LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: ‘Anger and apathy won’t fix NMB’ — New movement urges residents to vote

A new civic movement is betting that Nelson Mandela Bay residents who have lost faith in political parties and local government can still be persuaded that their vote matters on 4 November. Its message is simple: opting out does not opt you out of the consequences of who governs the metro for the next five years.

Residents driving through some of Gqeberha’s busiest intersections may have noticed the huge lime-and-black billboards urging them to vote on in the 2026 local government elections, which are being held on 4 November.

The billboards have gone up at Govan Mbeki Drive near the taxi rank, Stanford Road towards the northern areas, Cape Road and Mount Road, with another planned for William Moffett Drive.

They are part of a voter-education campaign by the newly established Citizens of NMB movement, which is urging Nelson Mandela Bay residents not to give up on the ballot box despite their growing disillusionment with politics and local government.

Citizens of NMB describes itself as an apolitical non-profit movement bringing together local businesspeople, civil society organisations, churches and residents who believe voting is essential to shaping the metro’s future.

The movement was launched about two months ago by founding director and local businessman Mark Jensen, who says the group wants to avoid a repeat of the low voter turnout recorded in Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2021 local government elections.

In 2021, fewer than half of Nelson Mandela Bay’s registered voters cast a ballot . IEC figures put turnout at 45.88% in the metro, almost identical to the national turnout of 45.87% .

“The city is in the most dire condition it has ever been in history. If you look at the 2021 elections the average turnout was less than half the number of all registered voters,” Jensen said.

“When we start to unpack it, we can understand the areas where people feel neglected, feel like they’re ignored and their vote makes no difference.

“What was quite astounding, however, is that in the city’s six wealthiest suburbs of Summerstrand, Walmer, Humewood, Mill Park, Newton Park and Linkside only 53% of registered voters voted.

“It was a case of, if only half of the registered voters in the suburbs, who have the most to lose or gain in terms of property value, commercial buildings, businesses, are not voting, let’s do research into why that is the case.”

Jensen said criminals have a vested interest in keeping the city the way it is, and the lack of leadership makes things worse.

“When the streetlights are not working, [it] renders communities dark, allowing criminals the opportunity to do as they please.”

The movement is also concerned about the water and electricity outages that plague large parts of the metro, streets riddled with potholes and governance issues leading to instability.