Checked 27 October 2026
Where the facts in this claim come from
Every fact on the claim page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
What does the evidence show?
Why it is Verified
Stats SA's 2025 household survey puts Nelson Mandela Bay at 98.0% for access to piped or tap water. That matches her figure. The survey puts the metro at 95.5% for improved sanitation. That is close to her 95.7%. Access counts homes that can get piped or tap water, at home or nearby. But in the same survey, 38.0% of the metro's homes said their water was cut for two days or more in the past year.
Stats SA. Published 26 May 2026.
Where to look: Printed page 31 (PDF page 40), Figure 9.2 'households with access to piped or tap water in their dwellings, off-site or on-site by metropolitan area, 2025': NMA 98,0. Printed page 40 (PDF page 49), Figure 10.3 'households that have access to improved sanitation by metropolitan area, 2025': NMA 95,5. Printed page 33 (PDF page 42), section 9.3: water interruptions are counted 'over the 12 months before the survey'. Printed page 35 (PDF page 44), Figure 9.7 'households that reported water interruptions that lasted at least 2 days by metropolitan area, 2025': NMB 38,0 (bar label). Release date from the cover ('Embargoed until: 26 May 2026').
Daily Maverick. Published 13 September 2026.
Where to look: Paragraph 3 (Lobishe delivered the State of the Metro Address in a Despatch hall on Thursday, 10 September); paragraphs 34-35 ('About 98% of households in the metro had access to water, while 95.7% had access to improved sanitation facilities'). Paragraph 1 is the first body paragraph after the standfirst.
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