Many believe it will bring cheaper transport fares, more job opportunities and a creation of unity, others say it will bring a rise in tariffs.
Either way, the highly debated plans to merge four West Rand municipalities into one metro is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Westonaria and Merafong is in the process of possibly forming one metropolitan municipality after the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional affairs, Pravin Gordhan, requested the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) “create a category A (metropolitan) municipality for the whole of the West Rand District with Mogale City at its core”.
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The various municipalities held public participation meetings at the beginning of June to give its residents a platform to voice their questions or concerns.
After a no-show from Mogale City Local Municipality representatives on Wednesday 3 June, the metro merger public participation meeting was held on Friday 5 June at 10am.
The Executive Mayor, Councillor Koketso Calvin Seerane explained to Mogale City residents that the MDB has the authority to make the final decision, which will be made “very soon”.
“We will continue to engage with the community until the MDB makes a decision,” he said.
“We want to take our people with us.”
Duncan Gohl from Noordheuwel explained it is a shame that the services that are provided to Mogale City residents are now going to be “shared among those that do not pay.”
“I have been to Merafong, Randfontein and Westonaria and the money given to their municipalities are clearly going to the wrong places.”
Duncan, a business owner, says that he participated in the meeting as a concerned resident for those that could not be there.
At noon, the Democratic Alliance voiced their concerns about the merging of “weak municipalities” into one metro.
Alan Fuchs, DA Constituency Head for Mogale City, said that in order for a metro to be formed, certain criteria needs to be met.
“A high population density needs to allow for a metro. Even though Mogale City has grown, the West Rand still houses only a quarter of Johannesburg metro’s population.
“In terms of transport, there is more movement between Mogale City and Johannesburg than in sections of the West Rand.”
Seerane explained that when people think about the West Rand, they think “disease, poverty and shack land”.
“We must reconfigure the West Rand area for the better. We will no longer spend money on paying five different people doing the same job in every municipality. We will only have one person in each role,” the Mayor said.
“We want to be one,” Norah Mathebula from Krugersdorp West said.
“We want better lives and job opportunities like the residents of Soweto and Tshwane.”
The opportunity for residents of Mogale City and other municipalities to voice their opinion on this matter, has ended on 5 June.
