Sewage from a blocked manhole flows down a street in Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay. (Photo: Supplied / Thanduxolo Doda) 
Nelson Mandela Bay residents face extended delays in sewage complaint responses after a long-standing contract for cleaning and unblocking sewerage drains ended on 9 January.
The termination of the Teloc contract occurs as the city seeks to finalise contracts for minor sewerage works and pump station cleaning, forcing residents to contend with roads inundated with raw sewage that also runs into their properties.
It was an “evergreen contract” that was extended numerous times over the years while a long-term contract is processed.
The Teloc contract expired at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, after which the city initiated a replacement one that has yet to be finalised.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MC-NMB_11.jpg "Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is working to finalise sanitation contracts as complaints about sewage spills increase. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
Ward councillors raised concerns over the termination of the contract as they battled to get officials and contractors to timeously attend to problems with overflowing sewage.
The councillors were informed of the “suffering that was to come” as a result of the contract ending via a WhatsApp message by the Struandale depot senior superintendent.
“Attention all councillors: Please be aware that we will suffer in the coming days. [The] Teloc and JK contract was terminated on Friday, 9 January 2026 until further notice,” the alert reads.
“Not sure if they will be back or not. Any further developments will be communicated in due course. We don’t have enough internal manpower and resources, but we’ll try where we can; please be patient with us.”
Ward 55 councillor Thanduxolo Doda said there were three long-standing sewage spills in his ward, which flow down the streets and into people’s homes.
“Without this contract, there’s no hope that they will ever be fixed. These sewage issues were included in the integrated development plan, but they never made it to the budget, even though the mayor has been here personally and saw the extent of the problem.
“I don’t know what to tell the residents any more, because I have reported these issues so many times, and nothing is being done.”
/file/attachments/orphans/2026-01-1514_54_52-Greenshot_179339.jpg "An overflowing sewage manhole in Algoa Park, Gqeberha, which was only attended to by the municipality in December after the problem had worsened over the course of several weeks. (Photo: Supplied / Alicia Koekemoer)")
Ward 19 councillor Gamalihleli Maqula said that every time he reports sewage issues he is told nothing can be done about them.
“There’s no contractor in place, which means no work is being done. As we speak, sewage manholes are blocked, which results in spillages. There was never a contract in place; the expired one was a deviation, an evergreen contract that was just not renewed,” said Maqula.
“When we report issues, we’re told there are no trucks and no manpower to attend to issues. Sewage is flooding into people’s homes, and I don’t know what to tell them. It’s terrible. If this does not get resolved, I will have no choice but to involve the Public Protector.”
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said the finalisation of the replacement contract had been delayed due to the high number of contracts in the system.
“With resource and arrangement shortages, plans are under way to ensure alternative mechanisms can be utilised as an interim measure, to allow service delivery improvement,” said Soyaya.
“The turnaround for attending to sewer [problems] is normally 48 hours; however, there will be a slight delay due to unavailable core-sourced resources. This challenge will be addressed in the next couple of days, with the interim mechanism being put in place.”
He said that challenges related to blocked sewers would “be dealt with in terms of the interim measures. In terms of the backlog, only the turnaround time is affected, but all blockages will be dealt with utilising the resources available.”
He confirmed that the tendering processes for the replacement contract had commenced at the end of 2023.
“But there have been unforeseen administrative delays with the tender evaluation and finalisation processes, which have delayed its award. The award is in its conclusion stage,” he said.
“Both the minor sewer works and pump station sump cleaning contracts are in the final stages of the tender evaluation, and we hope to have the awards finalised in the coming weeks.
“The municipality remains committed to enhancing operational efficiency, ensuring reliable services for all residents through a combination of internal capacity and strategic operational support where necessary.” DM