Mayors

Page Creator: BA Systems

The amalgamation of Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Uitenhage (now Kariega), and Despatch resulted in the creation of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in 2000.

Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage, Despatch and Walmer were all towns in their own right with their own City Councils and Mayors.

The Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, officially the Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, is the head of the local government of South Africa's Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, established in 2000.

Nelson Mandela Bay Mayors

Name		Term of office
	Christopher Nceba Faku	2001	2006
	Nondumiso Maphazi	2006	2009
	Zanoxolo Wayile	2009	2013
	Ben Fihla	2013	2015
	Danny Jordaan	2015	2016
	Athol Trollip	2016	2018
	Mongameli Bobani	2018	2019
	Tshonono Buyeye (acting)	2019	2020
	Nqaba Bhanga	2020	2021
	Eugene Johnson	2021	2022
	Retief Odendaal	2022	2023
	Gary van Niekerk	2023	2024
	Babalwa Lobishe	2024	Incumbent

Christopher Nceba Faku

Christopher Nceba Faku was born on 11 February 1956 in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth. Faku received his education at the Cowan High School and Lovedale College in Alice. He completed his matric in 1978 while serving a thirteen years’ prison term on Robben Island.  

Following his release from prison, Faku was elected as regional organiser of the Eastern Cape African National Congress (ANC) and also held an ANC/South African Communist Party (SACP) local government portfolio. In 1994, Faku was elected chairperson of the Port Elizabeth Transitional Local Council. After South Africa’s first democratic local elections he was elected as first Black Mayor of the City of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality) on 6 November 1995.  As mayor of Port Elizabeth, Faku invited Queen Elizabeth II of Britain whilst she was on her official visit to South Africa.

Faku received several awards and honorary memberships, including the Eastern Cape Communicator of the year 1994, PMR Silver Arrow Award for Most Admired Mayor 1998 and the PMR Golden Arrow Award for Most Effective Mayor 1999. He is a patron of numerous cultural, sporting and community initiatives in the Port Elizabeth area.  He is currently member of the Eastern Cape Local Government Association.

Ben Fihla

Nkosinathi Benson Fihla (born 13 June 1932) is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2013. He subsequently served as Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from March 2013 until May 2015. Fihla first joined the ANC in 1954 through its Youth League and he was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1964 to 1978 for his work with Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Early life and activism

Fihla was born on 13 June 1932 in Port Elizabeth in the former Cape Province. After finishing grade ten, he completed a teaching diploma at Lovedale in 1952; he also briefly attended Healdtown in 1953. While at Lovedale he attended political study groups run by students at the nearby University of Fort Hare, an ANC stronghold, and he joined the ANC Youth League in 1954.

From 1954 to 1963, Fihla worked as a cleaner at Barclays Bank in Port Elizabeth. During that time, in 1961, he joined the South African Communist Party and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), both of which were banned by the apartheid government. In 1963, he was found carrying firearms and arrested, and in 1964 he was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment on Robben Island. While in prison, he completed high school and did correspondence courses through the University of South Africa.

He was released in 1978 and continued to do underground work for MK, while working as an insurance salesman and manager at Metropolitan Life. He was detained again for his political activity in the 1980s. In 1990, after the ANC was unbanned by the government, Fihla chaired the party's new above-ground branch in the Eastern Cape.

Post-apartheid political career

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Fihla was elected to represent the ANC in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament. He served as a backbencher in the National Assembly for almost four legislative terms, representing the Eastern Cape constituency. He resigned from Parliament on 22 March 2013 when he was elected as Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

In May 2015, the ANC announced that Fihla would resign in order to cede the mayoral office to Danny Jordaan ahead of the 2016 local elections. Later that year, he was appointed as a special adviser to Phumulo Masualle, the Premier of the Eastern Cape.

Danny Jordaan

Daniel Alexander "Danny" Jordaan (born 3 September 1951) is the president of the South African Football Association (SAFA). He is a former lecturer, politician and anti-apartheid activist. He led South Africa's successful 2010 FIFA World Cup bid, the first successful one for Africa, as well as the country's unsuccessful bid four years earlier for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and was the chief executive officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. He is also the former Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, having served from May 2015 until August 2016.

