Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
Nelson Mandela Bay has welcomed the 2025 edition of SA Auto Week, describing it as an opportunity to rebuild the automotive sector, forge partnerships and protect jobs. The city is currently hosting the event at the Coega Vulindlela Accommodation and Conference Centre in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, from 1–3 October 2025. Billed as South Africa’s premier automotive thought-leadership gathering, SA Auto Week is held in partnership with the Eastern Cape provincial government, marking a significant milestone to the city where the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (naamsa) was founded.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Mayor, Babalwa Lobishe, welcomed the industry leaders, including investors, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs), Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), noting that the event and the partnerships can accelerate investment, skills development and inclusive industrialisation across the metro and province. Lobishe highlighted the significance of discussions on innovation, localisation, the new-energy transition and workforce development held on the opening day.
“Nelson Mandela Bay is committed to ensuring these discussions translate into practical opportunities for our people, especially for SMMEs, youth and workers seeking re-skilling and placement,” she said. The mayor also expressed concern over recent industrial job losses in the automotive value chain, pledging to work with government, labour representatives and industry stakeholders in expressing deep concern for affected workers and their families.
“We will continue to push for collective, practical responses to protect livelihoods and create tangible re-employment pathways,” Lobishe said. Lobishe acknowledged service delivery challenges raised by auto sector companies regarding service delivery, particularly electricity reliability, street lighting, waste management and urban cleanliness.
Lobishe announced that council has appointed nine companies, effective 01 October, to address streetlight outages across the metro. In addition, the municipality is intensifying the War on Waste campaign in hotspot areas, ensuring that the city’s industrial zones, communities and economic corridors remain clean, safe and attractive to investors. “These interventions form part of our broader programme to restore confidence in Nelson Mandela Bay as a competitive investment destination,” Lobishe said.
The municipality committed to:
•Convene an immediate stakeholder roundtable involving Coega Development Corporation, the provincial government, naamsa, labour (including organised unions) and affected SMMEs to agree on concrete short and medium-term interventions, including skills retraining, rapid SMME linkages and local procurement opportunities.
•Fast-track municipal support measures for SMMEs and suppliers to access SA Auto Week business linkages and buyer-seller platforms being hosted during the event.
•Work with provincial and national partners to secure re-skilling and placement programmes for retrenched employees and to promote new investments in the Coega SEZ and local supplier base.
Lobishe committed to improving service delivery infrastructure, from electricity reliability and water security to roads, street lighting and digital connectivity, “because these are the foundations for attracting and retaining investment.”
“A competitive Nelson Mandela Bay depends on reliable services, efficient municipal systems and responsive governance. By fixing streetlights, intensifying our War on Waste, and stabilising core services, we are making service delivery a driver of job creation, industrial growth and inclusive development. We welcome responsible investment, and we will hold investors and partners to a shared promise: growth must be inclusive, locally anchored and supportive of job retention and creation,” the mayor said.
Coega Development Corporation CEO, Themba Koza said SA Auto Week at Coega is more than an industry gathering, “It is a platform for rebuilding confidence, forging inclusive partnerships, and protecting the jobs that sustain our communities. At Coega, we are proud to host this catalytic event and reaffirm our commitment to driving investment, innovation and transformation in South Africa’s automotive sector,” Koza said.
