The City of Mbombela’s (CoM) executive mayor, Cllr Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko, is scheduled to deliver her State of the City Address on Friday, June 26. The address comes at a crucial political juncture, serving as her final major speech before the local government elections scheduled for November 4.

She is expected to provide a comprehensive look at her administration’s legacy, balancing a celebration of service delivery milestones against persistent challenges. Moreover, it will provide a roadmap of upcoming developments for the next administration.

Makushe-Mazibuko’s administration focused heavily on tackling the municipality’s severe water backlogs and expanding basic infrastructure across both urban hubs and rural outlying areas.

This includes the Hoxani Water Scheme and Nyongani upgrades, multimillion-rand initiatives aimed at alleviating water scarcity in the municipality’s northern regions. The upgrades have reduced the long-standing water service backlog for tens of thousands of households.
Moreover, major road resurfacing, rural access road upgrades and pothole repair programmes have spanned from the Mbombela CBD and White River to KaNyamazane, KaBokweni and Matsulu.

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In Makushe-Mazibuko’s 2025 address, she noted that nine water treatment plants had been refurbished or newly built. Since 2021, 1 960 households in Daantjie, Gobhoza, Maminza, Tshabalala and Msholozi have benefited from these interventions.

In addition, 70 high-yield boreholes were drilled in rural communities.

Construction of a new 40 MVA Barberton Waterworks Substation was announced, while the Emjindini Ext 17 Switching Station was reported to be 80% complete about a year ago.

The CoM also aimed to connect 15 000 households to the sewer network before the end of the mayor’s term. Ongoing work includes upgrades at the Rocky Drift and Barberton wastewater treatment works, as well as the Umjindi Northern Outfall Sewer.

This year, she is expected to delve into further details about a regional dam designed to support long-term water security and attract investment.

Since 2021, 82% of municipal gravel roads have been paved. A further 1 824 km of roads were upgraded, along with 13 bridges and numerous vehicle and pedestrian culverts. One highlight was the completion of the 6 km Dingindoda Road leading to Masoyi Police Station.

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To combat persistent crime and increase safety, the municipality implemented a 24/7 CCTV monitoring system on Anderson Street and the KaBokweni Road, with plans to expand the system citywide. A R7m security war room was developed to integrate surveillance across all four municipal regions.

In addition to safety initiatives, a R45m fire station is being built in Dayizenza to improve emergency response.

This year, the CoM convened several mayoral imbizos to fast-track service delivery, especially in Barberton, Matsulu and the Nsikazi region.
Friday’s address is scheduled to take place at the City of Mbombela Council Chambers from 15:00.