ANC Pledges Political Stability In Nelson Mandela Bay As Parties Prepare For November Local Government Elections

JD GLOBAL MEDIA | SOUTH AFRICA

Published: 21 September 2026

Mantashe takes ANC campaign to KwaZakhele

The African National Congress (ANC) has placed political stability, municipal governance and service delivery at the centre of its campaign in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, as South Africa's political parties intensify preparations for the 4 November 2026 local government elections.

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe addressed residents in KwaZakhele, Gqeberha, on Sunday as the party continued its Eastern Cape campaign.

Mantashe told supporters that the ANC wants to secure an outright majority in Nelson Mandela Bay and argued that stronger political leadership is necessary for the metro to function effectively.

His comments come against a backdrop of repeated coalition tensions and concerns about governance, financial management and service delivery in the metropolitan municipality.

A recent parliamentary oversight visit raised concerns about the state of governance in the metro, adding to the political focus on how Nelson Mandela Bay will be administered after the November elections.

The ANC's campaign message is centred on its claim that political stability would help the municipality implement decisions more consistently.

At the same time, other parties contesting the election are presenting their own proposals for municipal administration, meaning voters in Nelson Mandela Bay will have several competing approaches to consider before the November poll.

Nelson Mandela Bay becomes a major local election battleground

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality incorporates Gqeberha and surrounding communities and is one of South Africa's major metropolitan areas.

Its political importance extends beyond its size.

The metro is located in the Eastern Cape, a province where the ANC has historically maintained substantial electoral support, while the municipality itself has experienced periods of coalition government and political instability.

The local government elections will determine the composition of the municipal council and, through that process, the political arrangements that will govern the municipality.

The ANC is now publicly campaigning for an outright majority.

Mantashe's message in KwaZakhele was that the party wants voters to give it sufficient support to govern without the instability associated with fragmented council arrangements.

However, the outcome of the election will be determined by voters on 4 November, and the composition of the council will depend on the votes cast and the electoral system.

The ANC's campaign message is therefore a political position rather than an established outcome.

Mantashe links political leadership to municipal stability

Speaking to residents, Mantashe argued that the ANC's role as the largest political component in a coalition gave it a responsibility to provide leadership.

He said that without political leadership, the metro could face further difficulties.

The comments reflect the ANC's broader argument that fragmented councils can make it difficult to maintain consistent administration.

Coalition governments can require parties to negotiate budgets, executive positions, policy priorities and council decisions.

Where coalition partners disagree, important municipal decisions can become contested.

The ANC says its campaign for an outright majority is intended to provide greater certainty.

Whether a majority government or coalition arrangement is ultimately formed, however, will depend on the election results and subsequent council processes.

The metro has experienced coalition tensions

Nelson Mandela Bay has experienced political changes and coalition tensions in recent years.

The municipality's governance has at times involved cooperation between different political parties.

Coalition politics can produce different outcomes depending on how parties negotiate and whether agreements remain stable.

For residents, the practical concern is often whether political arrangements translate into functioning municipal services.

Issues such as water supply, electricity, roads, waste removal, housing and municipal finances are administered through local government.

Political instability can affect the ability of a municipality to establish and maintain long-term priorities, although service-delivery problems can also have administrative, financial, infrastructure and operational causes.

The current election campaign is therefore taking place against a background in which governance performance has become a major part of political debate.

Parliamentary oversight has raised concerns

The latest ANC campaign comes shortly after a parliamentary oversight process raised concerns about Nelson Mandela Bay.

The oversight visit examined issues involving governance, financial management and service delivery.

Those concerns have become part of the political environment surrounding the upcoming election.

Municipal governance involves several interconnected areas.

Financial management determines how public resources are planned, collected and spent.

Infrastructure management affects the reliability of water, electricity, roads and other services.

Administrative capacity determines whether municipal decisions are implemented effectively.

Political leadership provides direction and oversight.

Weakness in one area can place pressure on the others.

The concerns raised during parliamentary oversight therefore have implications for the political debate over the municipality's future.

The ANC says stability is necessary for service delivery

The ANC's argument is that stable political leadership can provide a stronger foundation for municipal administration.

Mantashe has said the party wants to ensure that Nelson Mandela Bay does not collapse under political instability.

The party's campaign message connects electoral support to its proposed governance approach.