He has served FIFA in numerous capacities, including, as a General Co-ordinator for the Youth World Cup (now FIFA U-20 World Cup), 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. He was also a match commissioner for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and a member of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee. He served on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Organising Committee.

Jordaan is also a member of the International Marketing Council.

Career

Danny Jordaan was born in Port Elizabeth to Maxine and Alexandre Jordaan. He became involved in anti-apartheid activities by joining the South African Students' Organisation (SASO) in the early 1970s, an organisation founded by Steve Biko in order to defend the rights of black students. Later, Jordaan also became a member of the United Democratic Front and the African National Congress (ANC).

Following his studies, Jordaan became a teacher in 1974. From 1970 to 1983 he was a provincial cricket and football player. In the latter sport, he achieved professional status for a brief period. His political and sport interests soon combined and he became an activist in various organizations fighting to break down racial barriers in sport.

From 1983 to 1992 he served as the president or vice-president of various football boards. In 1993, he was appointed as a director of the Cape Town Olympic Bid Company.

His political career also progressed; in 1990 he was elected as the chairperson of the ANC branch in Port Elizabeth North. After the first fully inclusive South African elections in 1994, he became a member of parliament for the ANC under the newly elected Nelson Mandela, a position he held until 1997.

In 1997, he was elected as the chief executive officer of SAFA. He subsequently headed South Africa's unsuccessful 2006 FIFA World Cup bid, narrowly losing to Germany but gaining great respect internationally for his work. As a consequence, he also led South Africa's 2010 FIFA World Cup bid, this time successfully.

Jordaan has served on the marketing and television board of FIFA since 1998.

On 28 September 2013, Jordaan was elected as the new president of South African Football Association (SAFA), succeeding Kirsten Nematandani. He was elected ahead of Mandla Mazibuko by 162 to 88 votes from 52 regions.

In light of the 2015 FIFA corruption case, Jordaan admitted to paying $10 Million to a football body led by Jack Warner in 2008, but denied that it was a bribe for hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

On 13 November 2024, Jordaan was arrested on suspicion of embezzling R1.3 million ($72,372) of SAFA's funds to hire public relations and security firms for personal use.

Education

Jordaan has a BA degree from the University of the Western Cape and an honours degree from the University of South Africa.

Awards

He received a special presidential award from President Nelson Mandela in 1994 as well as the presidential sport achievement award from President Thabo Mbeki in 2001. He won South Africa's marketing person of the year award in 2000. In 2004, he was voted 44th in the Top 100 Great South Africans and newsmaker of the year. He received a mayoral award from the mayor of Los Angeles, California on 24 October 2004. That same year, he won the Confederation of African Football's "most impressive Achiever" alongside Molefi Oliphant and Irvin Khosa. He was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold in 2011 for ensuring that South Africa hosted a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Jordaan has been given the freedom of the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. He has also received numerous awards from other South African cities.

He has received four honorary doctorates from: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (D.Phil); the University of South Africa (D. Admin); his alma mater, the University of the Western Cape (D. Phil); and in May 2015 from the University of Fort Hare (D. Admin).

Rape allegations

In November 2017, Jordaan issued a statement through his attorney to deny allegations by singer and former parliamentarian Jennifer Ferguson that he had raped her 24 years before. Ferguson first posted her allegations on Facebook in October, saying she had been inspired to do so by the #MeToo campaign. Ferguson later accused lawyer Norman Arendse of fishing for information that could be used to discredit her, on Jordaan's behalf. Arendse denied both claims. An allegation that Jordaan had failed to act against an employee who had been accused of rape had been made in the week following Ferguson's allegation by an anonymous source but the claim was refuted by SAFA. Until Jordaan's statement, some South African publications refused to name him, even as others did. In April 2018 Jordaan through his attorney called on the South African Police Service to expedite their investigation so that the truth could be revealed. He again denied the allegations.  Some media questioned whether the rape allegations were part of a political plot to discredit Jordaan ahead of the highly contested SAFA elections that were due to take place in March 2018. Jordaan was widely expected to be unanimously reelected President of the body that administers football in the country.

