GQEBERHA – The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is facing growing criticism following widespread water outages and the temporary disruption of municipal communication services.

Last week, questions were raised over whether the municipality had settled its account with its service provider after municipal landlines and internet services were unavailable on 18 June.

The communication disruption sparked criticism from opposition parties and ward councillors, who alleged that municipal landlines had been disconnected due to non-payment to a service provider.

DA mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal stated on social media, “Not a single municipal landline is working in Nelson Mandela Bay.”

Odendaal said residents wanting to log queries or report service delivery issues were being forced to rely on their local ward councillors for assistance.

“How can a multi-billion-rand municipality be managed with such incompetence?” he asked. He added that residents paid for services and deserved functioning communication channels, especially when reporting emergencies and service failures.

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Questions arise over payment dispute

The FF Plus also stated that all landline and internet services across the metro were offline due to non-payment to the service provider.

The party said the municipality had indicated that the matter related to an account dispute, but alleged that non-payment appeared to be the underlying cause.

PE Express sent questions to the municipality on Thursday, 18 June, at 10:30, asking whether the disruption was caused by non-payment to its service provider.

Responding after 16:00, a municipal spokesperson, Sithembiso Soyaya, confirmed that services had been disrupted and later restored but did not directly answer whether the interruption was linked to non-payment of its account.

“The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality can confirm that all affected landline and internet services have been fully restored and municipal operations are functioning normally,” Soyaya said.

“The temporary interruption was resolved following engagements between the Municipality and the service provider, with connectivity now reinstated across affected municipal facilities.”

Soyaya added that the municipality followed governance, verification and account reconciliation processes before payments were made.

“As a public institution entrusted with managing public funds, it is standard practice for the Municipality to undertake the necessary governance due diligence, verification and account reconciliation processes before payments are effected,” he said.

“These measures form part of the Municipality’s financial governance and oversight responsibilities and are intended to ensure that all payments are accurate, compliant and free from any potential irregularities.”

Soyaya said the municipality would not comment on specific contractual, billing or financial details.

“As the matter involves ongoing administrative and account reconciliation processes between the parties, the Municipality will not be commenting on specific contractual, billing or financial details.”

It is not the first time municipal telecommunication services have been disrupted amid questions over outstanding debt.

In October last year, an outstanding telecommunications debt of over R9 million also left Nelson Mandela Bay residents unable to access essential municipal services.

Business coalition warns of ‘city in paralysis’

Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Civil Society Coalition criticised the municipality over what it described as ongoing service delivery challenges, highlighting the relocation of the Ironman event, water outages and the temporary communication disruption.

The coalition highlighted the relocation of the Ironman event to Mossel Bay after more than two decades in Nelson Mandela Bay.

It said the event had contributed an estimated R80 million annually to the local economy through tourism, accommodation, hospitality and related spending.

Coalition chairperson, Monga Peter, said the metro’s challenges could no longer be viewed as isolated incidents.

“The evidence before us points to a city in paralysis,” Peter said. “Essential services are failing simultaneously, infrastructure is collapsing, investor confidence is deteriorating and municipal leadership continues to offer apologies instead of accountability, urgency and decisive action.”

The coalition’s comments came as the municipality confirmed ongoing water supply challenges across the metro.

Water crisis deepens frustrations

Last week, frustrated residents were left without water for days due to widespread water outages across the Bay.

The municipality confirmed, despite dam levels being full, its water distribution system was under severe strain, with all strategic distribution reservoirs either depleted or operating at critically low levels.

It added that “many areas across the metro continue to experience water supply disruptions, low pressure or intermittent supply”.

The Municipality further explained that the recovery of the overall water distribution system remained slow due to the extent of reservoir depletion across the metro.

At the time, the municipality said a gradual recovery of water supply could take up to 14 days.

ALSO READ: Full dams, dry taps: Nelson Mandela Bay water crisis continues despite heavy rainfall