QEBERHA – 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.
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, the 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.”