Athol Trollip

Roland Athol Price Trollip (born 12 March 1964) is a South African politician and provincial chairman of ActionSA in the Eastern Cape.

He currently serves as the Parliamentary Leader of ActionSA in the National Assembly.

He was previously a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), serving as the Federal Chairperson of the DA from 2015 to 2019 and the Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, serving from 2016 until he was unseated in a vote of no confidence in 2018.

Trollip has served as a member of the National Assembly and as a member of the Provincial Legislature of the Eastern Cape Province. He served as Parliamentary Leader of the opposition between 2009 and 2011. He was the provincial leader of the DA in the Eastern Cape from 2002 until he was replaced on 6 May 2017 by Nqaba Bhanga.

Early life

Trollip was born in the town of Bedford in the Eastern Cape, attended Woodridge College, and studied Agricultural Management at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg.

Career in politics

Trollip joined the liberal Progressive Federal Party in 1980. His political career began in earnest when he became a municipal councillor for the PFP's successor, the Democratic Party, in 1995. He was elected as provincial chairperson in 1998 and then as the renamed DA's leader in the Eastern Cape in 2002, a position he held for 15 years. Trollip served as a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature between 1999 and 2009.

He unsuccessfully ran for party leader against Helen Zille in 2007.

In 2009, Trollip became a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly and after winning a leadership contest against Ryan Coetzee assumed the position of Parliamentary Leader of the DA. On 27 October 2011, Trollip was defeated in his bid for re-election as Parliamentary Leader of the DA by fellow MP Lindiwe Mazibuko. He later left the National Assembly to return to the Eastern Cape Legislature in 2013, and was the DA's premier candidate in the Eastern Cape province for the 2014 general election. During this time, Trollip was involved with Helen Zille in welcoming King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo into the DA, despite his conviction on serious criminal charges. Dalindyebo was subsequently expelled from the DA when the conviction was upheld on appeal.

In 2015, Trollip returned to national prominence within the DA. On 13 April he was announced as the DA candidate for Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the 2016 Local Government Elections, and was also elected as the Federal Chairperson of the DA at the party's Federal Congress in May.

In 2016, Trollip was referred to the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) for alleged human rights abuses and unfair labour practices on the family farm near Bedford in the Eastern Cape, allegations that he strenuously denied. The HRC later abandoned the case, citing the difficulty of investigating events alleged to have happened between the 1970s and 2000s, and that the incidents happened before the current, constitutional dispensation and involved "issues of pre-jurisdiction".

Later career

In the municipal elections held on 3 August 2016, the DA won a plurality of seats in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. With the help of the smaller parties such as the United Democratic Movement, Congress of the People and the African Christian Democratic Party, Trollip was elected as mayor of that municipality. He served in the position for 2 years, under which the metro received a ratings upgrade from Moody's.

Tensions soon arose between Trollip and his deputy mayor from the UDM, Mongameli Bobani, requiring frequent interventions by the respective party leaderships to mend the relationship. The relationship eventually broke down and Bobani was ousted from the coalition in late 2017. After this, Trollip faced several no-confidence motions. One was tabled to be held on 30 March 2018. The vote was postponed, because the city council meeting descended into chaos due to the actions of the opposition parties.

In August 2018, DA councillor Victor Manyati abstained from voting in the no-confidence motion against the speaker, allowing the speaker to be removed. After the motion, the DA and its coalition partners left the council. The vote of no confidence in Trollip then occurred and succeeded. Bobani was then elected mayor with 61 votes in favour, and none against. The DA legally challenged the removal of Trollip as executive mayor. The party alleged that there was no longer a quorum in the council when the vote occurred as Manyati's party membership had been suspended after he abstained. However, the high court upheld Bobani's appointment, stating that Manyati had still been a DA member at the time and as such there was a quorum. Trollip subsequently assumed the post of leader of the opposition of the Nelson Mandela Bay council.

