Business Day
*Plan to merge Midvaal moves a step closer*** *Natasha Marrian, Business Day, Johannesburg, 8 November 2012 *THE Democratic-Alliance (DA)-controlled Midvaal municipality is a step closer to being combined with the African National Congress (ANC)-governed Emfuleni municipality to form a metro, the Municipal Demarcation Board said on Wednesday.
The merger of the two municipalities is likely to weaken the DA's control of Midvaal and may see it lose the municipality which it fought hard to retain in the last local government elections.
The largely rural areas are situated in the Sedibeng district municipality, halfway between the East Rand and the Vaal.
The Midvaal is the only municipality controlled by the DA in Gauteng and the party has indicated that it will resist the move.
The ANC in Gauteng has said it would like Gauteng to house "wall-to-wall metros" in the coming years. There are three metros in the province --- Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
While the DA has cried foul, saying there are political motives for the move, the ANC at its policy conference in June also called for a review of the "role, scope and composition" of the demarcation board, saying it was an area "of serious concern".
Chairman of the demarcation board Landiwe Mahlangu said on Wednesday that the board had received 1,028 proposals for municipal re-demarcation, and 202 proposals had been approved to go into the next stage of the process.
"It is important to emphasise the fact that by publishing our intentions under section 26, it does not mean a final decision has been taken," Mr Mahlangu said.
The merging of Midvaal and Emfuleni was one of two out of 15 proposals to create a metro in Gauteng. Mr Mahlangu said the recent census had confirmed that the corridor, housing both municipalities, was "almost like a new Midrand" in terms of the development there.
But the merger would not be hastily done, as the board would have to conduct "extensive studies" into its viability.
Notice of the proposed changes would be provided to all interested parties for the 202 re-demarcation proposals which have passed the initial assessment stage. Parties would then be afforded the opportunity to make submissions.
Midvaal mayor Timothy Nast said the municipality had already submitted a petition containing 8,000 signatures from residents opposed to the move.
The municipality and the party would take part in the processes to follow. "We are disappointed that the proposal has gone so far," Mr Nast said.
He said the municipality would study the section 26 notice published by the board to decide on its next course of action.
The Municipal Demarcation Act requires the demarcation board to publish its notices on the proposals in the media.
The process is set to wrap up by October next year, after which the Independent Electoral Commission would be informed of the changes.
Mr Mahlangu said the board's work was removed from politics. "Any proposal seeking to entrench any particular interests, we simply will not entertain," he said.
The board would be assessing 36 proposals from the Eastern Cape, 10 from the Free State, four from Gauteng, 48 from KwaZulu-Natal, 13 from Limpopo, six from Mpumalanga, 25 from North West, 21 from the Northern Cape and 39 from the Western Cape.
*From: http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/politics/2012/11/08/plan-to-merge-midvaal-moves-a-step-closer*
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