About Nelson Mandela Bay

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is named after South Africa's former President, humanitarian and icon to the world, Nelson Rolihlaha Mandela, as Madiba was born and spent his formative years in the Eastern Province.

The City is home to the Chief Dawid Stuurman (previously Port Elizabeth) International Airport, the only international air access point in the Eastern Cape Province. Engagements between the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Airports Company South Africa, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism and local business saw the development of an Airlift Project, aimed at deliberately growing air traffic in the region.

The City’s maritime entry point showcases its monumental developmental aspirations and capabilities, boasting the most modern deep-water port in the Southern Hemisphere, the Port of Ngqura.

Nelson Mandela Bay is the hub of the automotive industry on the African continent, with many major international vehicle and component manufacturers based in the city. It is a preferred region for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, flour, meat, frozen veggies, soft drinks, chocolates, cheese, yoghurt, ice-cream, paper and leather products.

Location

Nelson Mandela Bay is located on the southern coast of South Africa, on the shores of Algoa Bay, midway between Cape Town and Durban and 1058 km from Johannesburg.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is one of two metropolitan municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province. It incorporates Gqeberha (was Port Elizabeth), Kariega (was Uitenhage) and Despatch, with their surrounding agricultural areas, and occupies an area of 1959,02 km². Nelson Mandela Bay serves as a centre for both local and international beach sporting and offers exciting outdoor activities. The City is noted for the genuine warm hospitality of its residents, and has for many decades been known as the Friendly City among visitors and holidaymakers.

Population and Human Development

The current population of Nelson Mandela Bay is estimated at 1 263 051 (Community Survey 2016), with a growth rate of 1.54% (IHS, 2017). The Municipality has a total of 368 518 households, with an average size of 3.6 persons per household (CS 2016).

Female-headed households constitute 41.6% of the total number of households in the Municipality (Community Survey, 2016). Altogether 640 000 people (representing about 49.6% of the total population) live in poverty in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area (ECSECC, 2017).

During the 2017/18 financial year, 100% of qualifying households earning less than R3 200 per month (two state pensions) had access to free basic services offered by the Municipality through its Assistance To The Poor Programme (ATTP). As at 30 June 2018, the value of the free basic services provided was R614 218 196, benefiting 101 645 qualifying households. Various types of service assistance were provided to local households as follows: 89 721 (water); 90 175 (sanitation); 73 593 (electricity); 80 221 (refuse removal); and 76 392 (rebate on rates accounts).

There is a backlog of 4 229 applications in the system, which is attributed to the detailed nature of the verification processes.

Nelson Mandela Bay is characterised by a youthful population, with 26 years being the median age.

In all the periods under discussion, female domination is noticeable, particularly in the age categories from 40 years upwards.

Population

Population Details

Age	Year -2			Year -1			Year 0
Age	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Age: 0 - 4	66135	64711	130846	65341	64034	129375	64706	63444	128150
Age: 5 - 9	68071	66641	134712	68451	66911	135362	68514	66913	135427
Age: 10 - 19	108518	106768	215286	11285	111050	122335	117600	115711	233311
Age: 20 - 29	107354	101017	208371	106642	100031	206673	105557	98734	204291
Age: 30 - 39	90612	91041	181653	94123	93123	187246	97342	95002	192344
Age: 40 - 49	67211	77962	145173	68325	78097	146422	69486	78184	147670
Age: 50 - 59	50387	66423	116810	51159	67384	118543	51994	68246	120240
Age: 60 - 69	32120	45458	77578	33184	47102	80286	34177	48778	82955
Age: 70+	13516	28317	41833	14008	29953	43961	14498	31585	46083

Source: STATSSA 2015

Language spoken and percentage

56,53 % of local residents are mother-tongue IsiXhosa-speakers, followed by Afrikaans (28,51%) and English (11,91%). IsiXhosa is clearly the dominant language spoken in the Metro, with English being the main language of commerce.

Language	%	Language	%
Afrikaans	28.51%	IsiXhosa	56.53%
English	11.91%	Sotho	0.17%
Zulu	0.19%	Tswana	0.05%
Pedi	0.05%	Tsonga	0.05%
Venda	0.01%	Swati	0.01%
Ndebele	0.10%	Other	2.41%

Source: STATSSA, 2015

VISION

‘To be a globally competitive and preferred Metropole that works collectively with the people to improve lives, boost the economy, advocating zero corruption, and to have a transformed administration aimed at enhancing service delivery.’

MISSION STATEMENT

‘Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is a global city that is governed by an inclusive and innovative administration, focused on sustainable service delivery, socio-economic development, infrastructure development, local and regional integration through comprehensive initiatives.’

BRAND PROMISE

Collectively we can achieve more

Departments

Electricity and Energy

Enterprise Development

Tourism

Tourism Development

Destination Marketing and Promotion

Trade and Investment

Investment Opportunities, Business Intelligence & Related Research

Urban Agriculture

About Nelson Mandela Bay