In October 2019, he declared his intention to run for the post of Chairperson of the DA's Federal Council. The election was held later in October and Trollip lost to Helen Zille. He resigned as the party's federal chair, and resigned from all active roles within the DA on 23 October 2019, following the resignation of Party Leader Mmusi Maimane. Trollip resigned as a DA councillor in December 2019, following the ousting of Mongameli Bobani.

Trollip joined the ActionSA political party in 9 February 2022.

Personal life

Trollip is a fluent speaker of Afrikaans, English, and isiXhosa. He has two children. Trollip married Janine Handley on 5 November 2016 at Kasouga.

Mongameli Bobani

Mongameli Bobani (12 July 1968 – 11 November 2020) was a South African politician and lawyer. He served as the Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from August 2018 until December 2019. He was previously the Deputy Executive Mayor and the Member of Mayoral Committee for Public Services.

Early life

Mongameli Bobani was born on 12 July 1968, the son of Vumile Bobani and Nomvuyo Gladys Mawa.

Political career

Bobani was appointed as proportional representation councillor for the United Democratic Movement in 2002. He was the leader of the United Democratic Movement's caucus in the Nelson Mandela Bay council. Under his leadership, the UDM gained Ward 30 from the African National Congress in a by-election that took place in 2015. The party later lost the ward in the 2016 municipal elections.

In 2016, the UDM announced that Bobani would be the party's mayoral candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in the upcoming 2016 municipal elections. His main focus points were job creation, service delivery and eradicating corruption. He announced that the party would be targeting 40 wards. The party later won no wards, but earned 1.9% of the vote giving them two seats on the council.

After the 2016 municipal elections, no party had received an outright majority on the Nelson Mandela Bay council with Democratic Alliance as the largest party with 57 seats, four seats short of a necessary majority of 61 seats. The Democratic Alliance announced that they would enter a coalition with the United Democratic Movement, Congress of the People and African Christian Democratic Party, giving them an effective majority of 61 seats on the council. The UDM later withdrew and was replaced by the Patriotic Alliance. On 18 August 2016, Athol Trollip was elected Executive Mayor with Bobani as Deputy Executive Mayor. Bobani succeeded Bicks Ndoni, who was appointed in May 2015. Athol Trollip announced that Bobani would take up the position as Member of Mayoral Committee for Public Health.

In May 2017, Mayor Athol Trollip released a statement announcing that he had removed Bobani as MMC for Public Health. Trollip stated that the Public Health Directorate had been a concern, given that serious allegations of maladministration and impropriety were made. He also called Bobani's public behaviour and conduct unacceptable.

In August 2017, the Patriotic Alliance councillor brought forward a motion of no confidence against Bobani to remove him as Deputy Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay. The opposition parties, including Bobani, staged a walkout when the Speaker did not allow more than one member of each political party to debate the motion. The Speaker Jonathan Lawack announced after the vote that the motion had passed with 60 members in favour of his removal. Bobani subsequently filed an urgent application to be reinstated as Deputy Executive Mayor, since the meeting was deemed illegal by opposition parties because they alleged there was no quorum. The Eastern Cape High Court dismissed the application. The UDM released a statement stating that the party had withdrawn from the coalition agreement. The Patriotic Alliance replaced the UDM, but later also withdrew.

In December 2017, Trollip announced that Lance Grootboom of the African Christian Democratic Party would fill the position of MMC for Public Health. The department was under Trollip's direct political rule since Bobani's dismissal in May.

Election

On 27 August 2018, DA councillor Victor Manyati abstained from supporting his party's speaker, Jonathan Lawack. Lawack was removed from his position by 60 votes to 59. The DA and its supporters then left the council, and in their absence, Bobani was elected mayor, with 61 votes in favour and zero against. When Bobani was declared mayor, he immediately appointed a mayoral committee consisting almost entirely of ANC members, including controversial ANC councillor, Andile Lungisa. The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality is now governed by a multi-party coalition consisting of the ANC, UDM, AIC and UF. The Democratic Alliance filed an urgent application after Bobani was elected to reinstate Trollip as mayor. The Eastern Cape High Court dismissed the application on 20 September 2018 and said that Democratic Alliance councillor, Victor Manyati, who voted with the opposition parties, was, in fact, a councillor until he resigned.

