GQEBERHA, EASTERN CAPE — The Democratic Alliance (DA) is making its final push in the Nelson Mandela Bay elections, aiming to win over undecided voters and secure a decisive mandate in the upcoming November local government polls. During a major rally in KwaNoxolo, party leadership outlined a comprehensive agenda focused on service delivery, municipal accountability, cleaner streets, and aggressive job creation.
The stakes in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro are exceptionally high. The 2021 local government elections resulted in a deadlocked metro council, with the DA and the African National Congress (ANC) tied at 48 seats each. This electoral stalemate paved the way for complex coalition politics and repeated, disruptive changes in political leadership. Consequently, the DA has dubbed the upcoming vote a “make or break” year for the metro.
Beyond the metro, the party is fiercely defending its outright majority in the Kouga municipality, which it secured in 2021. A DA spokesperson highlighted the stark contrast between stable governance and coalition chaos, noting that the party holds a razor-thin one-seat majority in Kouga’s 30-seat council.
“Everywhere the DA governs, jobs come to that town or that city,” a DA spokesperson stated, emphasizing the party’s economic track record. “In the city that I am privileged to govern, we created the same number of jobs as all the other cities combined in South Africa. One DA government creating half the new jobs in the whole country’s cities.”
Addressing the Kouga municipality, the spokesperson noted the dramatic turnaround achieved under DA leadership. “I’ve traveled across this province and every municipality is moving backwards on every indicator except this little blue flame of hope in Kouga where we’re really working hard to turn things around,” they explained. “We inherited a municipality that was among the worst in the country. It’s now in the top 10 in the country. It’s the best in the Eastern Cape.”
The spokesperson attributed this success to a united majority that allowed for stable governance, contrasting it directly with the “coalition chaos” that residents in Nelson Mandela Bay have experienced.
Despite the party’s optimistic campaign message and promises of stability, the ultimate test lies with the voters, particularly the youth who are demanding tangible economic relief.
“We want to see change in our community and especially as youth. We don’t have jobs. We’re hoping for change. We’re hoping for jobs,” said one young resident attending the rally. The voter, who has been out of school since 2023 without finding employment, expressed deep frustration over having “nothing to do.”
Looking toward the future and addressing the community’s desire for structural improvement, mayoral candidate for the bay, Retief Odendaal, presented his long-term strategic goals. Odendaal stated that his vision for 2031 is to build a city that is fundamentally safe and well-built, aiming to resolve the infrastructural and security challenges currently facing the metro.
The DA’s campaign message, rooted in job creation and municipal stability, will ultimately be decided by the voters at the ballot box this November.
