Civil Society Leaders in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape say transparency and oversight by all stakeholders is the only way the Section 154 intervention by national government can bring about meaningful change in the metro. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) is deploying a 10-person support team to help address the city’s governance, service delivery, and economic challenges.
Council Meeting đź’«
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Executive Mayor, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe, welcomed and appreciated COGTA’s positive response in approving the Municipality’s request for Section 154 support.#AllHandsOnDeck #SiyaSebenza #MetroAtWork pic.twitter.com/L1SiB2aRd3
— Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (@NMandelaBaymuni) December 4, 2025
The intervention follows a formal request from the municipality for assistance to deal with challenges. COGTA Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa facilitated a stakeholder engagement on Saturday between the metro and the Civil Society Coalition to discuss collaboration and strategy. Chairperson of the Civil Society Coalition, Monga Peter says following the engagement, they are optimistic of their inclusion in the process.
“Given how it was in the past constituted, this thing is inward looking, it doesn’t speak to what the inward is doing and all of that so transparency becomes one issue and also it excludes the non-state formations like us in terms of the oversight hence then we are encouraged in the outcome of this meeting which has since recognised and accepted a need to include us in the oversight.”
COGTA Minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa, says this intervention will be different from the past attempts, as it will include oversight by both government and civil society. Hlabisa says within two months, the task team must provide a diagnosis of the city’s challenges, and within twelve months, a strategy must be implemented.
“The civil society was having a concern in terms of their exclusion. We have assured them that this intervention has a similar shape to Ethekwini, where business people and the civil society play an important role, all oversight to ensure that their concerns are being taken care of.”
VIDEO | COGTA Minister Hlabisa visits NMB metro amid service challenges
