‘We’ve had enough’ — churches mobilise communities amid NMB governance crisis

Spiritual leaders across Nelson Mandela Bay will gather with communities at the iconic St Stephen's Anglican Church in New Brighton, once the hub of anti-apartheid protest theatre, after a failed meeting with Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe.

“While the church is apolitical, we will be educating our congregants across all wards about the value of their vote and how to vote for the people and parties that have the will to provide hope and economic growth to the metro,” a letter signed by the senior church leaders in the metro stated.

The meeting followed a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for urgent intervention in the failing local government.

Read more: Church leaders urge radical change in Nelson Mandela Bay’s governance ahead of local elections

“Mr President, national and municipal legislation empowers you to take action,” the letter continued, “The present political leadership is clearly and sadly unable to rise to the challenge of tackling the scourges of poverty, [un]employment, inequality, crime and [poor] education in Nelson Mandela Bay.

“Action needs to be taken now before the anger of the people boils over in the face of ongoing job losses (unemployment surged from 22.3% to 26.4% in the second quarter of 2025).

“Frankly, the impression of the church leadership is that the premier and mayor do not understand the seriousness of the situation in the metro or choose to ignore the will of the people,” the letter continued.

“This is a call to action,” said Bishop William Leleki, who is leading the initiative. “We will be in touch with the community. We tried to give some direction. Instead, the municipality continues to grind itself down. We have offered alternatives… Seemingly, they are not understanding,” Leleki added. “The people must be part of the government and this is not happening.” 

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Referring to a meeting with Lobishe and Mabuyane, the letter continues: “Lobishe had the audacity to blame the residents of the metro for the mess in which it finds itself due to the way we voted.

“She proceeded to go through the shortcomings listed in our letter one by one and lectured us on how they were being addressed. The mayor did not seem to understand that the examples provided are symptoms of the collapse of political governance of the metro. There was no explanation as to why it was taking years to address the matters. It was clear that some actions were only in response to our letter.

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“There is a lack of integrity. In her closing remarks, the executive mayor had the effrontery to make the false statement that the roads were in good condition and that the lines were painted. On the way to the meeting, we had all experienced potholes, robots out of order and unpainted markings on the main routes and side streets. 

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“There was no mention by the mayor of the gangs that have infiltrated the workings of the metro, the failure to secure essential infrastructure, the under-resourced metro police force, cancelled council meetings, and the challenges facing the motor and general manufacturing industries,” the letter to Ramaphosa continues.

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“The mayor and representatives from the coalition partners painted a false picture of stability within the governing coalition consisting of the ANC (40% of the vote), EFF (6.7%), NA (2.5%), AIC (1.7%) and PAC(1.7%). Any ‘stability’ is due to the ANC kowtowing to the demands of the smaller parties.

“What the voters of Nelson Mandela Bay in fact voted for is reflected in the Government of National Unity – 40.04% voted for the Democratic Alliance and 39.6% for the African National Congress. That is a total of 79.64%, giving the two parties a clear mandate to work together in the interests of the citizens of the metro,” the letter continued.

“Instead, leadership consists of tiny parties with negligible voter support headed by individuals who seem to put the agendas of themselves and their parties ahead of the plight of the residents,” the city’s spiritual leaders said in their letter.

“During the meeting, [Nelson Mandela Bay] District Police Commissioner Major General Vuyisile Ncata painted a rosy picture of crime being reduced. That same night, there was a triple murder in Fairview and a double murder in a Despatch informal settlement. The general made no mention of the ongoing kidnappings in Nelson Mandela Bay. It was a failed attempt to downplay the lawlessness that pervades one of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world,” the letter said.

“The statistics do not reflect the daily experience of the residents. Trust in the police is at an all-time low.

Read more: Police commissioner’s shocking admission as Nelson Mandela Bay buckles under violent crime

“Put simply, what is currently happening in Nelson Mandela Bay due to poor, self-centred political leadership is morally wrong. When 26 children a year are dying of starvation, and hundreds more suffer from malnutrition, it is the duty of the church to speak out and to take action.

Read more: More than two dozen children have starved to death in Nelson Mandela Bay in the past year

The letter was signed by all the senior spiritual leaders in the metro: Bishop Dr William Leleki (Chairperson of the SACC in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro), Apostle Neville Goldman (Ebenezer International), Reverend Danie Mouton (Director Synod Eastern Cape DRC), Bishop Vincent Zungu (Catholic Diocese Gqeberha), Dr Dave Pedersen (National Director Vineyard Churches SA), Bishop Themba Mahuwa (Bishop of the Ethiopian Episcopal), Pastor Russell Viljoen (Ebenezer North), Pastor Glenn Weiss (Joy to the Nations), Pastor Victor Befile (Motherwell Ministers Fraternal), Pastor Tyrone Strydom (Church in Action – Northern Areas), Pastor Patrick Douglas-Henry (Regional Leader EC AFM), Pastor Mark Scholtz (Harvest Christian Church), Pastor Richard Crompton (Word of Faith Ministers International), Vicar General Sharon Nell (Anglican Church of Southern Africa – Diocese of Port Elizabeth), Reverend Andile George (Moderator Presbyterian Church – Central Cape), Pastor Richard Preston (New Covenant Ministries International), Bishop Zwai Ntanjana (Emthonjeni Family Church), Archbishop John Vena (Coordinator of the Concerned Ministers), Rev Dr Bukelwa Hans (GRAPE) and Pastor Joan Keeling (NMB Citywide Prayer Coordinator). 

Leleki said they were motivated by their deep concern over the absolute crisis in the metro. “We are listening to our people cry. We are here to knock some sense into the politicians,” he said. “They are representing the people of this metro. They should hear their cries,” he said. 

He said the only viable solution they could foresee was a cooperative government between the ANC and the DA.

“The minority parties in this metro hold high positions. How did that happen? It is not the will of the people.

“People with no mandate are leading the city,” he said. 

“There is no doubt that we are in a deep crisis. People are killed daily. People live in poverty. They do not know what to do. And then you have a mayor who is dismissive and removed from reality,” he said.

Executive Mayor’s response

Lobishe said she wished to thank the Nelson Mandela Bay Church Leaders Network for their continued engagement and for raising their views openly during “our meeting with the premier”.

“I hold our faith-based leaders in high regard and I value their contribution to strengthening the fabric of our city. It is important to clarify that I did not, and would never, blame the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay for the challenges we face. My commitment has always been to unite our communities and to work together, across all political and social lines, to rebuild confidence in our metro. Our people deserve dignity, stability and progress — and that is where my focus remains.

“We acknowledge the real concerns around service delivery, crime and economic growth. These are precisely the areas where my administration has been working tirelessly: stabilising governance, accelerating infrastructure projects, improving basic services and creating stronger partnerships with law enforcement and business. Progress is being made, and I am determined to ensure that residents see this progress in their daily lives.

“On the suggestion of placing the metro under administration, I must emphasise that our democracy gives us the responsibility to govern in the best interests of our people. My administration, with the support of the provincial and national government, remains firmly committed to fulfilling this mandate and to addressing challenges head-on,” she said.

She asked the church leaders to “walk this journey with us”.

However, Leleki said they had chosen to call their communities together to discuss how to proceed. 

“We’ve really had enough,” he said. DM