Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi and provincial leaders will visit Khutsong on Friday, after two days of often-violent protests by residents over proposals to re-demarcate the West Rand town.
Protests broke out on Wednesday over the possible inclusion of the Merafong municipality, which includes Khutsong, into the North West. At the moment, it is part of Gauteng.
Protesters blocked the entrance to Khutsong with burning tyres and rocks and set alight municipal offices on Thursday morning.
Khutsong pupils were aimlessly wandering the streets, said Merafong municipality spokesperson Seabo Gaeganelwe, who blamed the disruption of schooling on a group of teachers who were former councillors in the old Carletonville council.
Residents heard late on Thursday afternoon that Mufamadi and other leaders will address them in the Khutsong North Stadium at 4pm on Friday afternoon.
As far as the West Rand district municipality is concerned, Merafong will remain in Gauteng, its executive mayor, Sister Bernadine Ncube, told 3 000 residents at the stadium on Thursday, adding that talk of redemarcation is based on rumour.
Residents vowed to stage an all-night vigil at the stadium.
”We won’t go to sleep, the demonstration will go on until tomorrow,” said Pan Africanist Congress member Nonceba Mbilini.
South African Communist Party local chairperson Jomo Mogale said residents received a notice on Monday of the planned incorporation of their municipality into the North West — without being consulted.
”We want to fall under Gauteng. There are many problems with service delivery in the North West.”
Final decision not yet taken
A final decision on the inclusion of Merafong into the North West has not yet been taken, said the Department of Provincial and Local Government.
The Constitution Amendment Bill, enabling the moving of provincial boundaries, will be debated in Parliament on Tuesday, explained senior department manager Shami Kholong.
Only then will any proposed changes to boundaries be referred to provincial legislatures for further debate.
”So, you can see it is a process. No final decision has yet been taken. It is all part of a dialogue set up by the government,” Kholong said. ”Nobody will physically be moved. Their location will stay exactly the same. It is all about an improvement of government’s ability to provide services to them.”
The Municipal Demarcation Board has emphasised that it does not have a mandate to determine provincial boundaries.
The board was asked by Mufamadi in August to redetermine the boundaries of some municipalities, said board spokesperson Vuyo Mlokoti.
”Among others, the board was requested to redetermine the boundaries of West Rand district municipality and the Southern district municipality by excluding Merafong and Westonaria local municipalities from West Rand district municipality (which is situated in Gauteng) and to include them into Southern district municipality (which is situated in North West).”
After considering public objections, the board decided not to include the two local municipalities in the Southern district municipality, but to keep them in the West Rand district area.
Under an alternative proposal, only Merafong local municipality would be included in the Southern district municipality in the North West, said Mlokoti.
”The board has no mandate to determine in which province a municipality must fall,” he said. ”This is a matter to be dealt with by national legislation, and in particular, the constitutional amendments before Parliament.” — Sapa