Top South African city collapsing in front of everyone’s eyes

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, which includes Gqeberha and Kariega, is falling apart with poor service delivery and key municipal roles remaining vacant.

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is the largest in the Eastern Cape, with a population of approximately 1.2 million.

It sits on South Africa’s coastline and is home to important facilities, such as the Port of Gqeberha and the Volkswagen factory in Kariega.

The area supports a large portion of South Africa’s automotive industry and contributes to the agriculture and tourism sectors.

The municipality’s main metropolitan area, Gqeberha, is the country’s fifth-largest city, with a population exceeding half a million.

Recently, the Auditor General’s (AG) report for the area has shown that the Eastern Cape’s metro is crumbling under poor service delivery and high vacancy rates in municipal positions.

The municipality received a qualified audit with findings, noting that the area has been suffering from mismanagement and a 67% vacancy rate in senior positions.

This includes the municipal manager role, which has not been permanently filled since 2024, and the Chief Financial Officer role, which was vacant at the end of the 2025 financial year.

The area’s last municipal manager, Noxolo Nqwazi, is currently suspended due to ongoing corruption allegations. 

The AG’s report further found that the municipality had failed to investigate these allegations and similar instances of improper conduct.

The municipality’s spending was also a concern for the AG, which noted over R22 billion in irregular spending by the local government. 

This is combined with Nelson Mandela Bay’s poor practices in paying its creditors, such as Eskom, taking an average of 189 days to service their debts.

The auditors noted that the municipality had failed to submit vital financial records on time, such as monthly budget statements and performance reports.

The financial irregularities in Nelson Mandela Bay were a major concern for the AG, who assessed the area’s financial health as “concerning.”

Local government mismanagement has hurt residents, who have been struggling with poor service delivery for years.

Nelson Mandela Bay service delivery problems

In response to the performance of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a stability and accountability intervention plan from the provincial government.

A party spokesperson said the local government’s continued financial struggles have a real impact on residents.

“Service delivery failures are evident in deteriorating water infrastructure, inadequate pollution control of water resources, ineffective infrastructure project implementation, and delays in housing delivery,” they said.

A major concern in the area has been the delays in completing housing projects, such as the Walmer Airport Valley Project, which was delayed by eight months.

In addition to the lack of housing, those living in temporary housing have lacked access to basic necessities, such as water and electricity.

The DA spokesperson said these challenges have left residents waiting for homes in poor conditions.

The DA will approach the Eastern Cape’s MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Zolile Williams, for a plan to stabilise the area.

They said COGTA needs to explain its plan to establish order in the municipality’s administration, as well as how it will address the high vacancy rate in senior roles.

Some of the irregularities included paying employees during lengthy suspensions and poor management of the city’s waste management sites.

The material irregularities also included poor water quality standards throughout the municipality and unbilled revenue.

---

Nelson Mandela Bay photos

---