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Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality

NMAEastern CapeMetro (A)

Data as at 10 November 2026

At a glance

  • Nelson Mandela Bay had 1 190 496 residents in 2022, up from 1 152 115 in 2011: 0,3% a year, slower than Eastern Cape (0,9% a year).
  • 93,8% of households had piped water in the dwelling or yard in 2022, above the median of the 8 metros (92,1%).
  • Audit outcome for 2023/24: qualified, worse than in 2022/23.
  • Turnout in the 2026 local elections was 52,9%, against 45,9% in 2021.

In the strips under each figure, the dot is Nelson Mandela Bay, the line is the median and the shaded band is the middle half of the comparison group. Compare with:

People

Stats SA, Census 2011 and 2022
Population, 20221 190 4962011: 1 152 115 · +3%
Average household size3,9 people2022 · 2011: 3,6 people
2,6 peoplemedian 3,4 people3,9 people
Aged under 1522,3%2022 · 2011: 25,5%
21,0%median 22,4%25,1%
Adults (20+) with matric or higher49,8%2022 · 2011: 42,5%
48,6%median 57,5%63,5%

Services at home

Stats SA, Census 2022 · % of households
Piped water in the dwelling or yard93,8%2022 · 2011: 90,4%
83,7%median 92,1%95,4%
Flush toilet connected to sewerage93,5%2022 · 2011: 87,4%
71,0%median 86,3%93,5%
Electricity for lighting96,5%2022 · 2011: 90,5%
91,8%median 95,0%98,5%
Refuse removed weekly89,5%2022 · 2011: 82,9%
59,9%median 85,6%91,4%
Households in formal dwellings92,0%2022 · 2011: 87,2%
85,6%median 88,7%92,0%

Water

Department of Water and Sanitation, Blue Drop 2023, Green Drop 2025, No Drop
Drinking water quality (Blue Drop)85,0%Good Blue Drop 2023 (audit of 2021/22)
Wastewater treatment (Green Drop)36,3%Very poor Green Drop 2025 (audit of 2023/24)
Water loss management (No Drop)81,0%Good No Drop 2023 (latest No Drop score, restated in the 2025 No Drop report)

Blue Drop: 95%+ excellent, 80–95% good, 50–80% average, 31–50% very poor, under 31% critical. Green Drop: 90%+ excellent, 80–90% good, 50–80% average, 31–50% very poor, under 31% critical. No Drop: 90%+ excellent, 80–90% good, 50–80% average, 30–50% very poor, under 30% critical.

Money

National Treasury, Municipal Money · 2024/25 audited · NERSA
Operating spendingR18,7 bn2024/25 audited · R15 689 per resident
Capital budget spent67,6%2024/25 · of the original budget
51,3%median 83,2%138,2%
Billed money collectedNot reported
Cash coverage2,9 months2024/25 · Within norm Treasury norm (MFMA Circular 71): 1 to 3 months
−3,9 monthsmedian 5,9 months21,9 months
Irregular expenditureR2,0 bn2023/24 · 10,4% of 2024/25 operating spending
Repairs and maintenance2,6%2024/25 · Below norm of the value of property, plant and equipment · Treasury norm (MFMA Circular 71): 8%
0,9%median 2,6%7,5%
Electricity tariff increase, 2026/2710,95%Average increase approved by NERSA · decision
8,80%median 9,90%14,00%

Audit outcomes

Auditor-General, 2019/20 to 2023/24

In the Auditor-General's order: unqualified with no findings · unqualified with emphasis of matter · qualified · adverse · disclaimer. Outstanding: the audit was not finished when the outcomes were published. Source: Auditor-General of South Africa, audit outcomes as published by National Treasury, Municipal Money, read on 2026-11-10; each links to the audit report. The Auditor-General's 2024-25 outcomes are not yet in Treasury's data.

