Parliament, Thursday, 2 April 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs notes the remarks reportedly made by the executive mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Ms Babalwa Lobishe, following her recent appearance before the committee.
The committee, along with Members of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, engaged extensively with the municipality’s leadership on 23 and 24 March. This meeting followed a joint oversight engagement in October last year and was part of Parliament’s ongoing oversight. There has been a series of follow-up correspondence in which the committee requested more information on several serious concerns. The municipality did not respond to most of these requests.
Parliamentary oversight is mandated in the Constitution and established by parliamentary rules, which empower oversight committees to pose questions, request clarity and engage with executive authorities on matters of public accountability. The Chairperson of the committee, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said this includes the expectation that accounting officers and political leaders must account for issues raised, including those requiring an immediate response.
The committee rejects the assertion that the oversight engagement was unfair and emphasises that the purpose of parliamentary oversight is not limited to written submissions but includes direct, in-person engagement to test the credibility and completeness of information provided to Parliament.
“The committee’s focus is on ensuring accountability and that governance improves in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. This work is critical as communities continue to bear the brunt of poor governance and weak financial accountability,” said Dr Mkhize. The Chairperson emphasised that the mandate of the joint portfolio committee oversight process is to demand accountability and to have public representatives and managers justify the decisions they take in terms of the law, value for money and service delivery objectives. “Parliament has an obligation to ask the uncomfortable questions where there are allegations of impropriety or administrative irregularities and illegal actions such as abuse of public resources,” he said.
The Chairperson further emphasised that all public representatives have a duty to account to Parliament and to the public. “Constructive engagement through oversight processes is essential to strengthening democratic governance and improving the lives of our people. Cooperative governance is not optional, but a constitutional obligation.”
The committee will call the municipal leadership, including the executive mayor, for another follow-up meeting once it receives written reports on all information requested. “We will not be deterred or allow any delays or continued non-cooperation to impede the committee’s oversight, and we will use all available parliamentary mechanisms to ensure accountability by the municipal leadership,” the Chairperson said.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, DR ZWELI MKHIZE.
For media enquiries, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Alicestine October
Cell: 083 6654345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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