Pray the News 13 April 2026 Steps to restart bid adjudication committee

Pray the News
Lobishe steps in to restart stalled bid adjudication committee
The Herald - 13 April 2026

Thought for Today

"When vital committees stall and service delivery hangs in the balance, God invites His people to pray for order, integrity, and wisdom in governance. Today, we lift up Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as they work to restart the Bid Adjudication Committee after weeks of delays. May the Lord bring clarity, accountability, and breakthrough so that fair procurement leads to real service delivery for every resident."— Inspired by Proverbs 29:2
"When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan."

Abstract from the Article

"A last-minute intervention by Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe forced the metro’s bid adjudication committee to convene as she postponed committee meetings on Friday to prevent further delays in the awarding of contracts. On Thursday, Lobishe wrote to speaker Eugene Johnson requesting that all committee meetings scheduled for Friday be postponed. Lobishe said this was because the bid adjudication committee (BAC), meant to evaluate service delivery contracts, was not sitting.
As a result, a scheduled roads and transport committee, meant to look at spending and tarring of road projects, was postponed. “This serves to request that all committee meetings scheduled for Friday be postponed, as BAC has not been able to sit for the past five weeks due to interruptions of committee meetings,”

Lobishe wrote. “The executive directors are required to focus on sitting at supply chain committees so that service delivery contracts are not compromised by nonsitting of committees.” Lobishe recently came under fire during an appearance before parliament’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs portfolio committee, where the city was grilled on its evergreen contracts. There, it was revealed that the Metro has 22 evergreen contracts where the city has repeatedly extended contracts without going through a competitive bidding process. Contracts were extended multiple times using deviations. During the Cogta appearance, it was also revealed that in 2024, the metro had 172 deviations between July and December."

What's going on here? Why is the grass so long?

The Problem
The Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) — the municipal body responsible for evaluating and approving tenders/contracts for essential services (roads, infrastructure, transport, maintenance, etc.) — had not met for five weeks. This created a serious bottleneck:

New service delivery contracts could not be awarded through proper competitive bidding.
Service delivery risked being stalled or further compromised.
The municipality was already heavily reliant on extensions of existing contracts.

The mayor intervened at the last minute by writing to the Speaker and postponing all other committee meetings scheduled for Friday, forcing senior officials (executive directors) to prioritize the BAC so it could finally sit and process outstanding items.

More Context
This incident does not happen in isolation. Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has faced intense scrutiny over its procurement and governance failures:

The metro has 22 "evergreen" contracts — contracts that were repeatedly extended (sometimes for many years) without going through fresh competitive bidding. Extensions were often justified via "deviations" from normal tender rules.
In the second half of 2024 alone, the municipality recorded 172 deviations.
Mayor Babalwa Lobishe and the administration were recently grilled by Parliament’s CoGTA (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) portfolio committee over these evergreen contracts, poor spending of conditional grants, slow or non-responses to parliamentary queries, and overall accountability issues.

Possible Positive Outcomes

Short-term (positive as presented):

The BAC did sit on Friday and processed three outstanding agendas covering infrastructure, roads, transport, maintenance, and operational procurement.
This should allow some contracts to be awarded or advanced, reducing immediate delays in service delivery (e.g., road tarring, maintenance work).

Medium- to longer-term risks and implications:

Continued scrutiny: Parliament’s CoGTA committee has signalled tougher oversight and possible further summonses if accountability does not improve. The 22 evergreen contracts remain under investigation.
Governance pressure: If the underlying issues persist, the BAC could stall again, leading to more deviations or extensions, which would fuel irregular expenditure and public criticism.
Political fallout: The mayor has already faced no-confidence motions and criticism for the administration’s disorganisation. Repeated interventions like this could be viewed as firefighting rather than structural reform.
Service delivery impact: Successful clearing of the backlog could improve roads, maintenance, and other services. Failure to sustain regular BAC sittings risks worsening the metro’s well-documented service delivery challenges.
Legal/compliance angle: All decisions must remain “compliant, credible, and legally sound” to avoid further irregular expenditure findings by the Auditor-General or court challenges.

How can we pray?

1. The functioning of the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC)
Heavenly Father, we pray for the smooth, consistent, and uninterrupted functioning of the Bid Adjudication Committee in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Remove every scheduling conflict, quorum issue, and capacity barrier that has caused five weeks of delays. Establish order and momentum so that the BAC meets regularly, processes tenders efficiently, and fulfills its mandate without further hindrance.
Guiding Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NIV) – “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
2. Effective Supply Chain Processes in the Municipality
Lord, we lift up the supply chain and procurement systems of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Grant wisdom, integrity, diligence, and transparency to every official involved. Break the cycle of deviations and evergreen contracts, and establish fair, efficient, and accountable processes that honour You and serve the public good.
Guiding Scripture: Proverbs 11:1 (NIV) – “The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favour with him.”
3. Improved Service Delivery
Father, we pray that restored procurement processes will translate into tangible, timely improvements in service delivery across Nelson Mandela Bay. May roads be repaired and tarred, infrastructure maintained, and essential services reach every resident without unnecessary delays. Let every approved contract bring real relief and progress to the community.
Guiding Scripture: Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV) – “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
4. Successful Involvement of COGTA
Lord, we pray for the positive and fruitful involvement of Parliament’s CoGTA committee in overseeing the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Give them wisdom, discernment, and fairness. May their engagement lead to genuine accountability, cooperation, and lasting institutional improvements that strengthen local governance for the benefit of all residents.
Guiding Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV) – “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
5. All Decisions to Be Compliant, Credible, and Legally Sound
Heavenly Father, we commit every decision of the Bid Adjudication Committee and municipal leadership into Your hands. May every tender, contract award, and administrative action be fully compliant with the law, credible in execution, and legally sound. Protect the municipality from irregular expenditure, legal challenges, and any form of corruption, and let righteousness and integrity guide all processes.
Guiding Scripture: Micah 6:8 (NIV) – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Prayer for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

Heavenly Father,
We come before You today concerning the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. We pray first for the Bid Adjudication Committee that it will function smoothly, consistently, and without further interruptions or delays. Remove all scheduling conflicts and capacity issues so the committee can meet regularly and process all tenders efficiently. Lord, we ask for effective and transparent supply chain processes throughout the municipality. Break the cycle of deviations and evergreen contracts. Grant wisdom, integrity, and diligence to all officials so that procurement is fair, accountable, and honours You. We pray that these restored processes will lead to real and improved service delivery. May roads be repaired, infrastructure maintained, and essential services reach every resident without unnecessary delays, bringing tangible relief and progress to the community. Father, we also lift up the involvement of Parliament’s COGTA committee. Grant them wisdom and discernment, and may their oversight result in genuine cooperation, accountability, and lasting institutional improvements for the good of the municipality. Finally, Lord, we commit every decision made by the BAC and municipal leadership into Your hands. May all tenders, contracts, and administrative actions be fully compliant with the law, credible in execution, and legally sound. Protect the municipality from irregular expenditure and corruption, and let righteousness and integrity guide every process. We ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Listen to the prayer here

Scripture Chest

Biblical foundations for our prayers today:

1. 1 Corinthians 14:40 - orderly

2. Proverbs 11:1 - dishonesty

3. Jeremiah 29:7 - peace

4. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 -prayer

5. Micah 6:8 - humbly

Compiled by GAP Ministries
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