In South Africa, coalition partners boycott Nelson Mandela Bay mayor’s address
In Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, several partners in the ruling coalition boycotted Mayor Babalwa Lobishe’s state of the metro address. It took place on September 10 at a hall in Despatch. According to Daily Maverick, the gala dinner-format event cost taxpayers 235,000 rand, according to Lobishe.
The event was missed by the opposition Democratic Alliance, ACDP, Good, UDM and PA, as well as coalition partners EFF, PAC, Northern Alliance and the African Independent Congress. EFF chairperson in the Eastern Cape province Zilindile Vena explained the boycott by unemployment, poverty and problems with municipal services. He stressed that the EFF’s participation in the coalition does not mean unconditional support for every decision of the administration.
Criticism of spending and services
Representatives of parties that did not support the event criticized its cost amid problems with water supply, sewage, street lighting, roads and electricity. Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal said that during the first five months of the 2025/26 financial year, water losses that did not generate revenue for the municipality reached 60.39%.
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Odendaal also reported about 22,000 faulty streetlights in the city and described the electricity department as effectively bankrupt. Lobishe denied that the boycott was complete: according to her, the African National Congress, Freedom Front Plus and Defenders of the People took part in the event.
The mayor’s data on works
Lobishe acknowledged problems with aging infrastructure, vandalism, financial pressure and human resources, while reporting progress. According to her data, about 98% of households in the metro have access to water, while 95.7% have access to improved sanitation services. During the reporting period, 2,089 households were connected to water supply and sewerage, and 285 water standpipes were installed in informal settlements.
The mayor also reported the repair of 26 transformers, the installation of 297 new streetlights and the upgrade of another 3,708. At the same time, according to the publication, there are about 4,000 water leaks in the metro that need repairs, and an average of 150 complaints are received daily. The National Treasury objects to the proposed write-off of 23 billion rand in unauthorized, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure without reviewing each transaction.
