GQEBERHA – ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that service delivery interventions are underway in Nelson Mandela Bay as the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC) launched its first oversight visit to the metro on Monday, 4 May.

“There is work that is being done; we want to see that work picking up at a greater speed,” Ramaphosa told the media during the visit to the Fishwater Flats Wastewater Treatment Works.

Ramaphosa took the opportunity to praise Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishe, noting her role in bringing stability to the metro.

“The mayor is doing well; she is stabilising the metro. It is a wonderful thing to have a woman leading the metro,” Ramaphosa said.

He further highlighted the significance of her leadership, stating: “We do not have many metros being led by women in the country; for me, that is a great plus. She has been doing very well in attending to issues that had previously been neglected.”

The NWC’s oversight mission is designed to assess the progress of service delivery across the region.

Despite Ramaphosa’s praise for Lobishe’s work as mayor of the metro, Express previously reported that in April, two attempts to remove Lobishe were unsuccessful during a council sitting.

The first motion by Bill Harrington (Freedom Front Plus) was defeated 63-48, while a second motion by Lance Grootboom (African Christian Democratic Party) failed 64-48.

READ HERE: Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor’s leadership in question

Both opposition motions cited concerns about governance and service delivery, including water disruptions, electricity infrastructure issues, pylon collapses affecting areas like Summerstrand and Walmer, and questioned certain governance practices such as the leasing of a municipal transformer to a private company.

Also in April, DA Member of Parliament (MP) and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) spokesperson Marina van Zyl laid criminal charges against Lobishe at the Cape Town Central Police Station, alleging that she misled Parliament during oversight engagement.

READ MORE HERE: Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor accused of misleading Parliament

The charges relate to testimony given before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, chaired by Zweli Mkhize, where Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was questioned about governance, financial management and service delivery issues.

MPs raised concerns about the municipality’s failure to respond to oversight correspondence sent between January and March, following an earlier oversight visit in October last year.

While Ramaphosa admitted he had not yet seen the full extent of the metro’s current state, he was clear about his expectations: “We want a city that functions and that is clean.”

During the inspection of the Fish Water Flats Wastewater Treatment, Ramaphosa acknowledged ongoing maintenance challenges, including the need for basic upkeep and addressing vandalism that has damaged mechanical and electrical infrastructure.

The visit commenced at the Red Location precinct in New Brighton, where the delegation inspected infrastructure and sanitation projects.

The delegation reviewed a housing development consisting of 33 duplex homes, with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality having reportedly invested approximately R8.3 million in the project, which is currently in the initial foundation phase.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula stated at a media briefing that the ANC recognises there are service delivery challenges in areas such as water, sanitation, roads, electricity, and housing.

He noted that these are not “abstract issues, but daily realities affecting the dignity and livelihoods of residents.”

“The presence of national leadership on the ground is therefore both a governance intervention and a political commitment to accountability,” Mbalula said.

“This programme also serves to strengthen coordination between national, provincial, and local spheres of government, ensuring that interventions are not fragmented but aligned with the Local Government Action Plan (LGAP) pillars of core service delivery, infrastructure development, capable governance, and inclusive economic growth.”

Mbalula said the ANC will return in two weeks, stressing that this programme is not a “once-off” event but rather “the beginning of a continuous cycle of monitoring, intervention, and follow-through.”

He added: “Findings from Nelson Mandela Bay will be consolidated into the NWC’s national oversight framework, with clear directives issued to address identified gaps, unblock stalled projects, and accelerate delivery.”