Story audio is generated using AI
A crucial Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting was postponed on Thursday after the city failed to table its draft 2026/2027 budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP), prompting outrage from opposition parties and renewed questions over the metro’s governance.
Councillors are now expected to reconvene on Friday to note the draft budget ahead of the new financial year, which starts on July 1.
They plan to adopt it before the end of June.
At the meeting, councillors also raised concerns over the repeated late circulation of council agendas, saying documents were routinely not distributed within the required five-day notice period.
Speaker Eugene Johnson eventually opened the meeting, but almost immediately adjourned proceedings to allow party whips to meet and reorganise the agenda.
Nearly an hour after what was meant to be only a 15-minute break, council chief whip Wandisile Jikeka said there had been no consensus among parties on how to proceed.
“There is a proposal that the budget is not yet ready for consideration, owing to a letter that is supposed to come from the National Treasury confirming that our budget is balanced and we can pass it,” he said.
Jikeka said the council needed to discuss an acting city manager because Eastern Cape co-operative governance and traditional affairs acting deputy-director general Charity Sihunuwas would soon leave.
“The MEC [lent] her for a month.
“In the multi-party meeting, we agreed that what was brought to council stands, and any tampering needs an item brought to council,” he said.
DA councillor Gustav Rautenbach said the process for the next IDP should begin on July 2 each year, including preparations for the 2027/2028 financial cycle on Tuesday.
“Notice is hereby given to the mayor and the coalition government that the DA will not be part of this.
“Speaker, get your house in order and mayor, get your house in order.”
ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom said May 28 was in the council calendar of meetings approved in December.
“The budget dates are legislated,” he said.
“The mayor should be well aware because it’s one of her key functions to oversee the preparation of the budget.
“Today, we’re in this meeting, and the agenda is late. Who is held accountable for that?
“When is the day going to come that we’ll hold those accountable.
“If we don’t hold the administration accountable, the city is going to continue looking as it is right now.”
ANC councillor Lorna Makwetu said budget and treasury political head Khanya Ngqisha needed to update the council on what was happening in his portfolio.
“We need to be honest with our constituencies. We’re leading this administration for the third consecutive year, but the issue of the budget happens every time.
“This is the second time that the CFO [Jackson Ngcelwane] is sick.
“The first time, he was in an accident. We couldn’t carry on, and last year the budget was not ready, and again today we’re here.”
Ngqisha said he would not respond.
“The DA will not instruct us on what we must do.
“It is unnecessary for us to waste the time of this council.
“The chief whip has proposed that the meeting should be postponed to tomorrow for the noting of the budget.
“We reconvene in seven days to entertain the budget,” Ngqisha said.
Responding to the comments, Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe said she noted the concerns raised by councillors.
“It’s quite unfortunate that I will put it back to council because when we were adjusting the budget, I did table the risks associated with the performance of the CFO, and council did not comment on the matter.
“On April 31, National Treasury wrote to council about their assessment of the CFO, which was talking about the performance of the CFO, and council did not entertain the letter.
“They just noted the letter.
“I’ve written to the CFO about this matter of not tabling the budget, and I’m waiting for him to respond.
“The budget is prepared with the assistance of officials below the CFO and the assistance of the Section 154 team.
“The budget is ready. It was being printed.
“It’s going to be tabled, but we’ll be tabling a budget the CFO has not prepared because he is not well.
“In terms of the labour laws, we can be found wanting if we contest that.
“This is a matter which is beyond our control,” Lobishe said.
Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition staged a picket outside the stadium against what they called governance failures.
Coalition chair Mongameli Peter said they were calling for effective service delivery.
“We want the leadership of this metro to reign on the issues of service delivery.
“Most of the impediments to service delivery are the result of the absence of a competent city manager.
“The city has confirmed that the infrastructure is failing.
“We have full dams but still don’t have water coming out of taps,” Peter said.
Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.