The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality received an inclement weather alert from the SA Weather Service, including an orange level eight warning for disruptive rainfall from May 5 at 2pm until May 7 at 11.59pm.
In response, the municipality issued several public statements on its social media platforms, assuring residents that the joint operations centre had been fully activated to deal with severe weather conditions and flooding.
However, the municipality failed to disclose that it had not renewed its fuel contract, leaving emergency response operations severely compromised.
On Tuesday evening, the metro confirmed that its fuel stocks had been depleted, while indicating that urgent interventions were under way to refuel vehicles required for emergency response services.
This fuel crisis arose at a time when executive mayor Babalwa Lobishe went to appear before parliament’s co-operative governance committee to account for several serious concerns regarding the administration of the metro, including failures in contract management.
RISE Mzansi in Nelson Mandela Bay is calling on Lobishe and her administration to take urgent and decisive action by:
• Urgently renewing the municipality’s fuel contract;
• Ensuring immediate and effective assistance to flood victims;
• Prioritising service delivery across affected communities;
• Maintaining critical infrastructure, including stormwater systems, roads and electricity networks;
• Filling vacant section 57 management positions without further delay.
On November 4, residents will have an opportunity to elect new leaders capable of restoring stability, accountability and effective governance in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Our communities deserve leaders who place the needs of residents first and are committed to building a functional, responsive and prosperous municipality for all.
Asanda Kobese, RISE Mzansi Nelson Mandela Bay communications lead