Council seats, 2026

IEC seat calculation, local government elections 2026
120 seats: 60 ward, 60 proportional (PR)
Majority: 61 of 120 seats
PartyWardPRTotal
Democratic Alliance282553
African National Congress32032
Economic Freedom Fighters077
Patriotic Alliance044
South African Communist Party044
United Democratic Movement033
Vryheidsfront Plus | Freedom Front Plus033
ActionSA022
Mayibuye Civic Movement022
Umkhonto Wesizwe Party022
African Christian Democratic Party011
African Independent Congress011
African Transformation Movement011
Afrika Mayibuye Movement011
Democratic Movement011
National Alliance011
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania011
United Progressive People Alliance011

Source: Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), seat calculation detail, report printed 2026-11-07. Bars use each party's site colour.

Voter turnout

IEC, local elections 2016, 2021, 2026
201663,9%
202145,9%
202652,9%

Source: Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), voter turnout reports. Turnout as the IEC defines it: the higher of ward and PR votes cast, divided by registered voters plus special (MEC7) votes.

Unemployment

Stats SA, Quarterly Labour Force Survey · Q3 2026
Official unemployment rate32,2%Q3 2026 (95% range 27,0 to 37,4%)
Expanded unemployment rate37,8%Q3 2026 (95% range 32,2 to 43,4%) · includes people who want work but did not look for it
0%10%20%30%40% Q4 2024: expanded 26,2%Q1 2025: expanded 27,1%Q2 2025: expanded 35,0%Q3 2025: expanded 32,4%Q4 2025: expanded 34,3%Q1 2026: expanded 38,7%Q2 2026: expanded 38,1%Q3 2026: expanded 37,8% Q4 2024: official 21,8%Q1 2025: official 22,3%Q2 2025: official 26,4%Q3 2025: official 27,1%Q4 2025: official 28,2%Q1 2026: official 29,8%Q2 2026: official 33,1%Q3 2026: official 32,2% Expanded 37,8%Official 32,2% Q4 2024Q1 2025Q2 2025Q3 2025Q4 2025Q1 2026Q2 2026Q3 2026

Darker line: official rate; lighter line: expanded rate. Stats SA changed the questionnaire in Q3 2025 (dashed line): compare the expanded rate with earlier quarters with care. Source of the basic data: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Quarterly Labour Force Survey. The selection and presentation are MzansiData's own processing of the data. Release: P0211, 2026-11-10.

Unemployment rate by quarter
QuarterOfficialExpanded
Q4 202421,8%26,2%
Q1 202522,3%27,1%
Q2 202526,4%35,0%
Q3 202527,1%32,4%
Q4 202528,2%34,3%
Q1 202629,8%38,7%
Q2 202633,1%38,1%
Q3 202632,2%37,8%

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Download NMA.csv: every Stats SA, Treasury, Auditor-General, Water and Sanitation and NERSA figure for this municipality, including some not shown on the page, with its source, field and date. · Report an error

