ANC wants Gauteng to be a ‘megatropolis’
The ANC is considering a proposal to merge Gauteng's three metropolitan municipalities into a single 'megatropolis' to improve governance and economic integration. The plan aims to streamline administration, though it faces concerns regarding the reduction of local political representation.
Why it matters
This potential restructuring would represent a major shift in South African local government, impacting political power and service delivery in the country's economic hub.
The ANC is mulling a fundamental overhaul of the country’s municipalities, including a possible merger of Gauteng’s three metros into a “megatropolis”.
The party’s first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane , says the structures and boundaries of some of the existing municipalities need to be reviewed, as they may no longer be viable. She said the review would be one of the key topics of discussion when the party holds its national policy conference soon after this year’s local government elections.
Though the concept of turning Gauteng into a “city region” — with Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg becoming more integrated through economic corridors — is not new, in an interview with the Sunday Times on Friday, Mokonyane suggested a much more radical change that could see the three metros effectively collapsed into one political entity.
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