Tenure

In September 2018, he announced that new water tariffs would be introduced which would ensure that residents' municipal water bills be lowered. Recent rainfall had enabled the reduction of water tariffs from Part C to Part B. Also in September, he placed Johann Mettler, the municipal manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay, on precautionary suspension. Mettler was removed from office in November 2018.

The National Treasury's chief director for local government analysis has raised concerns over "alleged interference in supply chain management procedures" under Bobani's watch.

On 1 November 2018, the United Democratic Movement said that Bobani would submit his bank statements to the party following the report that detailed that money was paid into his account by a company alleged to have stolen funds meant for the city's bus system.

On 2 November 2018, a motion of no confidence failed to remove Bobani. The motion was brought forward by Councillor Lance Grootboom of the African Christian Democratic Party and Councillor Siyasanga Sijadu of the Congress of the People. Both councillors cited corruption and theft linked to the integrated public transport system (IPTS) as their reasons for tabling the motion. On 14 November 2018, the African Christian Democratic Party renewed its bid to remove Bobani as Mayor via a vote of no confidence.

On 22 November 2018, the Democratic Alliance proclaimed that the party would pursue a criminal case against Bobani. On 27 November 2018, the Democratic Alliance called on Cooperative Governance Minister Zweli Mkhize and his Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance counterpart to intervene in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality.^{[citation needed]} On 6 December 2018, Bobani survived another vote of no confidence that was tabled by opposition parties.^{[citation needed]}

Bobani’s office had been criticised for late payments to contractors since his appointment. The Creditor's System Efficiency Ratio, a performance indicator used to measure the efficiency of paying creditors, has a target of 80% while Bobani’s office has reportedly scored only 64% and 55% respectively for September and October 2018.

On 2 April 2019, the Hawks confirmed that they had raided Bobani's residence and mayoral offices over allegations of tender fraud. They seized cellphones and a laptop belonging to his wife. This was the second raid in six months.

On 5 December 2019, he was removed as Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay after a majority of councillors voted for his removal. He had in total survived five motions of no confidence.

Mayoral Committee Member of Infrastructure and Engineering (2020)

In August 2020 Bobani was elected to the position of MMC for Infrastructure and Engineering in Nelson Mandela Bay by the interim mayor, Thsonono Buyeye. He replaced Andile Lungisa, former ANC councillor and convicted criminal, who held the position from 2018 to 2020. Bobani's appointment included responsibility for the Nelson Mandela Bay metro response to Day Zero water shortages in the region.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Bobani was a qualified lawyer. He was married and a father of five children.

Death

Bobani died after he was hospitalised for three weeks with COVID-19.

Nqaba Bhanga

Bennet Mzwenqaba Bhanga (born 28 August 1977), known as Nqaba Bhanga, is a South African politician. He is the former Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, the former Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape, a former Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, a former Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, a former member of Parliament, and the DA's former Shadow Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).

Biography

He was born in KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth on 28 August 1977. While attending the KwaZakhele High School, he got involved in student politics for the first time. He was later elected the regional chair of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas).

Bhanga joined the African National Congress and became the party's Nelson Mandela Bay Youth Leader, and SRC President of the Port Elizabeth Technikon where he obtained his first qualification in Public Administration. He later on achieved a postgraduate qualification in Maritime Studies. Bhanga served as the national secretary general of the South African Student Congress (SASCO), and also as the youth leader of the Congress of the People (COPE)  and its member of Parliament from 2011 to 2014, prior to him defecting to the DA. He served as an MP for the DA from 2014 to 2016. He was the party's Ngqura constituency leader.

