Lesedi metropolitan municipality is made up of areas including Heidelberg, Ratanda and Devon.
The two metros held a joint meeting on April 22, to set up a steering committee to guide the process of the merger between the two municipalities, and also as per the directives of the Gauteng local government MEC Helen Mekgwe.
The three committees are, a political steering committee consisting of the mayors, Gauteng MEC’s and local government officials, an extended political steering committee consisting of members of other political parties and the speakers and chief whips of both councils, and the technical steering committee consisting of municipal managers of the two metros and organised labour among others.
Committee meetings will be held on a monthly basis and all matters before the committee will be decided by a majority vote.
The merger was first proposed in May 2013, and will be effectively implemented
following the next municipal elections in 2016.
The DA in Ekurhuleni vehemently opposes the merger, because it said incorporating Lesedi also incorporates all its debt and problems, which Ekurhuleni has enough of its own.
But the party said it has no choice but to be on the steering committee in order to keep a close eye on the way the merger is being handled.
DA’s Andre du Plessis referred our inquiry to the DA’s provincial office.
DA Gauteng provincial spokesperson Fred Nel said the DA doesn’t believe the merger would improve services in Lesedi but that it would only become a burden in Ekurhuleni.
“We believe Lesedi is a viable metro and could sustain itself if managed properly,” said Nel.
The DA is concerned that should Lesedi, an area currently serviced by 13 ward councillors, be incorporated into Ekurhuleni, it would then be serviced by three ward councillors, each one responsible for an average geographical area equivalent to a quarter of the current Ekurhuleni metro.
“When local municipalities are incorporated into metros, their councillors and officials are immediately entitled to larger packages, based on the size of the municipality.
“This may sound good for the officials and councillors who are employed by the larger metro, but it spells financial disaster for its residents,” said Nel.
In terms of legislation, Lesedi does not qualify as a municipality that may become part of a metropolitan council, and its inclusion into Ekurhuleni would merely be a consequence of a merged Emfuleni-Midvaal metro, and in the event that this happens, there can be no justification for it in terms of the Municipal Structures Act.
Compared to Ekurhuleni, Lesedi is a sparsely populated peri-urban/rural area.
