Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality are both metropolitan municipalities, which makes them directly comparable: each holds the full set of municipal powers, with no district municipality above it. This puts them side by side on the figures they report to National Treasury and to Statistics South Africa.
The basics
| Measure | Nelson Mandela Bay | Buffalo City |
|---|---|---|
| Province | Eastern Cape | Eastern Cape |
| MDB code | NMA | BUF |
| Population | 1 190 496 | 975 255 |
| Households | 307 931 | 268 438 |
| Area | 1 957 km2 | 2 753 km2 |
| People per km2 | 608.3 | 354.3 |
| Council seats | 120 | 100 |
| Governing party | ANC/EFF/NA/AIC/PAC Coalition | ANC |
| Executive mayor | Babalwa Lobishe | Princess Faku |
Money
| Measure | Nelson Mandela Bay | Buffalo City |
|---|---|---|
| Financial health grade | D | E |
| Score out of 100 | 43.2 (stronger) | 38.6 |
| Audit outcome | Qualified audit | Qualified audit |
| Operating revenue | R17.4 billion | R10.3 billion |
| Operating expenditure | R19.0 billion | R12.1 billion |
| Operating margin | -9.0% (stronger) | -18.1% |
| Current ratio | 1.67:1 (stronger) | 1.16:1 |
| Months of cash | 2.7 | 5.2 (stronger) |
| Irregular spending | 19.6% | 14.8% (stronger) |
Household services
| Service | Nelson Mandela Bay | Buffalo City |
|---|---|---|
| Piped water inside dwelling | 82.3% (stronger) | 65.7% |
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 93.5% (stronger) | 80.7% |
| Electricity for lighting | 96.5% (stronger) | 94.6% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 88.8% (stronger) | 71.3% |
| Formal dwellings | 92.0% (stronger) | 85.6% |
People
| Measure | Nelson Mandela Bay | Buffalo City |
|---|---|---|
| Population under 15 | 22.3% | 24.8% |
| Population over 65 | 8.8% | 7.8% |
| Higher education, aged 20 and over | 12.8% | 15.0% |
| No schooling, aged 20 and over | 2.5% | 4.1% |
How to read this
Rand amounts are not marked stronger or weaker, because the larger municipality will always spend more and that says nothing about how well it is run. The judgements above are made only on ratios and percentages, which are comparable regardless of size.
The financial health grade measures financial management, not service delivery. A municipality can score well on one and modestly on the other, which is why both appear here.
Put these two, or any others, side by side yourself in the comparison tool, or read the full Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City profiles.
Figures on this page come from National Treasury, Statistics South Africa and the Auditor-General, as set out in the sources and methodology. Read the methodology