In 2016, he was elected as a councillor and was appointed the Mayoral Committee Member (MMC) for Human Settlements of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality under mayor Athol Trollip, whom he succeeded as Party Provincial Leader in 2017.

Bhanga was the DA's candidate for Eastern Cape Premier in the 2019 general elections. Following the elections, he became a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature and consequently assumed the title of Leader of the Opposition.

On 4 March 2020, Bhanga resigned from the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The DA had nominated him as their mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay. He was elected unopposed as mayor on 4 December 2020. On 23 August 2021, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced that Bhanga would be the DA's mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2021 local government elections. The DA did not win a majority on the Nelson Mandela Bay city council and lost nine seats. The ANC's Eugene Johnson was elected as mayor at the inaugural council meeting. She received 60 out of 119 votes, while Bhanga received only 59 votes.

The DA's Federal Executive (FedEx) approved Bhanga's return to the provincial legislature on 29 November 2021 and he resigned as a councillor on 2 December 2021. On 9 December, Bhanga was sworn in as a member of the provincial legislature and became leader of the opposition again.

In January 2023, Bhanga announced that he would not be seeking re-election to a third term as the provincial leader of the DA at the party's provincial conference in February. Bhanga said that his decision was influenced from the trauma he had suffered from after having been involved in a fatal car accident in August 2021 which left two people dead. Provincial chairman Andrew Whitfield succeeded him as provincial leader.

In June 2023, Bhanga was suspended from party activities after he accused the party's federal council chairperson Helen Zille of being a racist. He resigned from the DA and as a member of the provincial legislature on 1 December 2023, hours after his party membership was terminated.

Eugene Johnson

Eugene Johnson is a South African politician and businesswoman who has served as the speaker of the Nelson Mandela Bay Council since May 2023. She served as the Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from 2021 until 2022. She had previously served as a councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay from 2005 to 2010. Johnson is a member of the African National Congress.

Education

Johnson obtained a certificate in local governance, law and public administration from the University of Fort Hare. In 2020, she obtained a matric certificate at the age of 60.

Career

A member of the African National Congress, she served as a councillor on the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality council from 2005 to 2010. Johnson is a businesswoman by profession. Before she was elected mayor, she was a consultant for the Swedish-funded non-profit organisation, Ubutjebi Trust, on urban development and human settlements in the city. She has over 20 years' of experience in governance and has been a member of the National Economic Development and Labour Council.

Mayoral career: 2021–2022

In the local government elections held on 1 November 2021, no party obtained a majority of seats on the Nelson Mandela Bay city council. The ANC and DA both won 48 seats. Johnson was announced as the ANC's mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay on 21 November 2021. At the council meeting the next day, Johnson was elected as mayor with the help of a bloc consisting of small parties such as the Northern Alliance, the United Democratic Movement, the Defenders of the People, the African Independent Movement, GOOD, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and the Patriotic Alliance. She received 60 out of 119 votes, while incumbent mayor Nqaba Bhanga from the Democratic Alliance received only 59 votes. Shortly after her election, Johnson appointed her mayoral committee. She led a minority coalition government in the municipality.

On 21 September 2022, Johnson was ousted as mayor through a motion of no confidence. 62 councillors voted in support of the motion, while 58 voted against the motion. She was succeeded by the DA's Retief Odendaal.

Speaker of Council: 2023

Following Gary van Niekerk's election as mayor of the metro on 26 May 2023, Johnson was voted in to replace him as council speaker.

Retief Odendaal

Retief Odendaal (born 28 May 1982) is a South African politician who served as the Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay from 21 September 2022 until his removal in a motion of no confidence on 26 May 2023. Before serving as mayor, he was a Member of the Provincial Legislature in the Eastern Cape for the Democratic Alliance and was the Shadow Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform from May 2019 until August 2022.

Early life and education

Retief was born in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape and attended Hoërskool Otto Du Plessis. He furthered his studies at Nelson Mandela University from 2001 to 2005. He obtained an LLB degree and did his articles at Delport, van Niekerk Attorneys. He is a practising attorney in Nelson Mandela Bay and a politician.

