An ANC councillor whose vehicle was petrol-bombed outside the Mthatha town hall believes the attack, just a week before elections, is linked to the unpopular decisions he makes as a mayoral committee member.

"I am positive that it is something that is not politically aligned," Tshepo Machaea told News24 on Tuesday, the morning after the attack.

He heads up public safety and traffic management in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality and has been a councillor since 2016.

He was in a meeting at his office at the town hall around 19:00 on Monday night when his Mercedes Benz was targeted.

"Some of the officials in the meeting managed to extinguish the fire. They rushed out and took some fire extinguishers from the building," he said.

A debate between different political parties was being held in the hall at the time.

"As someone dealing with public safety, some of the decisions you take make you very unpopular," he admitted.

"My operational work demands interaction with quite a lot of people who have a lot of interests."

This attitude of doing what is right, he says with a laugh, has earned him the nickname "Mr No Nonsense" in communities.

Machaea says he remains undeterred.

He vowed to remain honest and keep the public safe, despite what some thought or felt.

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Captain Dineo Koena confirmed that they were investigating a case of malicious damage to property.

No arrests have yet been made.