If the ANC receives sufficient support to form an outright majority, it would have greater ability to determine the municipal executive and pass council decisions without depending on multiple coalition partners.

If no party obtains a majority, parties would again have to consider coalition or other forms of council cooperation.

The election therefore has direct implications for how the metro's next administration will be structured.

Local government elections are different from national elections

The November election is specifically about municipal government.

Municipalities are responsible for many services that residents encounter in their daily lives.

These include local roads, waste management, certain aspects of water and sanitation, electricity distribution in areas where municipalities are responsible for it, planning and development, local economic development and other functions established in law.

National and provincial governments have different responsibilities.

The local election therefore gives residents an opportunity to determine the political composition of their municipal councils.

The performance of those councils can directly affect everyday life.

That is one reason political parties are focusing heavily on service delivery in their campaign messages.

The ANC's campaign comes as special-vote applications open

The election process entered another important stage on 21 September, when applications opened for special votes.

Registered voters who will be unable to vote at their voting station on election day because of qualifying circumstances can apply between 21 September and 12 October.

Special votes are scheduled for 2 and 3 November.

Voters who are unable to travel to their voting station because of physical infirmity, illness or disability can apply for a home visit.

Those who can travel but will not be available to vote on 4 November can apply to cast their ballot early at their registered voting station.

The opening of the special-vote application period signals that the election process is moving into another phase as political campaigns intensify.

The IEC's role remains central

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is responsible for administering the election.

The commission has already been involved in several disputes concerning candidate lists submitted by political parties.

Those disputes have highlighted the legal and administrative requirements that parties must meet before candidates can appear on municipal ballots.

The ANC itself has been involved in a dispute concerning candidates excluded after the party failed to submit certain candidate information by the prescribed deadline.

The Electoral Court rejected the ANC's application relating to 181 candidates, although the party has indicated that it intends to pursue further legal avenues.

The IEC has said that electoral justice mechanisms allow parties and candidates who are dissatisfied with decisions to approach higher courts.

The candidate-list disputes demonstrate that local elections involve not only political campaigning but also detailed legal and administrative procedures.

The ANC's Nelson Mandela Bay campaign also has an internal dimension

The ANC's campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay has been affected by an internal dispute involving Andile Lungisa, an ANC NEC member and former Nelson Mandela Bay political figure.

Lungisa has taken legal action relating to his removal from the ANC's proportional-representation candidate list.

His legal representative has argued that he has a strong case against the party and ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula.

The matter is scheduled to be heard in the Johannesburg High Court on 26 September.

Mbalula has said the matter should now be dealt with through the courts.

The dispute is separate from the broader question of how Nelson Mandela Bay will be governed after the election.

However, because it involves a prominent ANC figure associated with the metro, it forms part of the political environment surrounding the party's campaign.

The ANC says its focus is on the municipality's future

Mantashe's KwaZakhele address focused on the party's broader argument that Nelson Mandela Bay requires stable leadership.

The ANC has said it wants residents to support it in sufficient numbers to govern the metro.

The party's message is based on its assessment of the municipality's recent political difficulties and the need for stronger coordination.

The ANC has also linked its local government campaign to its wider approach to coalition governance at national level.

Mantashe referred to the Government of National Unity, saying that the ANC has a responsibility to provide leadership while working with coalition partners.

His remarks illustrate the relationship between the ANC's national coalition arrangements and its approach to local government.

However, municipal coalitions operate under different political and legal circumstances from the national GNU.

Coalitions remain a major feature of South African politics

The 2026 local elections are taking place after the 2021 elections produced coalition governments in a number of municipalities.

South Africa's political landscape has become more fragmented as several parties compete for council seats.

Where no party secures an outright majority, parties may have to negotiate arrangements to establish a functioning municipal administration.

Those arrangements can involve formal coalitions, agreements between parties or other council-based cooperation.

The political stability of such arrangements depends on whether participating parties can maintain common positions.

The ANC's Nelson Mandela Bay campaign is therefore taking place within a wider national debate about coalition government.

Other political parties have different views about how coalitions should operate and what safeguards are needed.

Other parties are campaigning on governance and service delivery

The ANC is not the only party placing municipal governance at the centre of its campaign.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), for example, launched its local government manifesto campaign in KwaMashu and has been highlighting clean governance, infrastructure maintenance and municipal accountability.

IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa told supporters that IFP-run municipalities would prioritise essential infrastructure, local employment, professional appointments and protection of public funds.

The party has also proposed online, telephone and ward-level systems through which residents could report problems such as water leaks, burst pipes, refuse collection failures and broken streetlights.

The IFP's proposals illustrate how parties are competing around similar broad concerns — service delivery, municipal administration and accountability — while presenting different policy approaches.

The election will also involve smaller parties and civic groups

The political contest is not limited to the largest national parties.

Smaller parties and civic movements are entering the 2026 municipal election in different parts of the country.

In the Eastern Cape, residents of Tlokoeng have formed their own political party to contest the local government elections, citing concerns about service delivery.

Other civic groups have also entered the electoral contest in municipalities elsewhere in South Africa.

This reflects the increasing number of political organisations seeking representation at municipal level.

For voters, the result is a larger field of candidates and parties competing for council seats.

The final composition of each municipal council will depend on the votes received by those organisations.

Political campaigning is increasingly focused on municipal performance

As election day approaches, political parties are increasingly connecting their campaigns to specific municipal problems.

Water remains a major issue in several municipalities.

Road maintenance, refuse removal, electricity, housing and municipal finances are also recurring campaign themes.

The emphasis reflects the fact that local elections are closely connected to residents' everyday experiences.

A national political message may focus on foreign affairs, taxation or national economic policy.

A municipal election is more likely to involve questions such as whether a streetlight works, whether refuse is collected, whether roads are maintained or whether water services are reliable.

Nelson Mandela Bay is no exception.

The municipality's governance and service-delivery record is therefore central to the campaign.

The question of political stability is contested

The ANC's claim that political stability can help improve municipal administration is a political argument.

Other parties may attribute municipal problems to different causes, including management failures, financial problems, inadequate planning or political decisions.

A neutral assessment requires distinguishing between those explanations and examining available evidence.

Political stability can provide continuity in decision-making, but it does not automatically guarantee improved service delivery.

Likewise, coalition government does not necessarily produce poor administration in every municipality.

The effectiveness of any municipal government depends on multiple factors, including leadership, administrative capacity, finances, infrastructure, procurement, oversight and the ability of political representatives to cooperate.

The November election will determine which political configuration voters choose for Nelson Mandela Bay.

Financial management is a major issue for the metro

Municipal finances are among the areas highlighted by recent parliamentary oversight.

A municipality requires effective financial management to maintain services and infrastructure.

Revenue collection, budgeting, expenditure controls and procurement all affect the municipality's ability to meet its responsibilities.

Financial problems can eventually become service-delivery problems if the municipality lacks sufficient resources or fails to spend funds effectively.

Conversely, strong revenue and budget management do not automatically solve every service problem because municipalities also require capable personnel, infrastructure and effective planning.

The political debate in Nelson Mandela Bay is therefore likely to include both the amount of money available to the municipality and how that money is managed.

Service delivery will remain a central election issue

The ANC's campaign is built around the idea that political stability should support improved municipal performance.

Other parties will have opportunities to present their own records, criticisms and proposals.

For voters, service delivery provides one measurable area through which municipal performance can be assessed.

Residents can consider whether services have improved or deteriorated, how infrastructure is maintained and how municipal authorities respond to complaints.

Political parties may offer different explanations for the current situation.

The electoral process provides voters with competing claims and policy proposals.

The final decision will rest with the electorate.

Nelson Mandela Bay's political history adds context

The metro has been an important political battleground for years.

Its status as a major urban centre in the Eastern Cape means that control of its council carries political significance.

The municipality has experienced changes in political leadership and coalition arrangements, reflecting broader changes in South African politics.

The rise of coalition government at municipal level has altered the way parties approach local elections.

Winning the largest share of votes does not necessarily guarantee complete control of a council if no party secures more than half of the available seats.

That is why the ANC is explicitly campaigning for an outright majority rather than simply seeking to emerge as the largest party.

The November vote will determine the next council

The 4 November election will determine the councillors who represent residents in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The council's composition will then shape the political arrangements used to select the municipal executive and mayoral leadership.

If a party secures sufficient seats for a majority, it will have greater control over council decisions.

If the results are fragmented, negotiations between parties may follow.