Political career

Retief Odendaal joined the DA in 2004. He is a founding member of the DA Youth in Nelson Mandela Bay which was founded in 2004. He became the Ward 6 Councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay in 2009 and served as the councillor until the 2016 South African municipal elections. Odendaal was also the leader of the opposition in Nelson Mandela Bay from 2014 to 2016. In 2016 when the DA became the largest party in Nelson Mandela Bay he was chosen by then-mayor Athol Trollip to serve as a Mayoral Committee Member (MMC) for Finance in Nelson Mandela Bay. He served in that position until the DA was ousted in 2018 by the ANC and their coalition partners on the 27th August 2018.

Retief has been a member of the Democratic Alliance Federal Council since 2014 and was also elected as the chairperson of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee for the DA in the Eastern Cape. He also served as the deputy chairperson of the DA in the Eastern Cape from 2017 to 2019.

After the 2019 South African general election he was elected as a Member of the Provincial Legislature for the DA in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. Shortly after the election, he was made the Shadow MEC for Finance, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.

Odendaal was elected as a councillor of Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2021 municipal elections, however, he declined the position. Odendaal's absence from the inaugural council meeting on 22 November 2021 led to the DA mayoral candidate Nqaba Bhanga losing to the ANC mayoral candidate Eugene Johnson by one vote.

On 28 July 2022, the DA and other opposition parties signed a coalition agreement to remove the ANC-led alliance from power in Nelson Mandela Bay. The following day, Odendaal was announced as the DA's mayoral candidate for the metro. He resigned from the Provincial Legislature on 4 August 2022. On 21 September 2022 he was elected Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay. He was the youngest person ever elected as mayor in Nelson Mandela Bay history. Odendaal was removed as mayor in a motion of no confidence on 26 May 2023.

Personal life

Retief is a fluent speaker of Afrikaans and English. Retief married Anne-Marie Potgieter on 24 September 2010 in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha). They have three children.

Gary van Niekerk

Gary van Niekerk is a South African politician who has been the Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay from May 2023 until October 2024. Previously, he had served as the municipality's council speaker from November 2021 until May 2023. Van Niekerk is the current president of the National Alliance (previously named the Northern Alliance).

Political career

In March 2021, Van Niekerk was appointed president of the Northern Alliance, a party that was established in August 2020 to represent the interests of the residents in the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay and later renamed as the National Alliance. In the local government elections held on 1 November 2021, the Northern Alliance won three seats on the Nelson Mandela Bay council. No party won a majority on the council again and Van Niekerk was selected to become a councillor for the NA.

During the first council meeting on 22 November 2021, Van Niekerk was elected as speaker of the council with the support of the African National Congress councillors and a bloc consisting of the councillors of smaller parties such as GOOD, the African Integrity Movement, the African Independent Congress, the United Democratic Movement, the Defenders of the People and the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania. The ANC-led minority coalition was removed in September 2022 after the Northern Alliance and other political parties left the coalition. A Democratic Alliance-led coalition then took over control of the municipality and Van Niekerk remained as speaker.

In April 2023, the GOOD and UDM councillors filed a motion of no confidence against Van Niekerk over the alleged misuse of a municipal vehicle. Van Niekerk said that he would remain part of the DA-led coalition. The following month, he switched political allegiances from the DA to the ANC/EFF bloc amid a pending motion of no confidence against DA mayor Retief Odendaal. The ANC made it known on 16 May 2023 that they would support Van Niekerk to succeed Odendaal as mayor, if the motion of no confidence against Odendaal were to succeed. The motion was heard on 26 May 2023, and succeeded with Odendaal being removed as mayor. In the subsequent mayoral election held on the same day, Van Niekerk was nominated to stand against Odendaal. Van Niekerk was elected mayor in a vote that went 64 votes for him and 55 votes for Odendaal.

Party infighting

In October 2023, a rival faction in the National Alliance declared van Niekerk's membership of the party completely terminated. Nelson Mandela Bay speaker Noxolo Nqwazi declared van Niekerk's seat vacant. Van Niekerk is challenging both decisions.

