Nelson Mandela Bay
Nelson Mandela Bay is a metropolitan municipality and major city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The city is the country's fifth-largest urban area and serves as the economic hub of the Eastern Cape, with a population of about 1.3-million people. It encompasses the historic port city of Port Elizabeth, along with the neighbouring towns of Uitenhage and Despatch, which were amalgamated in 2000 to form the metropolitan municipality. The city was renamed Nelson Mandela Bay in 2001 to honour South Africa's first democratically elected president, though the central business district area retained the name Port Elizabeth until 2021 when it was officially renamed Gqeberha. Nelson Mandela Bay is home to South Africa's second-busiest container port and serves as a major automotive manufacturing centre, hosting assembly plants for several global vehicle manufacturers. The city's economy is anchored by automotive production, manufacturing, logistics and tourism. The metropolitan area is governed by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, one of eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa. The city has faced recurring governance challenges, including service delivery issues, financial management concerns and political instability that have drawn scrutiny from national oversight bodies. Nelson Mandela Bay's strategic location on the Indian Ocean coast and its industrial base make it a significant contributor to the Eastern Cape's economy.
Nelson Mandela Bay Updates
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber sounds alarm on 11% electricity tariff hike
By: Irma Venter 9th June 2026 The Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Business Chamber is “very concerned” about the 11% average increase in electricity tariffs proposed by the metro... →
Premier Mabuyane must account as Eastern Cape flood damage bill climbs past R1.5 billion
21st May 2026 The Eastern Cape government must urgently account for the status of its flood damage assessments, disaster funding applications, and emergency road... →
Hlabisa must intervene in NMB, following staggering fraud revelations
8th May 2026 It has emerged in yesterday's Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs that City circulars are being distributed by a... →
COGTA committee gives Nelson Mandela Bay metro strict deadlines to resolve governance challenges
8th May 2026 The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Tuesday instructed the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality to... →
Nelson Mandela Bay municipality grinding to a halt as fuel contract expires
5th May 2026 The GOOD Party expresses its deep concern and outrage at the current state of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which has effectively ground to... →
Cogta Committee reaffirms oversight Mandate in Nelson Mandela Bay
2nd April 2026 The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs notes the remarks reportedly made by the executive mayor of the Nelson... →
From Crisis to Competence: South Africa’s Water Crisis Is Not Inevitable
1st April 2026 South Africa’s water crisis did not arrive overnight. It is the slow, predictable consequence of years of neglect, underinvestment, cadre... →
COGTA committee signals tougher action on Nelson Mandela Bay accountability failures
27th March 2026 The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) on Wednesday expressed grave concern about governance, financial... →
Performance focus
By: Terence Creamer 27th March 2026 That many of South Africa’s 257 municipalities are in crisis is not in question. Also painfully clear is that many metropolitan councils, which... →
COGTA committee flags Mandela Bay non-response as accountability breakdown
25th March 2026 The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) on Tuesday raised concerns that the unresponsiveness of the... →
