106k
households with a 48-hour water interruption
Stats SA estimate for 2025; rounded to nearest thousand
40.3%
reported water interruptions of at least two days
GHS 2024; highest share among the eight metros
48.66%
non-revenue water losses in 2023/24
Audited statements: 55,833 ML; R368.6 million
Qualified
2024/25 audit opinion
Latest AGSA cycle; repeat weaknesses need correction
01 · Argument
Access is not the same as a service that works.
That distinction explains both the Bay’s genuine gains and why residents still face taps running dry, sewer failures, billing disputes and unanswered faults.
The thesis in one sentence
Nelson Mandela Bay’s service-delivery record is mixed: broad basic-service access and a short-lived audit improvement show that progress is possible, but reliability, infrastructure maintenance and financial accountability have not become durable systems. Coalition churn magnifies those weaknesses; it does not excuse them.
Access → reliability
Budgets → results
Promises → proof
Budgets → results
Promises → proof
What has gone right
The metro has real service coverage to build on. The numbers below describe access or infrastructure; they do not promise continuous supply.
99.1%
piped water at home, in the yard, or at a nearby community stand
2022 Census figures reported in the municipality’s annual report
93.5%
households with flush toilets connected to sewerage
2022 Census, municipality report
92%
households in formal dwellings
Up from 87.2% in 2011; city report citing Census
95.7%
households with improved sanitation facilities
Stats SA GHS 2025; survey estimate, different measure
A second positive: the city recorded an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2022/23 after a long period of qualifications. MPAC then reported a regression to qualified in 2023/24. An improvement happened; it did not hold.
What is still going wrong
Reliability and stewardship indicators expose the distance between a connection and a dependable service.
Water reliability: In 2024, 40.3% of Nelson Mandela Bay households reported a water interruption lasting at least two days. That was the highest metro result and nearly six times Cape Town’s 6.9%.
Water stewardship: the municipality’s audited 2023/24 statements recorded 55,833 megalitres in non-revenue water losses (48.66%), valued at R368.6 million. The corresponding 2022/23 figure was 42.77%.
Latest audit: AGSA says the metro made limited progress, had not investigated significant irregular and fruitless-and-wasteful expenditure dating back years, and faced leadership instability and weak daily financial discipline.
THE FIELD GUIDE
Find the part you came for.
Each page focuses on one question, keeps its sources close, and gives you a clear way into the next step.
02ServicesWater interruptions, losses, sanitation and service reliability.
03Household economyMedian and average household income, plus the limits of wealth data.
04CommunitiesDemographics, service impacts and what the available evidence can say.
05Track recordAudit history, persistent failures and delivery signals worth protecting.
06ElectionsCoalition context, party manifestos and a fair test of local promises.
07AccountabilityA practical path from first report to evidence-led follow-through.
08Social mediaBuild reach with clear facts, responsible sharing and privacy in mind.
09EscalationOfficial service channels, councillors, records requests and oversight.
10SourcesPrimary sources, scope notes, definitions and methods.