NMBM STRENGTHENS PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES WITH 11 NEW ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS
Published: July 22, 2026<< BACK TO NEWS
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The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has significantly strengthened its ability to protect the health and wellbeing of residents following the appointment of 11 new Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), reinforcing the City's commitment to safer communities, improved food safety, disease prevention and environmental protection.
The appointments form part of the Municipality's broader strategy to build a healthier, cleaner and more resilient Nelson Mandela Bay by expanding frontline environmental health services that directly impact the daily lives of residents.
For households across the Metro, the additional practitioners will translate into more frequent food safety inspections, stronger monitoring of drinking water quality, faster responses to environmental health complaints, improved disease surveillance, enhanced waste management oversight and stricter enforcement of public health legislation.
Residents will also benefit from increased inspections of restaurants, butcheries, supermarkets, spaza shops and food manufacturing facilities to ensure food is stored, prepared and sold in compliance with health regulations, reducing the risk of food-borne illnesses and protecting consumers.
The practitioners will further strengthen water quality monitoring through regular testing of municipal reservoirs, rivers, beaches and public swimming pools, helping to ensure that water used for drinking and recreation remains safe.
Their responsibilities also include monitoring the management of refuse, sewage, healthcare risk waste and hazardous waste, helping to reduce illegal dumping, improve environmental cleanliness and minimise health risks within communities.
In addition, the expanded team will play an important role in preventing and responding to communicable diseases through surveillance, investigations and public awareness programmes, while also monitoring air quality, noise pollution and environmental conditions that affect the health and quality of life of residents.
Environmental Health Practitioners also inspect schools, early childhood development centres, correctional facilities, retail outlets, factories and other public facilities to ensure compliance with health, hygiene and sanitation standards, contributing to safer learning and working environments throughout Nelson Mandela Bay.
Welcoming the appointments, Executive Mayor Councillor Babalwa Lobishe said the Municipality was making a strategic investment in protecting communities while creating an environment that supports economic growth and investor confidence.
"A healthy city is a prosperous city. Communities can only thrive when residents have confidence that the food they consume is safe, the water they drink is of good quality, the air they breathe is being monitored and the environment they live in is protected. These appointments are ultimately an investment in the health, dignity and quality of life of every resident of Nelson Mandela Bay."
The Executive Mayor said strengthening environmental health services also supports the Municipality's broader economic development objectives.
"As Nelson Mandela Bay continues to position itself as a destination for investment, tourism and economic growth, we must ensure that our environmental health standards keep pace with that growth. Effective environmental health services protect residents, support responsible businesses, promote regulatory compliance and contribute to building a competitive and sustainable metropolitan economy."
She warned businesses and individuals who continue to disregard environmental health legislation that the Municipality would intensify enforcement activities.
"Businesses operating responsibly have nothing to fear. However, those who choose to ignore food safety legislation, environmental health regulations, air quality standards or noise control by-laws should expect increased inspections and firm enforcement. Protecting public health is a responsibility we take extremely seriously."
The Executive Mayor encouraged businesses requiring assistance to engage proactively with the Municipality's Environmental Health Sub-Directorate through the Service Delivery Call Centre on 0800 205 050 for guidance on regulatory compliance.
The newly appointed practitioners were officially welcomed by the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Health, Councillor Thsonono Buyeye, at the City Hall on Tuesday.
Councillor Buyeye said the appointments represent a long-term investment in strengthening the Municipality's frontline public health capacity.
"The lessons from recent years have been clear. From disease outbreaks such as rabies, listeriosis and COVID-19 to increasing environmental health demands brought about by urban growth, municipalities require sufficient professional capacity to respond effectively. These appointments significantly strengthen our ability to protect communities before risks become crises."
The Municipality will immediately deploy the new Environmental Health Practitioners across the Metro to accelerate inspections of spaza shops, supermarkets, restaurants and other food premises, intensify monitoring of air quality in industrial areas, strengthen enforcement of noise control regulations, expand water quality monitoring and improve the Municipality's overall environmental health response capability.
The appointments reaffirm the Municipality's commitment to delivering responsive, professional public health services while building cleaner, healthier, safer and more resilient communities throughout Nelson Mandela Bay.
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