The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has warned that it may escalate action against the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro for failing to provide complete and timely information following an oversight visit in 2025.
The committee says months of follow-ups, including formal letters and clarification requests, have yielded incomplete responses. This has limited its ability to assess governance, financial management, and service delivery issues identified during a joint oversight visit with the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General.
Committee chairperson Zweli Mkhize stressed that the municipality’s lack of cooperation obstructs Parliament’s constitutional duties.
“These requests are not discretionary,” Mkhize said. “They form part of Parliament’s constitutional responsibility to ensure accountability, transparency, and effective cooperative governance. Timely and full cooperation from the municipality is therefore essential.”
He added, “These delays affect Parliament and this committee’s ability to assess progress on critical issues. It is therefore important that the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro leadership respond fully and timeously.”
The committee has called on Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe and metro leadership to urgently cooperate ahead of a scheduled appearance on 24 March, urging the submission of all outstanding information, clear responses, and meaningful engagement in corrective actions.
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya confirmed that the metro submitted its report on 14 March 2026 and is working with the committee to clarify any remaining issues. “The administration is therefore actively working to ensure that all requested information is provided ahead of the committee’s meeting scheduled for next week,” he said.
The warning comes amid ongoing service delivery crises in the metro, including electricity protests, infrastructure failures, and water shortages. The Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition condemned the situation, calling it a violation of constitutional rights.
“Across our metro, some communities are confronted with dry taps, failing sewerage systems, and persistent electricity disruptions. Nelson Mandela Bay is facing a worsening water and infrastructure crisis. These failures are not inevitable. They are the result of prolonged mismanagement, inadequate maintenance, political interference, and the erosion of technical capacity within the municipality.”
The metro has also struggled with thousands of broken streetlights, many of which have not been repaired for months.