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Method and sources

  • People and services at home: Stats SA, Census 2022 Municipal fact sheet, Report No. 03-01-82 (revised edition), with Census 2011 figures that Stats SA re-worked to the 2021 municipal boundaries, which the 2026 municipalities share. Read from the report's tables; the population figures were checked to add up from local municipalities to districts, provinces and South Africa. Adults with matric or higher = the shares of adults (20+) whose highest level of education is matric plus those with higher education (separate categories, so they add). The fact sheet has no household counts, so no per-household figures are shown; average household size is Stats SA's own figure. Source of the basic data: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Census 2022 Municipal fact sheet, Report No. 03-01-82. The selection and presentation are MzansiData's own processing of the data.
  • Water: Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Blue Drop 2023 (drinking water quality; audit of 2021/22), Green Drop 2025 full audit (wastewater treatment; provincial reports of 29 March 2026, audit of 2023/24) and the No Drop score (water loss management; the latest score is from the 2023 audit, restated in the 2025 No Drop report of 5 May 2026). Scores are per water services authority: where the district runs water services, its local municipalities show the district's scores. The 2023 No Drop audit gave 0 to authorities that did not submit the required information. Bands are the reports' own. Read from the reports on https://ws.dws.gov.za/IRIS/latestresults.aspx; DWS publishes no reuse terms, and the scores are used with credit. Source: Department of Water and Sanitation (Blue Drop 2023, Green Drop 2025, No Drop 2025 reports).
  • Electricity tariff increase: the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's (NERSA) Decision and Reasons for Decision on each municipality's 2026/27 tariff application (https://www.nersa.org.za/regulator-decisions/150, published 30 June 2026). The figure is the average increase the document states as approved, or else the average increase the municipality applied for, which NERSA approved as recommended in its analysis; the page says which. Municipalities that do not sell electricity (no NERSA decision and no electricity billed in Treasury's figures) show "Eskom supplies directly"; districts that do not sell electricity show "Not a distributor". Source: National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), Reasons for Decision on municipal tariff applications for 2026/27.
  • Money: National Treasury, Municipal Money API (https://municipaldata.treasury.gov.za/api/cubes), 2024/25 audited figures, read 2026-11-10: the municipalities' own returns, published by Treasury. The ratios and per-resident figures are MzansiData's own calculation from those figures. Billed money collected = cash received from property rates and service charges (service-charge receipts less 15% VAT) / property rates and service charges billed; a simplified form of the MFMA Circular 71 collection rate (norm 95%), which uses debtor balances instead of receipts; values outside 30% to 130% (a sign of receipts booked elsewhere or an incomplete return) are left out. Irregular expenditure is the latest year in Treasury's data, shown as a share of operating spending. Capital budget spent = audited capital spending / capital budget. Cash coverage = cash at year end / a month of operating spending without depreciation and debt impairment (a simplified form of Treasury's MFMA Circular 71 ratio, which also takes off unspent grants). Repairs and maintenance = spending on repairs / property, plant and equipment plus investment property. Revenue shares = property rates, service charges or operating grants / operating revenue. Grant dependence = operating and capital grants / all revenue including capital grants. Employee costs = employee-related costs / operating spending. Days to pay creditors = trade payables / spending other than staff, councillors, depreciation and debt impairment, × 365 (a simplified Circular 71 ratio; norm 30 days). Money owed = current receivables at year end. Per resident = the amount / the Census 2022 population (the Census fact sheet has no household counts, so no per-household figures). Ratios outside a plausible range (a sign of an incomplete return) are left out. Terms: Free to download, copy, publish, distribute, adapt and use, commercially and non-commercially, provided the source and the date of publication are acknowledged; no implied endorsement.
  • Audit outcomes: the Auditor-General's opinions for 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, as published by National Treasury, each linked to the audit report.
  • Unemployment (metros only): Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey, trends workbook Table 2.3 (release P0211, 2026-11-10). Official rate (LU1) and expanded rate (LU3). Source of the basic data: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Quarterly Labour Force Survey. The selection and presentation are MzansiData's own processing of the data.
  • Council seats and turnout: the IEC's own seat calculation and voter turnout reports for each council, read 2026-11-09. IEC figures are shown with credit and are not in the CSV download (the IEC's terms do not allow republishing its tables without consent).
  • Comparisons: peers are the municipalities in the same National Treasury category (A metros, B1 secondary cities, B2 large towns, B3 small towns, B4 mostly rural, C districts). Province and all-of-SA comparisons put districts with districts and the rest together. Each strip shows the lowest and highest values, the middle half of the group (shaded) and the median (line). Rand totals have no strip.
  • CSV download: every Stats SA, Treasury, Auditor-General, Department of Water and Sanitation and NERSA figure for the municipality, including measures not shown on the page (age structure, education, household make-up, revenue mix, grant dependence, employee costs, days to pay creditors, money owed, capital spending, operating surplus or deficit, unauthorised and fruitless and wasteful expenditure), each with its source, field and date.
  • Sentences in "At a glance" come from fixed rules in the site's code, filled in from the figures. If a figure is missing, its sentence is left out. No text on these pages is written by AI.