Here are the Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidates for the 2026 polls

From tackling water shortages and improving service delivery to addressing infrastructure failures and political instability, the race to lead Nelson Mandela Bay is about more than political promises. We look at the mayoral candidates hoping to win over voters in the Eastern Cape metro.

As parties battle to take control of the Metro ahead of the local government elections, mayoral candidates are laying out their vision to rebuild.

Four candidates made the African National Congress (ANC)’s August shortlist: Babalwa Lobishe (current mayor), Andile Lungisa (former councillor and ANC NEC member), Xolani Vela (corporate executive), Nontombi “Ntombi” Nama (deputy regional secretary). Babalwa Lobishe has been mayor since October 2024.

She is a former Eastern Cape MPL and served on the mayoral committees of Ben Fihla and Danny Jordaan. She was elected as the ANC’s regional chairperson in 2021.

Also on the ANC’s candidates list for Nelson Mandela Bay was Andile Lungisa. However, shortly before the nomination deadline, he was told his name had been removed.

Retief Odendaal: Democratic Alliance (DA). Retief Odendaal was removed as mayor in May 2023, barely eight months into his term, after an ANC-led coalition deal.

Mvuleni Mapu: MK Party. Mapu, the MK Party’s mayoral candidate, is a former SACP district chairperson credited with setting up the party’s first structures in the municipality.

None of them have criminal records. They all have good histories of their own. And they are all capable.

National Alliance leader Gary van Niekerk has called on Northern Areas residents to reject the long-standing political establishment in the upcoming local government elections, citing decades of neglect and decay. Campaigning as both the party’s mayoral hopeful and the candidate for Ward 35 in Nelson Mandela Bay, Van Niekerk pledged a zero-tolerance approach to corruption alongside a renewed focus on frontline service delivery.