10 · Method and sources
Read the numbers with their limits.
Priority is given to Stats SA, AGSA, National Treasury, the municipality, legislation and party manifestos. Survey estimates describe households’ reported experience; audit findings are not proof of criminal wrongdoing.
- Stats SA, General Household Survey: Selected Metro Indicators, 2025 — household counts, 48-hour interruption count, sanitation and population/household estimates.
- Stats SA, General Household Survey 2025 — metro food access, social grant receipt and informal-dwelling estimates.
- Stats SA, General Household Survey 2024 — 40.3% metro water-interruption estimate and 2024 comparisons.
- Stats SA, General Household Survey 2023 and 2022 — earlier comparable interruption estimates.
- Stats SA, Income and Expenditure Survey 2022/23 — 2023 median and average household income by metro.
- Stats SA, Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Q2 2026 — metro unemployment measure for the 15–64 labour force; not a youth-specific result.
- Stats SA, Census 2022 Municipal Fact Sheet — NMB household size, female-headed households and formal dwelling comparison.
- Stats SA, Profiling the socio-economic status and living arrangements of persons with disabilities, 2011–2022 — broad-definition disability prevalence by metro.
- Stats SA, Census 2022 population-group tables — NMB’s aggregate population composition.
- Stats SA note on Census 2022 data release — household-income data quality and publication limits.
- AGSA, Eastern Cape audit outcomes 2024/25 — NMBM accountability, financial discipline and investigation gaps.
- AGSA, 2024/25 metro audit report — metro-wide audit framework and outcomes.
- Nelson Mandela Bay MPAC, 2023/24 oversight report — audit regression, grant spending, procurement and maintenance recommendations.
- Nelson Mandela Bay, 2024/25 mid-year budget and performance assessment — sewer connection and real water-loss reporting at November/December 2024.
- National Treasury, NMBM audited financial statements 2023/24 — reported water and electricity losses.
- National Treasury, NMBM annual report 2023/24 — 2022 Census service-access figures.
- Nelson Mandela Bay 2021 election ward map — 60 current wards.
- MISTRA Coalition Barometer II, 2023–2025 — NMB coalition chronology.
- CoGTA, 2026 local election date notice — election date of 4 November 2026.
- Constitution of South Africa, Chapter 7 — municipal powers, accountability, open council business and community involvement.
- Government directory: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality — mayor, municipal manager and PAIA Information Officer contacts.
- Municipal E-Service portal — queries and account services; municipal website — current alerts and service notices.
- NMBM current service notices — official water-supply updates and fault contacts.
- NMBM Safety & Security WhatsApp line notice — permitted report types, what details to include and emergency limitations (checked 26 October 2026).
- NMBM emergency and disaster guidance — emergency response contacts and immediate-safety advice.
- MDN: Web Share API — browser and device sharing options vary by platform.
- Social sharing marks sourced from Simple Icons; names and marks identify their respective services.
- IEC ward councillor lookup — find elected representative by ward.
- Information Regulator: PAIA and Public Protector complaints — official access-to-information and maladministration routes.
- Party sources: ANC, DA, EFF, ActionSA. These are party claims, not independent impact evaluations.
Scope: The report focuses on Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. It uses the latest metro household survey published by 26 October 2026, the latest available AGSA audit cycle (2024/25), and local public records. Water-loss terms differ across reports; where measures differ, no trend is implied. The household survey does not establish cause or ward-level prevalence. Election platforms are summarised fairly but not independently scored as outcomes.