A year after the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium became the centre of a political battle over who should oversee it, politicians are still divided over who is responsible for one of the metroâs most prominent public assets.

The latest dispute emerged at a sport, recreation, arts and culture (SRAC) committee meeting last week, where councillors questioned which municipal department should oversee the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), the entity responsible for managing the stadium.

The dispute goes beyond a disagreement over reporting lines. It centres on which department should receive the MBDAâs reports, oversee its work and be held accountable for decisions affecting the stadium.

SRAC political head Sinebhongo Kwatsha argued that the MBDA should report to her department because it manages the metroâs sporting facilities. However, economic development political head Bassie Kamana said an October 2025 council resolution had already settled the matter by placing the entity under the economic development, tourism and agriculture (EDTA) department.

The disagreement became serious enough to be discussed at a mayoral committee meeting on Wednesday, 29 July, where Kamana said members were reminded of the council resolution.

Kwatsha told councillors that there was confusion about which department the MBDA actually reports to.

Stadium management agency sent from pillar to post

âThe entity (MBDA) is sent from pillar to post, hence we are saying the mandate of MBDA relates to the work of my department. The stadium belongs to SRAC just like all other stadiums in the metro. The MBDA should be reporting to SRAC like it has been doing for years. SRAC was recently told to absorb MBDA staff but I donât get reports from the entity which is very strange.â

Because of this issue, Kwatsha said the council was struggling to get the MBDA to send it reports, so the agency can be held accountable.

The question of accountability has taken on greater significance this year after the stadiumâs roof canvas was damaged during severe storms. While the MBDA manages the facility, Kwatsha said her department was required to pay the R5-million insurance excess for the repairs, despite not having oversight of the entity.

When asked to clarify the reporting issue, MBDA spokesperson Nicole Klokow did not provide much detail.

âThe MBDA has a service delivery agreement with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. You can refer to the Council Resolution of 28 October 2025 â you can request a copy from the city if needed,â she said.

At the meeting, Kwatsha said: âI want to address this issue with the office of the city manager to rectify this MBDA reporting issue so that we are all clear.â

Previously, the office of the deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk was responsible for the entity. Mayor Babalwa Lobishe has said Van Niekerk failed to make the agency account to the city by bringing pertinent reports to be scrutinised in the municipality.

At Wednesdayâs committee meeting, ANC councillor Lehlohonolo Mfana asked whether the stadium had been taken over by the MBDA.

Stadium roof damage deepens divide

âI donât want there to be tensions between you and councillor Kamana unless you both have reached an understanding. Thereâs been bickering about who manages the stadium between EDTA and SRAC, especially after the roof got damaged,â Mfana said.

âPeople outside these two departments have been asking questions and we donât know what to tell them because we are just as confused.

âAt some point we do need clarity as to which department is responsible for the stadium and since there are damages, which directorate is to ensure repairs are conducted. As SRAC we may say MBDA does not report to us but when there are damages at the stadium it is this department that covers the cost.â

Responding to Mfana, Kwatsha said she has raised the matter with the MBDA, but it required an engagement between Van Niekerk, Kamana, the acting city manager and herself.

âStaff that work at the stadium are observed by this department when there are events and not by EDTA. This matter has to be resolved because they [EDTA] have a tendency of doing things outside SRAC meanwhile stadiums are my responsibility. This matter is getting out of hand.â

Kwatsha said while the SRAC was pushed away from the MBDA, her department was responsible for paying R5-million insurance excess fee to repair the stadiumâs damaged roof earlier this year.

The EDTA held a film and boxing festival at the stadium on June 6 without involving the SRAC directorate in the planning.

Kwatsha said she did not attend the event because âI was totally against itâ.

âI reprimanded them saying they canât include sport, arts and culture in their posters because we were not part of the event. They asked me to be in the poster, and I refused because the event was done by EDTA, a department that has no mandate regarding boxing and film-making. I reprimanded SRAC staff who attended, saying they canât represent SRAC in an EDTA programme.â

Kwatsha said the MBDA was thrown around different departments that have vastly different mandates.

âThe entity was initially made the responsibility of budget and treasury. This is a decision we need to take as councillors that the MBDA is under SRAC, not this thing they are doing when they feel like putting a new board in today [and] they are just going to decide to take things to EDTA. Hence we donât get the MBDA audited reports.â

No squabble says economic development boss

Asked about his relations with Kwatsha, Kamana said he had no problem with her and there was no squabble between them.

âThis matter was raised at the mayoral committee today [Wednesday], and she was told that council took a resolution [in October 2025], that the stadium will be managed by the MBDA, which reports to EDTA. To change this we would have to rescind last yearâs council resolution, and this canât be done by an individual.â

Kamana said the stadium was a multipurpose facility and therefore not only a sporting venue, pointing out that it had also hosted international conferences and other events.

âEDTA used to report to the office of the deputy mayor and thatâs why the entity encountered problems relating to accountability. So we brought it back to where it is supposed to report and of course the SRAC will often collaborate with us because of the sport aspect because they manage it.â

Kamana said he agreed with Kwatsha that officials from SRAC and EDTA should discuss the matter further.

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya later confirmed that the municipalityâs position was that the MBDA reports to EDTA.

He confirmed that council had resolved that the MBDA would report through the EDTA directorate, pending the finalisation of a permanent municipal operating model.

âIt is important to distinguish between governance arrangements and operational collaboration. The processing and payment of municipal events are undertaken through the municipalityâs internal administrative systems, irrespective of the directorate leading a particular programme.

âSimilarly, events hosted at municipal facilities often involve collaboration across multiple directorates in pursuit of shared municipal objectives.

Soyaya said staff should not be placed in a position where they have to choose between supporting one department over another.

He added that staff are expected to perform their duties in accordance with approved management instructions, applicable policies and operational requirements. DM