South Africa: Leadership Vacuum in NMB Triggers Warning of Administrative Takeover

By Andisa Bonani

Nelson Mandela Bay could be placed under provincial administration if it fails to resolve a leadership crisis over suspended city manager Noxolo Nqwazi, Cogta MEC Zolile Williams has warned.

For seven days in May, Nelson Mandela Bay drifted rudderless without a city manager or acting city manager -- a metro of more than a million people, still reeling from devastating floods, running without clear executive oversight.

The city now has until 31 May to resolve the standoff over suspended city manager Noxolo Nqwazi -- or face the possibility of being placed under full provincial administration, Cooperative Governance MEC Zolile Williams has warned.

Read more Who is running Nelson Mandela Bay? Metro's city manager crisis deepens May 6, 2026 Williams has, in the interim, seconded Cogta deputy director-general Charity Sihunu to act as administrator in the metro from 8 to 31 May.

Nelson Mandela Bay's administrative crisis was triggered when its chief financial officer, Jackson Ngcelwane, rejected his appointment as acting city manager just one day after being elected by the council on 30 April.

The metro's ongoing instability has been worsened by its reliance on its chief operating officer, Lonwabo Ngoqo, whose tenure has skirted legal limits. Despite already serving beyond the permitted six months, Ngoqo remained in office from October 2025 until March 2026 following a controversial extension approved by MEC Williams.

The leadership...

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