The African National Congress is in a ”legislative process” to reincorporate Merafong municipality, currently in North West province, into Gauteng, newly elected premier Paul Mashatile said on Tuesday.
”The ANC is busy with the matter currently to ensure that Merafong is incorporated back into Gauteng,” he told reporters shortly after his first address as premier to the provincial legislature.
Khutsong — in the Merafong municipality — was plunged into chaos three years ago when Parliament passed the Twelfth Amendment Bill, which re-demarcated the area from Gauteng into the North West.
The township has been ungovernable since, with all councillors forced out of their homes and chased from the township and public property burned.
The community even appealed to the Constitutional Court to be reincorporated into Gauteng, which is perceived to be better at service delivery than the North West.
The court refused their bid in a judgement handed down in June.
Mashatile was speaking about people protesting against service delivery, when a reporter asked whether he would visit Merafong as part of a road trip to communities next week.
”There is no rush for us to go to Merafong at the moment, there are processes that are unfolding,” replied Mashatile.
”You will recall that Merafong is still under North West. The ANC is busy with the matter currently to ensure that Merafong is incorporated back into Gauteng but there is a legislative process taking place and … the MEC [provincial minister] for local government will deal with those issues in due course.
”I think we should await that process to be completed before we go there. I think, at the moment we should respect the fact that it’s not in our province, we shouldn’t interfere with what North West is doing.
”Only when the legislative process is completed, then, of course, we will visit Merafong,” said Mashatile. – Sapa