The national government's latest attempt to stabilise Nelson Mandela Bay -- the fourth Section 154 intervention in just over a decade -- has been met with deep scepticism from civil society and business leaders, who warn that previous interventions have failed to deliver lasting results.

The intervention of the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in Nelson Mandela Bay was met with scepticism by the Coalition of Civil Society, which stated it was the fourth intervention in recent years, with none yielding the desired results.

Cogta assigned a 10-member team in terms of section 154 (1) of the Constitution to the city council on Thursday, in a bid to assist the city to improve governance and unlock service delivery.

On Friday, Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa hosted the Coalition of Civil Society, which comprises Nelson Mandela Bay's business sector, non-profit organisations, the church and others, at the Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre.

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The engagement followed a 26 September meeting with Cogta, the municipality and the coalition, where issues related to service delivery and the exclusion of the coalition were raised.

Hlabisa said some of the problems in municipalities were due to incompetent people in the administration and political office.

"All political parties have now conceded that cadre deployment is one way of destroying all spheres of government," said Hlabisa.

"Cadre deployment has destroyed all spheres of government; people must be deployed on the basis of being fit for purpose, from the administration to...