Mr Landiwe Mahlangu, Chairperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board, Announcement on the MDB's final determination of municipal boundary re-determinations, MDB Offices, Pretoria, October 15 2013

MDB Deputy Chairperson, Nondumiso Gwayi

MDB Chief Executive Officer, Gabi Gumbi-Masilela MDB Executive, Aluwani Ramagadza

Members of the media Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me start off by saying that the role of the MDB is a transformative one aimed at addressing  the spatial   legacy that we have inherited from the past in which communities could not access quality government services because of the racially based and fragmented nature of our local government..

With the ushering of the democratic government, it became necessary to transform the form of local municipalities and the Municipal Demarcation Board was to become the key instrument to transform the apartheid settlement patterns.

Without boring you, since 2000-successive demarcation boards have emphasized and focused on different aspects of the review of municipal boundaries.  In 2000 it was the rationalisation of municipalities, and in 2006 the focus was on disestablishment of cross boundary municipalities. 2011 saw the removal of district management areas and the demarcation of 2 additional metropolitan municipalities. This current Board has focussed on Sustainability and Participation in the Demarcation Process, both in the outer and inner boundaries.

The South African municipal landscape is going to change after the next municipal elections in 2016 following this decision of the MDB on the re-determination of municipal boundaries. You will also note that the change in the municipal land escape has also been gradual and managed process and not sudden and disruptive. To illustrate see the table below:

We have reached the final leg of this cycle and made a final determination of the cases that were before the Board. In reaching its final determination, the Board was by law expected to consider   all the on objections before making its decision on a particular case.

The Board met and considered the objections that were submitted and made the final determinations as guided by Sections 24 and 25 of the Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, Act 27 of 1998 and section 2 of the Municipal Structures Act. The final outcome will be   communicated to all the stakeholders through publication in the provincial gazettes on the 16 October 2013.

The Board had 157 cases that had been published in terms of section 21 Notices and received close to 10 000 objections from the different provinces with the majority being from Gauteng which had only three cases.

A brief breakdown of how some of the municipal boundaries are going to be affected in the respective provinces.

EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE

In the Eastern Cape Province, there were 26 cases for determination of which 22 were confirmed as published in the section 21 Notices and 4 withdrawn (these are mostly around Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality). The withdrawal cases were based on the consultation by the municipality with the affected communities to maintain the status quo.

FREE STATE PROVINCE

In the Free State province, there were 6 cases for determination and all were confirmed as published in the section 21 Notices. What should be noted in the province is that the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is going to expand its jurisdiction to encompass parcel of land from the adjourney municipality. The Board has re-determined the municipal boundaries of Masilonyana Local Municipality, Lejweleputswa District Municipality and Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality by excluding farms (Ikgomotseng / Soutpan Community) from the municipal areas of Masilonyana Local Municipality and Lejweleputswa District Municipality by including it into the municipal area of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.

GAUTENG PROVINCE

In Gauteng province, there were  3 cases for determination  and all were  confirmed as published in the section 21 Notices. These include the confirmation of the re-determined municipal boundaries of Randfontein and Westonaria Local Municipalities by amalgamating them into a single category B local municipality.

The next case is that of the redetermination of municipal boundaries of Emfuleni, Midvaal, Local Municipalities and Sedibeng District Municipality amalgamating them into a single A Metropolitan Municipality. With the formation of  metropolitan municipality, the Sedibeng District Municipality will fall away. In addition Lesedi Local Municipality will be excluded from Sedibeng District municipality and be included into Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

The last case in Gauteng, involve the redetermination of municipal boundaries of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and City of Johannesburg Metropolitan by excluding a portion of the farm Elandsfontein (portion of East Gate Shopping Centre) from the municipal area of Johannesburg to be include into the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

The effects of the boundary redeterminations in Gauteng would result in the reduction by 4 municipalities from 12 municipalities.

KZN PROVINCE

The most affected province will be KZN where there were 37 cases for determination, 30 of which have been confirmed, as published in the section 21 Notices 2 withdrawn and 5 varied. Currently there are 61 municipalities which will be reduced as a result of mergers and amalgamations, to 54 municipalities (reduced by 7 municipalities). These are, in Ugu, in Uthukela, Umkhanyakude, Uthungulu and Sisonke. There will be no changes in both the metropolitan and district municipalities.

The following municipalities have been combined and amalgamated:

DEM4060 -  Vulamehlo and  Umdoni  DEM4067 -Hlabisa  and The Big 5 False Bay DEM4141 -Umtshezi and Imbabazane DEM4097 -Ezinqoleni and  Hibiscus Coast DEM4142 -Emnambithi/Ladysmith and Indaka DEM4150 -Kwa Sani and Ingwe

DEM4154/DEM4176 -  Ntambanana/ Mthonjaneni/Umhlathuze

Most of the variations were based on the fact that the cases involved were splitting communities and it became necessary keep those communities intact.

MPUMALANGA PROVINCE

In Mpumalanga Province there were 2 cases which were duly confirmed. Firstly, the re- determination affecting Mbombela Local Municipality (MP322) and Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (MP325). This is the exclusion of portions of the farms Marite 287, Sandford 291, the Red Ridge 293 and Madras 292, from the municipal area of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (MP325), and by including them into the municipal area of Mbombela Local Municipality (MP322), and by excluding portions of the farms Sandford 291 and Madras 292, from the municipal area of Mbombela Local Municipality (MP322), and by including them into the municipal area of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (MP325).

Secondly, the re-determination of Lekwa Local Municipality (MP305) and Dipaleseng Local Municipality (MP306). This is excluding farms Raskop 524, Boschmansfontein 523 and Farm 525 from the municipal area of Lekwa Local Municipality (MP305), and including them into the municipal area of Dipaleseng Local  Municipality (MP306).

OTHER PROVINCES

The total number of municipalities in the other seven provinces will not be affected. The only changes that will take effect are situations where boundaries are re-determined through the exclusion of certain portions and other being amalgamated to other municipalities.

As per the legislation, the Independent Electoral Commission will be informed of the outcome of the Board's final determination for it to assess its impact, which will determine the dates in which these redeterminations will take effect.

The next phase will be delimitations of wards, which will be another consultative process with the affected stakeholders, which will start now and up until 2015 in preparation for the local government elections in 2016.

THANK YOU

Issued by the Municipal Demarcation Board, October 15 2013

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