million and 200 thousand: R55 200 000
- Khayamnandi Phase 5 – (Various) = more than 86 and a half million: R86 531 300
- Resurfacing Tar roads = 90 million: R90 000 000
And many other projects on road rehabilitation, tarring of gravel roads, renewal of sewerage pipelines and infrastructure, undeclared informal electrification and expenditure on RBIG to mention but a few.
There are also other projects that are listed in the Capital Works Plan that can be found in the Annexure to the Budget Report.
The situation being experienced under our Trading Services as reported during our Adjustment Budget approval stage (2024/25) continues to be one of our Achilles Hill. Electricity and Energy is worryingly being funded by property rates due to it operating on a deficit position.
Also, the issue of underfunded mandates is another risk to the finances of our City. All these problems or issues are highlighted in a letter from National Treasury received after our Mid Term Session held on the 20th to 21st February 2025.
Hon. Speaker, I table this Budget Report and the IDP for Council to NOTE it so that we can embark on public participation process.
Lastly, let me thank, from the bottom of my heart ALL the Roleplayers who made it possible for us to be able to discuss this document today, as mandated by the legislation (i.e. Chapter 4 of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act (56 of 2003)).
Fellow Councillors,
The events of yesterday, 26 March 2025 have gone a long way into affirming that our faith in our justice system is not misplaced. We watched with a great sense of relief as Moses Gqesha was convicted on eight charges of rape, a charge of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
With this conviction, Andy Kawa, her family fellow gender activists and many others who supported her cause could start what is surely a long road to closure to bring her hopes of over a decade that one day the perpetrator who had caused her suffering would be jailed.
In January 2024, her hopes became a reality when Moses Gqesha was arrested – a little more than 13 years after the ordeal – and his trial started earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Gqesha was convicted on eight charges of rape, a charge of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm
Andy Kawa was abducted while walking along Kings Beach, held hostage and gang-raped for a period of 15 to 16 hours in sand dunes on 9 December 2010.
Yesterday, her family, the entire supportive community and GBV activists pinned their hopes on the above judgement that was delivered at the Gqeberha High Court today.
Andy Kawa had been relating this horrible attack on several occasions to the police, courts, friends and relatives, She has been suffering a lot of strain.
GBV has no place in our society. The cost of GBV is not only in emotional distress and the humiliation of the survivors but that it is a burden on the country’s economy with costs estimated to be as high as R42 billion rands annually.
Let us continue to work together to strive for a society where women and children will be free to exercise their choices and live in dignity, free from the indignation and humiliation of violence perpetrated against them. We long for justice on this matter.
Madam Speaker,
In the past week, the eyes of the country have been on Nelson Mandela Bay to see how we would carry ourselves as we hosted the significant national memorial event of Human Rights in remembrance of those of our martyrs whose lives were brutally cut short by the apartheid police machinery in Sharpeville in 1960 and, 25 years later in what was to be called Langa Massacre.
I have previously reflected on the political importance of this moment in this chamber. Today, I simply want to convey my appreciation to all the teams of fellow Councillors, especially those from the Zola Nqini Cluster as well as the official from across the spheres who dedicated their time to make the event the success that it was.
The preparations gave us an opportunity to unlock longstanding service delivery matters. I urge everyone to take their eye of the ball on the various grievances which became apparent in our engagements with communities. Let us not break the momentum and only consolidate when we are faced with the 2026 Human Rights Day when we commemorate the Langa Massacre in the region. Even more, importantly, let us work together with the receiving communities of the 2 legacy projects and those communities close to other facilities which were renovated to protect the public facility and to secure the public investment.
Fellow Councillors, crime continues to ravage the very fabric of our communities. Hardly a day passes without an incident. Over the past thre days, we have learned about the hostage incident where a 45-year-old teacher was abducted from Algoa Park School. As if this was not enough we heard about another horrific story where Reverend Mzendana of Makwetu Uniting Presbytarian Church was hijacked by men who drove around, milking all his accounts after having robbed congregants of their possessions.
I am calling on you and the community to support the petition drive which calls on the president of the country to consider sterner and tougher interventions which will restore the authority of the state, protect lives and secure our economy and our livelihoods. I am particularly making a call to all the Councillors to encourage communities to sign the petition and commit behind the call to the President to reinforce crime fighting measures to deal with what is becoming an untenable situation where murders are reported with frequency and public assets are brazenly vandalised. The petition books will now be placed in your hands as Councillors in your offices as we have met some challenges with the custody over the books in the initially designated zones.
For our part we will continue with the efforts to combat crime. In this regard, I commend the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha for the recently announced measures aimed at reinforcing combat against crime. The measures include additional resources in the form of 150 Public Order Policing (POP) personnel and 15 detectives and crime and intelligence officers, among many other interventions.
Fellow Councillors, it will be amiss of me not to celebrate some of the notable achievements in our sporting prowess.
Coach Hugo Broos and his Bafana Bafana charges have brought back the smiles on our soccer loving nation. We have now ensured that our fate for qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is firmly in our hands.
I call on all communities to grab this moment for demonstrating social cohesion. Let us manifest the same spirit that we often display when the Springboks are on the rise. On al lighter note, I know that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by none other than USA but I will say no more on the subject. I promise you.
In the same vein of celebrations, I would like to add the Council’s voice to congratulations that have already been expressed to our 2 Olympics athletes who brought us glory from the recently held Olympics Games in China.
We celebrate Prudence Sekgodiso who brought us a gold in the indoor champs in a new SA record time in the 800 metres event by recording the best time in the world. Akane Simbene continues to be a shining star. He brought us bronze in the 60 metres race.
I wish to end on this high note.
Thank you…
