Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe gave herself four out of five for her first year in office — pointing out the revival of the municipality’s audit and risk committees, long-stalled projects going out to tender and the appointment of key directors.
Buoyed by a renewed mandate from this weekend’s ANC elective conference, her position at City Hall is now more secure as the countdown to the 2026 local government elections begins and her party works to halt its slide in support.
The ANC has 48 seats in the council and forms part of a governing coalition.
Speaking on Sunday on the sidelines of the conference at Nelson Mandela University, Lobishe said systems put in place were beginning to turn the metro around.
“I would give myself four because we have put systems in place,” she said.
“The audit committees and risk committees, which were dysfunctional, are now in place.
“The fact that we now advertise 80% of projects that had been on standstill at the supply chain unit, as well as the director and deputy directors who have been appointed.
“We are trying to get the ball rolling.
“There are adverts weekly, something that was not happening in the city, and I am hopeful that by the time we reach January, our performance with the [auditor-general] will have improved,” she said.
The municipality regressed from an unqualified audit, the first in 12 years, in a damning report that had eight material findings, with the auditor-general highlighting weak controls and lack of accountability.
While she would not commit to the city securing another unqualified audit opinion, Lobishe said they had been working to reduce the number of material findings.
On the way forward, she said consequence management for officials needed to be strengthened.
“Consequence management should be strengthened, and the fact that we have not effectively addressed the overtime issue, unnecessary spending on overtime is an abnormality we have to deal with.
“It’s not right that we should have escalating labour costs when we should be employing people, and we allow the system to be corrupted to an extent where some people are paid three times more than their salaries.”
The municipality spent more than R61m on staff overtime in three months.
The fleet management department also needed to be stabilised, she said.
“It’s one of the factors making us not reach communities on time because of the inefficiencies, turnaround time on fixing vehicles and the usage policy.
“But safety in the city is another issue we have to deal with in the next six months.
“If we are not going to invest in strategies and money to arrive in a smart city, we will continue in this way,” she said.
The conference was delayed for six months and postponed four times due to branch disputes.
On Friday afternoon, the elective conference at NMU’s Gold Fields Auditorium began behind schedule due to delegates arriving late.
However, after ANC provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane opened the conference, it got under way at a record speed.
Mabuyane delivered a blunt warning to the party’s structures in Nelson Mandela Bay, saying residents see the deep divisions.
He said the ANC needed to be more humble after saying it was still failing residents.
Despite one delegate objecting that they had never been formally invited to the conference by the regional task team, the credentials of delegates were adopted shortly thereafter.
Lobishe was nominated alongside Sabelo Nkuhlu and Wandisile Jikeka, who was nominated from the floor.
All three accepted the nomination. Jikeka is the city’s chief whip.
Lobishe secured 93 votes, with Jikeka getting 75 and Nkuhlu 18.
Sicelo Mleve and Lufefe Mkutu were nominated for the position of deputy chair, while Sanco Eastern Cape leader Tony Duba declined nomination.
Mkutu secured the post with 95 votes. Mleve received 80.
Siphiwo Tshaka was elected secretary, and Nontombi Nama as his deputy.
Luvuyo Mini was elected as treasurer.
Lobbying for control of Florence Matomela House has been ongoing for months as Lobishe, elected regional chair in 2021, faced stiff competition from former ally-turned-rival Luyolo Nqakula, who was elected secretary alongside her.
Nqakula stepped aside from his post as secretary in 2022.
Because Nqakula is affected by the ANC’s step-aside rule, the group aligned with him reportedly backed Jikeka to challenge Lobishe.
He has been charged in connection with the alleged bribery of former DA councillors to oust Athol Trollip as mayor in 2018.
Nqakula filed a Section 174 application seeking to have the charges against him dismissed.
However, the case has dragged on, with the state expected to make closing arguments on November 27.
The matter had been set down for judgment, but when the application was heard on October 27, the prosecutor was unable to complete his submissions.
The Herald
