DA Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal launched his five campaign pledges at the Chatty Community Hall in Gqeberha on Wednesday.
He said his vision for the city went beyond the 2026 local government elections in November.
“We can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again. [We want to see] a city rebuilt — one that is safe, well-run, and growing."
Odendaal said the party had identified its five main priorities which it hoped to achieve in the next five years after taking over government.
This included making Nelson Bay safe and clean again.
“We will increase the number of Metro Police officers and implement new crime-fighting technologies, appoint more town rangers, and establish a CCTV network to detect and deter crimes.
“We will also adopt a zero-tolerance policy to illegal dumping.
“We will ensure our public spaces are clean by investing in cleaning services and partnering with NGOs.”
Another priority was to deliver water and electricity to the people.
“We will ring-fence water and electricity revenues for large-scale infrastructure maintenance to reverse the decline of our water and electricity network,” he said.
He said through these various steps, they hoped to attract investment opportunities and create jobs.
“We will remove red tape to unleash business in our city, by eliminating unnecessary fees, improving approval times, clearing backlogs and streamlining compliance requirements.”
One of the most important goals was to stop corruption.
“We will adopt a zero-tolerance stance on corruption and incompetence by overhauling our supply chain system and protecting whistleblowers.”
Odendaal said further that the DA aimed to improve infrastructure and housing opportunities.
“We will release well-located city-owned land to create more housing opportunities and utilise public-private partnerships (PPPs) for greater infrastructure investment.
“To attain this vision and implement these pledges, the people of Nelson Mandela Bay must elect a stable government that is not bound to coalition politics.
“That is why residents must exercise their constitutional right to vote in the 2026 local government elections.
“The next election is our chance to choose hope by choosing the DA. We can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again,” he said.
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