KARIEGA – Kariega’s central business district, once a key economic artery of the town, is showing visible signs of prolonged neglect, with deteriorating infrastructure and poorly maintained public spaces raising concern among residents and business owners.

Despite previous commitments from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) and the reported allocation of R53 million in disaster relief funding during the last financial year, large parts of the CBD, including Market Street, a primary commercial hub, remain in disrepair.

The situation has prompted questions around municipal accountability, the utilisation of allocated National Disaster funds, and the reasons behind delays in addressing infrastructure damage that has persisted for nearly two years.

Speaking to Ward 48 Councillor Franay van de Linde, in whose ward Kariega CBD is situated, she outlined her assessment of the current state of the Kariega CBD and how she believes this prolonged neglect affects her constituents and the local business community.

She said the CBD is in a bad state owing to the lack of, or in some cases complete absence of, service delivery from the Municipality.

She noted examples such as no long-term plan for maintenance currently in place for the town’s infrastructure, “or if there is a plan then it is not implemented accordingly/properly.”

Van de Linde added other examples such as vandalism spiralling out of control, with no monitoring or policing to prevent infrastructure from being vandalised.

“The prolonged neglect has a very serious effect on local businesses and the community,” she said. “Most of the communities choose to shop elsewhere owing to the state of the CBD. This has a very negative effect on the economy of Kariega.”

She also noted that many shop owners had to either close their businesses for good or move somewhere else to do business.

This is really sad. Our town was once a business hub where visitors flocked to and where the locals felt safe and enjoyed doing their shopping in a clean and safe environment.

Explaining why she believes the CBD area has gone nearly two years without the infrastructure repairs it was supposed to receive, she said the IDP does not speak to the budget committee.

“The communities are not taken seriously. The IDP/BUDGET Public Participation Processes are just an exercise to tick a box. The requests of the communities do not find their way into the Ward Based Budgets,” she said.

Asked where the responsibility for the delays lies within the municipal structure, she said the responsibility lies with the Executive Mayor [Babalwa Lobishe] and the Members of Mayoral Committee (MMC) to play their oversight role and to hold officials accountable to do their jobs and to see that each Department is functioning and is abiding by the policies and the rule of law.

“It is very important that the critical vacancies get filled permanently, especially the positions of the City Manager and the EDs, with qualified, competent persons,”she said.

Van de Linde added that she was not given a reason nor was she informed about the status of the National Disaster funds that were given to the NMBM for the refurbishment of the flood disaster-struck areas, with Kariega being one of the most affected areas after the June 2024 flash flood.

“I raised the issue at Council level since the floods in 2024, through emails and also at our one-on-one sessions on our Ward Based Budgets with Ward Councillors, the Acting City Manager, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Directors.”

Asked about what the NMBM’s response has been to her requests for CBD repair funding, she said, “At our last session, just before the passing of the Adjustment Budget with the Acting City Manager, the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Directors of all departments and Ward Councillors after we raised our concerns on our Ward Based Budgets individually, the Acting City Manager said that a session must be held with the Ward Councillors, Project Managers and the EDs, but this has not happened to date,” she concluded.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is aware of concerns raised regarding the deteriorating condition of infrastructure at the Kariega Market Square, including damaged tiling and other amenities.

The damage to certain areas of the facility is as a result of a combination of vandalism as well as the 2024 flooding experienced in Kariega and surrounding areas.

The Municipal spokesperson, Sithembiso Soyaya said NMBM is currently engaging with the relevant stakeholders, including the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), to establish the full extent of the damage in terms of cost.

“A budget within the next financial year budgeting (starting July 2026) process will then be allocated for such refurbishments,” he said. “Through IDP and Budget Public Participation Public Engagements, the Municipality will communicate the way forward regarding the restoration and maintenance of the facility.”

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