Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said successful towns and cities like Midvaal, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Drakenstein and Mossel Bay are all reaping the benefits of multiple consecutive terms of DA governance. He said that's what they want for Nelson Mandela Bay too.
The party's Nqaba Bhanga is the current mayor and also the candidate in the 1 November polls.
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro has been controlled by the Democratic Alliance since local government elections in 2016.
The Eastern Cape metro's supply dams are only around 12% full.
The latest incident happened in Kariega in the early hours of Saturday morning when about 200 demonstrators stoned and torched a truck.
Roads and other infrastructure in the area have been damaged since the strike began on Tuesday.
Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said the metro had not yet reached day zero - the day the taps run dry.
The average dam level in the metro is just over 14%.
Last week, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa signed off on a decision to rename Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha and Uitenhage to Kariega, among other name changes.
On Thursday, he will hold a media briefing to elaborate on concerns around the process followed to rename the two areas.
In September 2020, the municipality reported that it had experienced day zero, when taps were running dry and dam levels dipped below 19%.
Stricter interventions have been in place for Nelson Mandela Bay, The Garden Route, and Sarah Baartman District for the past few weeks and now a few other areas have been added to that list.
Uitenhage coucillor Lunga Nombexeza appeared in the local magistrates court on Monday on an attempted murder charge.
The newly-elected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay on Saturday outlined his turnaround strategy for the Eastern Cape City.
This comes after the late former mayor Mongameli Bobani was ousted a year ago through a motion of no confidence.
While traditional initiations are allowed in the rest of the Eastern Cape, the metro has been identified as a coronavirus infection hotspot and the rite of passage is still prohibited.
Nelson Mandela Bay has emerged as an infection hotspot and residents have now been slapped with tighter curbs.
In the midst of all the stories of democratic degradation, we can still find beacons of excellence in a sea of mediocrity, writes Judith February.
