GQEBERHA – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has laid criminal charges against Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe, accusing her of misleading Parliament during an oversight engagement on governance failures in the metro.
The complaint was laid at the Cape Town Central Police Station by DA MP and COGTA spokesperson Marina van Zyl.
The charges stem from proceedings before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) last month, where the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was called to account over governance, financial management and service delivery concerns.
During the engagement, chaired by Zweli Mkhize, MPs questioned municipal officials over repeated failures to respond to oversight correspondence sent between January and March, following an earlier oversight visit in October last year.
Parliament raises accountability concerns
The committee said multiple follow-up requests for information had either gone unanswered or were incomplete, hampering effective oversight.
Mkhize told the session that the municipality’s explanations for communication breakdowns were inconsistent. He said a significant portion of the meeting focused on the failure to properly manage correspondence from the Office of the Mayor.
He described the situation as a serious accountability breakdown, warning that Parliament cannot fulfil its constitutional duties if information is delayed, incomplete or contradictory.
MPs also cautioned that providing false or misleading information to Parliament could constitute a criminal offence under parliamentary powers and privileges legislation.
The mayor’s response
In a social media post on 7 April, Lobishe defended her engagement with Parliament, saying: “In times of scrutiny, leadership must lean into accountability, not retreat from it.”
She said Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality had engaged Parliament in full compliance with its constitutional obligations, adding: “This is not a moment of crisis, it is a moment of accountability in action.”
Lobishe further stated: “We remain committed to transparency, to answering difficult questions with honesty and to correcting where improvement is required.”
She added: “Our focus is clear, strengthening governance, restoring public trust and ensuring that service delivery to our residents is never compromised.”
DA allegations
Van Zyl said the criminal complaint relates specifically to claims that the mayor misrepresented receipt of parliamentary correspondence.
She alleged that while the mayor told Parliament certain documents had not been received, internal municipal officials — including the mayor’s chief of staff — provided evidence suggesting the correspondence was in fact received and processed.
According to Van Zyl, supporting documentation has been handed to police for investigation.
She said the DA believes the matter reflects broader governance failures in the metro and warrants further accountability action.
Ongoing parliamentary scrutiny
Nelson Mandela Bay remains under parliamentary scrutiny over governance and financial management concerns, including approximately 22 municipal contracts under investigation, an estimated R1.2 billion in unspent conditional grants returned to National Treasury, vacancies in senior management positions and weak administrative coordination.
The COGTA committee has instructed the municipality to submit a detailed turnaround plan and outstanding documentation, warning that continued non-compliance could result in formal summonses being issued.
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