BAY LEDGER · CIVIC EVIDENCE
NELSON MANDELA BAY/

THE ELECTION TEST

Make every promise answer to a baseline.

Review local coalition history, party manifestos and a fair framework for testing commitments against outcomes in Nelson Mandela Bay.

FIELD NOTE 06PARTIES & PROMISES
06 · Elections and parties

Voters should judge the work, the coalition and the plan.

The next local government election is 4 November 2026. A mayor’s party label does not tell the whole story: council majorities and executive coalitions changed several times within the last two terms.

Why party rankings need careful handling

Nelson Mandela Bay has been governed by changing coalitions, including shifts between DA-led and ANC-led administrations. MISTRA’s coalition chronology records the post-2021 council moving from an ANC-led coalition, to a DA-led coalition from September 2022 to May 2023, then back to ANC-led government. The municipality’s current public directory lists Babalwa Lobishe as executive mayor. The same municipal-wide audit and service figures span coalitions and officials; they cannot honestly be assigned to one party alone.

2016–2021
DA became the largest party in 2016, but coalition changes and leadership disputes disrupted the term.
2021–Sep 2022
Hung council; an ANC-led coalition governed after the 2021 election.
Sep 2022–May 2023
A DA-led coalition held office; the financial year 2022/23 crosses coalition changes.
May 2023–present
ANC-led coalitions returned; mayors and coalition arrangements have changed during this period.
ANC · published 2026 platform

Its six local-government priorities include affordable basic services, local jobs and investment, safe and clean communities, spending public money on residents’ needs, capable and honest municipalities, and listening and accountability.

Read the ANC manifesto page
DA · published 2026 platform

On water it promises ring-fenced water revenue, leak repairs, wastewater upgrades and private investment or technical expertise where useful. Ask for NMB-specific baselines, spending lines and dates.

Read the DA manifesto
EFF · published 2026 platform

Its municipal infrastructure plan emphasises employing technical staff, bringing essential infrastructure work in-house, and rebuilding water, sanitation and roads. Ask for staffing, procurement and service-level targets.

Read the EFF infrastructure proposals
ActionSA · published 2026 platform

Its manifesto emphasises credible budgets, accurate billing and metering, merit-based appointments, tender transparency, infrastructure maintenance and public accountability. Ask which commitments are NMB-specific and fully funded.

Read the ActionSA manifesto page
Track record, sorted from the clearest positive change to the current accountability test:
  1. Best recent audit outcome — 2022/23. The opinion improved to unqualified with findings, the strongest result in this five-year series. That financial year crossed an ANC-to-DA-led coalition change, so one party cannot claim sole credit.
  2. Best recent service signal — water interruptions, 2023 to 2024. The reported rate fell from 45.1% to 40.3% while ANC-led coalitions governed. The 2025 survey separately estimates 106,000 households experienced an interruption of 48 hours or more. Survey timing and different measures mean the change cannot be credited to one party.
  3. Governance reversal — 2023/24. The audit returned to qualified and MPAC flagged low conditional-grant spending during the ANC-led period after May 2023.
  4. Closest accountability today — the current mayor and governing coalition. They must answer for present operations and the latest 2024/25 qualified audit, and publish progress on the still-unresolved investigations of old expenditure.

This orders observable results and current responsibility; it is not a causal party league table. Coalition churn, inherited infrastructure, survey timing and shared council decisions prevent a fair single-number party score. Earlier administrations also share responsibility for long-running weaknesses.

The four manifesto cards are selected parties with published local-government platforms. Treat them as campaign commitments. Ask each NMB candidate for an additional ward-specific, costed plan with baselines, deadlines and quarterly public reporting.

A fair election scorecard: grade each local candidate against the same baseline

This checklist sorts claims by whether residents can verify them. It is not a popularity poll.

Evidence check: 0 of 7 commitments currently verified by you.
Election questions residents can ask every candidate:

1. What is your target to cut water interruptions and real water losses, and by what date?
2. Which ward projects will receive money in year one? Show the budget line and procurement plan.
3. Will every work order show a case number, responsible team, expected completion date and closure evidence?
4. When will the old irregular and fruitless expenditure investigations be completed, and which committee will report quarterly?
5. Will you publish coalition agreements, council votes, senior vacancy status and contract changes in one searchable place?