R40m budget required to fix crumbling municipal facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay

Some of Nelson Mandela Bay’s most prominent public buildings – including the 19th-century City Hall and the Feather Market Centre – are suffering from severe structural deterioration, water damage and the presence of hazardous asbestos after years of neglect and inadequate maintenance.

A municipal structural assessment tabled before the corporate services committee reveals that the metro faces a R40-million repair bill to address extensive maintenance backlogs, with some facilities posing potential health and safety risks and one community hall recommended for decommissioning.

The report attributes the deterioration of the buildings to years of inadequate maintenance, ageing sewerage infrastructure beneath some facilities, harsh environmental conditions that have accelerated corrosion, insufficient maintenance budgets and vandalism.

Given the extent of the deterioration, the municipality commissioned condition assessments to identify areas of concern and prioritise repair and maintenance work.

The assessment found that the Feather Market Centre, a historic building declared a national monument in 1980, has suffered extensive deterioration, including pervasive roof leaks, water-damaged concrete, spalling and corrosion, wall cracks and dampness, vandalism and the presence of hazardous asbestos roof sheets.

“On receipt of the report, we analysed it and decided to employ a phased approach as the R10-million needed to do the renovations would not be available. Also, the time it would take to have a contractor on site would delay the implementation, and by the time we managed to have a contractor appointed, the problem would be worse than it is currently,” reads the report by Acting Executive Director for Corporate Services Yolanda Dakuse.

“Replacement of the entire roof is going out on formal tender in the 2026/27 financial year. The budget has already been confirmed at R2.5-million. Two contractors are on site in different sections of the centre.”

At the City Hall, which was declared a national monument in 1973, the structural report identified severe water ingress and drainage failures, asbestos-containing materials, masonry and structural deterioration, maintenance and heritage concerns, as well as safety and operational risks.

Camera inspection of corroded built-in fullbores (metal downpipes) has been completed and a contractor appointed.

The Kariega Town Hall requires the replacement of sections of its roof after extensive water ingress caused significant deterioration to ceilings and carpets, as well as the removal of asbestos-containing materials.

Waterproofing repairs are required on flashing ridges and box gutters in certain roof areas, as well as the replacement of the structural steel fire escape staircase, repair of external cracks, waterproofing of walls and external painting works.

The Despatch Town Hall has suffered water ingress through the roof, resulting in damage to internal ceilings.

“Although repairs were previously undertaken in the hall section, the repair work appears to have been inadequate, as sections of the roof now appear to be sagging. There are waterproofing requirements, and the existing insulation was found to have been damaged during the repair process. Existing roof material has also been damaged due to continued water ingress from defective roof capping,” the report reads.

The structural report found that at Noninzi Luzipho building in Kariega there is façade cracking and deterioration, water ingress and drainage failures, waterproofing and sealing defects, as well as internal damage and safety risks.

A contractor has been appointed and the work is expected to be completed by 30 September 2026.

The Blue Horizon Bay Community Hall in Gqeberha has been recommended for decommissioning due to the extent of the structural damage.

The facility has severe structural and foundation damage, geotechnical and environmental hazards, a failure of essential services and damage to finishes and fixtures.

DA councillor Annette Lovemore said the buildings needed to be used more by encouraging community activities to take place in them.

“Higher footfall will discourage vandalism. Lower tariffs (cost to hire) should be considered, and creative but legal use arrangements considered to allow maximum use, even by those who are less affluent.”

Lovemore said the priority attached to the community use of buildings must be reflected in budgets allocated for maintenance and repair.

“Allowing buildings to deteriorate affects the communities they are intended to serve – for example, where do schools have prizegivings, councillors meet with their communities, etc?

“The cost of rebuilding a facility like Allanridge Community Hall [and] library [in Kariega] runs into the tens of millions, and the requisite budgets just do not top priority lists,” she stated.

“Larger buildings like the Feather Market Centre attract international concerts and events with huge audiences. The less these buildings are maintained, the more likely it is that these events will be held elsewhere, with the municipality losing out on revenue.

“Security is a must. All buildings in hotspot areas must have camera surveillance and armed response and, preferably, full-time guarding.”

Lovemore suggested that the municipality should have its own minor repairs team in place to ensure that issues such as broken windows, basins and other smaller maintenance problems could be attended to immediately.

“Public-private partnerships must definitely be investigated for those buildings that are potentially revenue-raising. The municipality faces the real potential of liability in case of harm to people or damage to property in unsafe buildings.”

Good party councillor Lawrence Troon said the ruling coalition government was not serious about governance.

“Mandla George was the best performing (former) acting city managers we’ve ever had. When they couldn’t strike deals with him he was removed.

“There’s no desire to fix anything, facilities management needs to be investigated. I was at Brister House the other day, only one of the four lifts worked and I had to walk up the stairs to the 15th floor.

“All these issues are indicative of the kind of government we have. Hence we look forward to the local government elections to remove this coalition.”

DA councillor Roelf Basson said the City’s engineering building on Kyler Street was an absolute disgrace due to poor maintenance, if any was done at all.

Read more

Burnt, looted and abandoned — how NMB storage depot went to rack and ruin

April 14, 2026

“The grass is overgrown, dry leaves are all over and the ceilings are falling in. If we can’t maintain our administrative buildings how are we to maintain our facilities being used by the public?” he asked.

“We have old age homes and flats in municipal buildings, they’re falling apart and gates are not working for two years, which compromises the safety of the elderly especially. Even my office as councillor is in ruins, they tried to maintain it, but I doubt the ability of the contractor who was appointed to do the work.”

Questions sent to ANC councillor Bongani Mani were not answered.

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said that where technical assessments identified conditions that may pose a health or safety risk, the municipality would implement immediate mitigation measures.

“Depending on the severity of the findings, this may include restricting access to affected areas, temporarily closing facilities where necessary, or undertaking urgent remedial works before buildings are returned to full operation,” he said.

“The municipality has allocated R40-million towards the refurbishment of municipal buildings, with projects already under way at a number of facilities, including the Feather Market Centre.

“This investment forms part of the City’s broader commitment to protect and modernise public infrastructure while ensuring that municipal buildings remain safe, functional and accessible.”

Soyaya said the safety of employees, visitors and members of the public remained their top priority.

“While the municipality continues to face challenges associated with an ageing infrastructure portfolio, rising construction costs, vandalism and historical maintenance backlogs, the approved investment in refurbishment demonstrates a clear commitment to safeguarding municipal assets and progressively improving the condition of facilities across Nelson Mandela Bay.” DM