NMB mayor should have a performance agreement, says top local businessman

Former president of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and prominent metro businessman Loyiso Dotwana said on Thursday that a performance management agreement – and not an election – should be used to decide whether a mayor stays or goes.

Dotwana, who was speaking at a business breakfast, said the Nelson Mandela Bay metro had many positive aspects, including skilled human resources, tourism potential, no malaria, fantastic beaches and great weather.

A focus on the green economy, including plans to establish a green hydrogen hub in the metro, had massive potential, he said. 

However, the political environment, he added, was not conducive to prosperity as politicians were fighting among themselves.

“For them it is about survival,” he said, but “the way things are, is not working.”

He suggested identifying several key indicators for the mayor and using this agreement, and not an election, to measure her performance.

Dotwana’s comments come as the metro recorded an operating deficit of R1.58-billion in the previous financial year, necessitating the use of its reserves. It is suffering multimillion-rand losses in electricity and water, and has regressed in the auditing opinion received from the Auditor-General. 

Desperate letter

Earlier this year, the metro’s church leaders wrote a desperate letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa to complain about the state of the municipality. They had a subsequent meeting with metro executive mayor Babalwa Lobishe and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, but were left without answers.

“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. In her opening remarks, mayor Babalwa 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,” the letter read.

“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.

“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 [road markings] 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.

“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 continued.

‘False picture’ of stability

The church leaders further accused the mayor of painting a false picture of stability within the governing coalition led by the ANC.

“Put simply, what is currently happening in Nelson Mandela Bay due to poor, self-centred political leadership is morally wrong… 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,” the letter concluded.

A mass meeting has since been held by church leaders to discuss the state of the metro with congregants.

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

The metro has, after this meeting, finalised the procurement for streetlights, and contractors have begun the work. R10-million was pledged to fix the beaches and the main sewage treatment works. Fishwater Flats Treatment Works has been commissioned again and is 80% operational.

Dotwana said business had stepped up to address safety and security at the metro’s iconic beachfront, but it could not do it alone. 

Ministerial visit

Dotwana’s comments come as the Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance, Namane Dickson Masemola, is to visit the metro on Tuesday, 18 November. 

It is understood that items for discussion will include a letter from Lobishe requesting support, talks on a joint Cabinet meeting held on 16 April 2025 in Gqeberha on the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, and ongoing engagements and assessments of municipalities, aimed at identifying sustainable solutions to municipal challenges persisting across the country. 

The National Treasury, the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Amatola Water Board, the Office of the Premier, the provincial treasury, the Eastern Cape arm of the South African Local Government Association and the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency are also expected to attend the meeting. 

Since 2001, the metro has had 13 mayors, nine of them since 2019. Previous mayor Gary van Niekerk was appointed as deputy mayor after he and Lobishe switched positions when he was arrested by the Hawks on several charges, including cyber fraud and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act. The metro has also had 16 city managers, most of them acting, since 2016. DM