A court bid to silence a political critic has turned into a costly problem for the Nelson Mandela Bay mayor, Babalwa Lobishe. The Gqeberha High Court has now issued a writ of execution against her. The Sheriff can take her movable assets and sell them to settle an unpaid legal bill of R82,970.88.
The story moves from social media claims to a courtroom loss and now a possible auction. Here is the simple version of what happened and why it matters.
What the court has ordered
The writ tells the Sheriff of the court to attach and take into execution the mayor’s movable goods or other assets. These can be at her home or at places where she operates. If the money is not paid, the assets can be sold at a public auction.
The amount comes from a costs order made on 19 February 2026. The costs were taxed on 4 August 2026, which means the court officially confirmed the final figure. That figure is R82,970.88.
The writ was obtained by Siyanda Mayana, the president of People’s Power and a former regional chairperson of the GOOD party. He says the Sheriff was expected to visit Lobishe’s home this week. He also said he doubted the seizure would be successful.
In South Africa, a writ of execution is a standard way to enforce a money judgment. If a person does not pay what a court ordered, the winner can ask the Sheriff to attach property. You can read more about how Sheriffs work on the Department of Justice website.
How the feud started
The dispute began in January 2026. Mayana posted claims on Facebook that large deposits had landed in Lobishe’s personal bank account in December. He also said her account had been frozen. He later asked the Hawks to look into the matter.
Lobishe denied the claims. She said she had done nothing wrong. She told the media that she welcomed any lawful review of her accounts. She also said the bank’s action was a compliance check and had nothing to do with corruption. The mayor has not been formally charged with any crime in this matter.
Instead of staying quiet, she went to court. She asked the Gqeberha High Court for an urgent order to stop Mayana from posting what she called defamatory statements. She also wanted him to remove his posts and apologise.
A quick win, then a loss
At first, things went her way. On 10 February, an acting judge granted an interim interdict. It stopped Mayana from posting further statements until the matter was finalised.
That did not last. On 13 February, another acting judge ordered that the application be removed from the urgent roll and placed on the normal court roll. Lobishe’s legal team then asked the office of the deputy judge president to allow an urgent hearing anyway.
On 19 February, Acting Judge Shirley Tilana-Mabece delivered her judgment. She found that the mayor had not shown enough urgency. She said the explanation for the delay had gaps and did not cover the full period the court needed to see. The application was struck off the roll, and Lobishe was ordered to pay costs. Those costs covered the 13 February proceedings too.
This is the core of the story. The court did not decide whether Mayana’s claims were true or false. It ruled that the mayor had not met the rules for an urgent application. That is a procedural finding, and it came with a real price tag.
Key facts at a glance
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Amount owed | R82,970.88 |
| Costs order made | 19 February 2026 |
| Costs taxed | 4 August 2026 |
| Court | Gqeberha High Court |
| Who is owed | Siyanda Mayana |
| What can happen | Assets attached and sold at public auction |
Other legal trouble for the mayor
The costs bill is not the only issue on Lobishe’s desk. The matter sits alongside several other disputes that have kept the Nelson Mandela Bay mayor in the headlines this year.
The extortion case. In March, Lobishe opened an extortion complaint against Mayana at the Humewood police station. She alleged he demanded money to stay quiet about claims linked to the transformer lease. Mayana denied this. He said the mayor owed him money for legal fees instead. Reports say the Hawks have since closed their investigation after the National Prosecuting Authority decided not to prosecute him. Mayana welcomed that as proof he did nothing wrong.
The transformer lease. A separate row involves a R25 million municipal transformer. It was leased to a private company, Coega Steels, at R250,000 a month for a year. Critics say proper process was not followed. The mayor says council discussed the matter and sent it to court for a judicial review. She has also said that if she is guilty of anything, it is of saving 600 jobs. The ANC in the province asked her to explain the deal.
The DA’s court plan. The DA has said it will ask the high court to force the municipality to recover any losses from the mayor personally. This would be done under the Municipal Finance Management Act. The act sets the rules for how municipalities must handle public money. You can find the law and related guidance on the National Treasury website.
Why this matters to residents
Many people in Nelson Mandela Bay deal with water, electricity and service delivery problems every day. When their leader is tied up in court fights, trust becomes a big issue.
There is also a wider lesson. Public office holders are free to protect their reputation. That is their right. But going to court on an urgent basis is not an easy shortcut. The rules ask for clear reasons and a full explanation of any delay. If a court is not convinced, the person who lost may pay for both sides.
It is also fair to point out what remains unproven. Mayana’s claims about deposits into her account are allegations. Lobishe rejects them. No court has ruled on whether they are true. The transformer lease is still the subject of a review. Readers should keep these points apart.
What happens next
The next step is simple. The Sheriff will try to carry out the writ. If the assets are found and attached, they can be sold at auction. If the mayor pays the full amount first, the matter ends there.
Mayana has said he doubts the seizure will work. That could mean the Sheriff finds little of value, or that the debt is settled before any sale. At the time of writing, there was no public word on whether Lobishe had paid.
Other things to watch include:
- Whether the DA goes ahead with its high court bid over the transformer lease
- The outcome of the judicial review of that lease
- Any move by Mayana to claim damages for harm to his reputation, which he has hinted at
The bottom line
What began as a social media fight has become a very public test for the Nelson Mandela Bay mayor. A failed urgent application has left her facing a writ of execution and a bill of R82,970.88. Whether the Sheriff actually takes any assets is still unknown.
For residents, the case is a simple reminder that courts expect leaders to follow the rules like everyone else. It also shows how quickly a legal move meant to end a dispute can make it bigger. We will watch for the next update from the Gqeberha High Court and the municipality.
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