The political consequences will therefore only become clear after the ballots are counted and the council's final composition is known.

No party's campaign claims can determine that outcome in advance.

The ANC is asking residents to judge its record and proposals

Mantashe's campaign message places the ANC's record in Nelson Mandela Bay alongside its promise of greater political stability.

The party is asking residents to support its approach to municipal leadership.

At the same time, voters can compare the ANC's claims with the municipality's documented performance and the proposals presented by competing parties.

The election therefore creates an opportunity for residents to assess several issues simultaneously.

These include:

• municipal service delivery;

• financial management;

• infrastructure maintenance;

• political stability;

• accountability;

• responsiveness to residents;

• the experience of previous administrations; and

• the specific commitments made for the next council term.

Those issues will form part of the broader political debate in the weeks leading up to election day.

Parliament returns as election activity increases

The political calendar is becoming increasingly crowded.

Parliament returns from its constituency period this week, while political parties continue local election campaigning.

The opening of special-vote applications adds another electoral milestone.

At the same time, parliamentary committees and oversight structures continue dealing with national governance matters.

This means the country's political institutions will be operating simultaneously at national, provincial and local levels.

For voters, the local elections provide the most direct opportunity to determine the composition of municipal councils.

The role of residents will extend beyond election day

Municipal accountability does not end after votes are counted.

Councillors are expected to represent residents and participate in council oversight.

Residents can also engage municipalities through ward structures, public participation processes and other mechanisms established by law.

Political parties often make promises during election campaigns, but municipal performance ultimately depends on what happens after elected representatives take office.

For that reason, the period after the election will be just as important as the campaign itself.

The new council will have to translate political commitments into budgets, policies, infrastructure plans and service-delivery programmes.

The ANC's stability message will be tested by the electorate

The ANC has made political stability one of the central themes of its Nelson Mandela Bay campaign.

Mantashe says the party wants an outright majority and argues that stronger ANC leadership would help prevent further instability.

That is the party's stated position.

The competing parties will present their own arguments to residents.

The electorate will ultimately determine the council's composition through the November election.

Until then, political parties will continue attempting to persuade voters through campaign events, manifestos and local promises.

A municipality facing both political and service challenges

Nelson Mandela Bay enters the final weeks before the local government election with several issues competing for attention.

Political stability is one.

Service delivery is another.

Financial management is a third.

The municipality must also deal with the practical demands of maintaining infrastructure and responding to residents.

These challenges are not unique to Nelson Mandela Bay, but the metro's history of coalition politics has made questions about political leadership particularly prominent.

The ANC's latest campaign intervention places those questions directly before voters in KwaZakhele and other communities across the metro.

What happens after 4 November

Once voting closes, the IEC will count ballots and determine the distribution of council seats.

The resulting numbers will establish whether any party has enough representation to govern alone or whether cooperation between parties will be required.

If a coalition is necessary, negotiations could begin between parties.

If one party secures a majority, it will have greater control over the council's political direction.

The exact arrangement will depend on the results.

For now, the campaign remains focused on persuading voters.

Nelson Mandela Bay enters a decisive political period

The ANC's promise of political stability in Nelson Mandela Bay comes at a time when the metro is already facing scrutiny over governance, financial management and service delivery.

Mantashe's campaign appearance in KwaZakhele has placed the ANC's argument directly before residents.

The party says it wants an outright majority and believes stronger political leadership is necessary to prevent the metro from becoming further destabilised.

Other parties are presenting different proposals, including commitments around municipal accountability, infrastructure maintenance, water and electricity, local economic development and governance.

The election will give residents the opportunity to decide which candidates and parties should represent them.

The significance of the contest extends beyond the political fortunes of individual parties.

For residents of Nelson Mandela Bay, the eventual council will be responsible for decisions affecting everyday municipal life.

The quality of those decisions will depend on the political leadership elected, the administrative capacity of the municipality and the ability of councillors and officials to work within the law and municipal systems.

The coming weeks will therefore be closely watched as campaigning intensifies.

The ANC is seeking to turn its message of stability into electoral support.

Its opponents will have the opportunity to challenge that argument and present alternative approaches.

The 4 November 2026 local government elections will ultimately determine the political composition of Nelson Mandela Bay's next council.

Until then, the metro remains a significant focus of South Africa's increasingly competitive local election campaign.