Heilbron and the surrounding areas will no more be part of Ngwathe Local Municipality and will now be incorporated into Metsimaholo Local Municipality, which includes Sasolburg,  Deneysville and Oranjeville.

This was announced by the spokesperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board, Thabiso Plank during a feedback meeting with the Metsimaholo municipality political and administrative leadership,  municipal officials, stakeholders and members of the community at the Council Foyer, Civic Centre,  Sasolburg on Friday March 15.

Plank explained the re determination process of Heilbron and surrounding areas incorporation into Metsimaholo municipality which started in November 2021.

Plank indicated that the implementation date for the new municipal boundary date, might be before or after the date of the next Local Government Elections in 2026.

When addressing the meeting the chairperson of the MDB, Thabo Manyoni confirmed that Heilbron will now be part of Metsimaholo municipality and that this decision is not of the MDB but by all affected stakeholders and the community in these two municipal areas, namely Ngwathe Local Municipality and Metsimaholo Local Municipality.

Manyoni indicated that extensive consultations were conducted with all those affected by this process to come to their final decision as a board to incorporate Heilbron and surrounding areas into Metsimaholo. Manyoni also indicated that the incorporation of Heilbron into Metsimaholo is not an event but a process and it will take time and that stakeholders and the community must prepare themselves for the incorporation.  Only three objections were received by the MDB.

The role of Stakeholders and the public following publication of the Board Decision is as follows: The Office of the MEC COGTA, to facilitate the publication of the date of effect bases on the IECs publication  in terms of section 23(2) of the MDB. The two affected municipalities need to inform all the stakeholders  including the communities about the new municipal boundaries and the date of the effect published by the MEC COGTA.