The coalition government of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro was not working, Eastern Cape finance and economic affairs MEC Oscar Mabuyane said on Tuesday. 

Mabuyane made the comments while speaking to African News Agency (ANA) in East London at a municipal oversight meeting called by provincial treasury. Present were mayors, speakers, finance officials, auditing teams and those responsible for infrastructure. Nelson Mandela Bay had not sent representatives, said Mabuyane. 

He said the metro had "regressed" in governance, spending of financial allocations and service delivery. 

"We are very much unhappy with Nelson Mandela Bay for not being here. Clearly that coalition is not working; it is falling further into chaos, they can't even meet the basic requirements, they don't even honour meetings where they are invited, it's on a downward spiral and is in bad shape," said Mabuyane. 

The metro, he said, was meant to be the model for other municipalities in the province. 

Amahtlathi Local Municipality, which had experienced service delivery protests, also did not "honour the meeting", he said. 

Mabuyane said he was concerned with the performance of several municipalities that had not yet spent half of their financial allocations as it was only two months before the municipal financial year end.

"There are millions that are meant to change peoples lives but are still in the government coffers. People must have water, people must have electricity.

If we can't spend money in the local municipality, that money should go to district municipalities."

A provincial treasury team would arrange one-on-one meetings with Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and Amahtlathi Local Municipality, he said.