At its Regional Executive Committee meeting held at the end of January, the ANC West Rand leadership had robust and frank conversations on the state of organisational affairs and governance across its local municipalities within the West Rand.
A focused matter of keen interest that generated a national dialogue was the establishment of the metropole form of governance in the West Rand as requested by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Authority (CoGTA) to the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB).
Importantly, the ANC West Rand Regional Executive Committee fully rally behind the request for the establishment of the metropolitan municipality on the West Rand.
The 2004, 2008 and 2010 ANC Gauteng Provincial Conferences mooted the idea for the establishment of the Integrated Global City Region characterised by social cohesion and economic inclusion across all regions of Gauteng with a metropolitan form of governance at its municipalities.
The Global City Region requires that for a functional city to perform optimally the following characteristics are important to consider:
• Long-term planning and capacity to implement
• Ability to deliver basic services to constituent communities
In its 2014 elective conference, the ANC West Rand interacted with the concept of the establishment of a metro and resolved to reposition the West Rand towards this objective, and for the advancement for radical social and economic transformation of their region.
The ANC regional office bearers as a result held interactive sessions with the provincial office bearers to consolidate on the political method and processes to be followed in materialising the notion of the establishment of the metro.
The ANC REC believes that the creation of the Metro in the West Rand will produce the following benefits for their communities:
• Strategic economic infrastructure
• Developmental priorities
• Less emphasis on administrative boundaries more on functional geography, both social and economic
• Less emphasis on competition between institutions and more on collaboration
• Strengthening of accountability and oversight over the executive through the system of separation of powers
• Redress on the existing skewed spatial planning
• Uniform form of rates and taxes throughout the region
• Increased budget that has a positive impact on the aspirations of their communities
As part of the aforesaid process the leadership of the ANC on the West Rand has further requested all municipalities on the West Rand to finalise the audit of land in their respective areas, as this is consistent with the recent National Executive Committee Lekgotla which called for more decisive and interventionist leadership. This will further afford them an opportunity to get an understanding on areas to be developed within the context of correcting the current skewed spatial planning on the West Rand.
The ANC West Rand therefore endorsed the process as requested by the Minister of CoGTA to the MDB, and further encourage public participation and consultation with all stakeholders as outlined in the circular issued by the MDB. They further implore that all municipalities ensure implementation thereof.
The ANC West Rand is further pleased that this matter will be consolidated in the ANC Provincial Lekgotla to be held over the coming weekend, thus ensuring that more resources are allocated, ensuring the successful establishment of a metro leading to improved infrastructure development and service delivery.
The ANC is thus calling on all their people and communities of the West Rand to embrace this initiative of establishing a metro which will create a better life for all our people as enshrined in the Freedom Charter. The ANC will also listen to political parties across the region and any observations will be part of their submission to the MDB. This joint effort will be done within the spirit of the Freedom Charter which states that The People Shall Govern.
We call upon all members of their communities, civil movements, religious formations, business people and the professionals to embrace the request for the establishment of the metropolitan municipality. They are certain that your valued opinions will foster a strong sense of relationship with the ANC.