Babalwa Lobishe

Babalwa Lobishe is a South African politician who has been the executive mayor of Nelson Mandela bay since 2024. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from 2019 until 2023. In December 2021, she was additionally elected as Regional Chairperson of the ANC's branch in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Political career

Lobishe formerly represented the ANC as a local councillor in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, where she served as a Member of the Mayoral Committee under Mayors Ben Fihla and Danny Jordaan. She was elected to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in the 2019 general election, ranked 29th on the ANC's provincial party list. Midway into the legislative term, ahead of the 2021 local elections, she was ranked first on the list of candidates nominated by ANC members to stand for election to the Nelson Mandela Bay council, which also made her a frontrunner for the mayoral candidacy; however, she retained her seat in the legislature rather than returning to local government.

In December 2021, Lobishe stood for election as Regional Chairperson of the ANC's branch in Nelson Mandela Bay, running against the former incumbent, Andile Lungisa. She was elected unopposed on 17 December after Lungisa withdrew from the race, saying that he supported the election of a woman to the position; She served alongside Regional Secretary Luyolo Nqakula and was deputised by Siphiwo Tshaka. According to the Mail & Guardian, she was generally viewed as a close ally of Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who in turn was politically aligned to President Cyril Ramaphosa; however, in 2022 she supported Mlibo Qoboshiyane's unsuccessful bid to oust Mabuyane as ANC Provincial Chairperson.

On 26 May 2023, Lobishe was sworn in as an ANC councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay, replacing Makhi Feni. Lobishe had resigned from the provincial legislature in order to return to the Nelson Mandela Bay council. Hours after her swearing-in, she was elected deputy mayor of the municipality.

Port Elizabeth Mayors

William Smith

Port Elizabeth's first mayor was William Smith (born 23 June 1817, Wynberg, Cape Town - died 13 January 1867, Port Elizabeth).

William Smith became Mayor of Port Elizabeth at the end of 1860 after Port Elizabeth's Town Councillors met to chose a Mayor from two candidates: William Smith and James Somers Kirkwood.

On 8 November 1843 William Smith married Lydia Danford Taylor in St Mary's Church. At the time his occupation was listed as 'commercial clerk'.

In October 1848 William Smith became a partner in a Main Street (now Govan Mbeki Avenue) shop with Thomas M. Driver in the new firm Driver and Smith. The partnership was dissolved in 1853.

Smith and his wife had a number of children: Isabella and William John, followed by Andrew George (June 1848 - died 1850), Lydia Susannaha (February 1850), John Thomas (February 1852), Francis (October 1853), Mary Emma (November 1855), Amy Maria Frances (April 1858). Four little girls who were born 1860, 1862 (twins) and 1864 all died, the twins soon after birth and their sisters in May 1866.

William Smith's shop was on the sea side of Main Street (Govan Mbeki Avenue) opposite the bottom of Russell Road. The building was known as 'Waterloo House' - a double-storeyed building with living space above.

William owned a number of properties including; a house in Constitution Hill, 4 Erven in Walmer and other ground on which he farmed stall-fed beef.

Smith sat on the Hospital and Grey Institute Boards. He served as a commissioner and a Councillor for many years assuming the position of of Vice-Chairman of the Board of Commissioners under John Patterson.

Smith served three terms in succession as Mayor before stepping down at his own request.

A short illness preceded his death on 13 January 1867, aged 49 years. At the time his estates was insolvent. The mid 1860's was a time of great recession and there were many insolvencies.

Isabella Smith remarried to George Street. The rest of the children ranging in age from 9 to 17 still had to be taken care of.

Walmer Mayors

The formation of the Walmer Municipality came to fruition on the 22nd April 1899. In July of that year, a Council of six was elected with William Alcock as its first Mayor. The Councillors were J.S. Gardner, A.B. Thomas, F. Ramsay-Denny, G.R. Perrins and Edwin Stephen.