Khutsong, in the Merafong municipality, will be relocated from the North West by the end of March, said Gauteng Premier Paul Mashatile on Sunday.
Mashatile, who is also the Gauteng African National Congress (ANC) chairperson, made the announcement during his address at a rally held at Khutsong Stadium as part of the process to return the Merafong Municipality to Gauteng from the North West.
The decision followed violent unrest after the municipality was relocated from Gauteng to the North West despite opposition by residents in 2005.
Mashatile said: ”Discussions have been held and two thirds majority in Parliament have already voted for the return.”
He added that the final step remaining was for President Kgalema Motlanthe to sign the Bill to officially move the municipality by the end of March.
”The Bill will be signed by the end of March so that the people can vote in Gauteng,” he said.
On Friday, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) claimed that objections to the relocation by 40% of Merafong municipality residents had been disregarded.
ACDP MP Steve Swart said in a statement that objections had been made by the Fochville, Kokosi, Greenspark and Wedela communities, which had always been part of the North West.
”We also need to realise that there are communities who were always in North West who are now being moved to Gauteng against their will just as the residents of Khutsong were moved against their will,” Swart said.
”It is disgraceful that a political decision taken by the ANC is now yet again being forced on all residents of the Merafong municipality again without proper and meaningful consultation,” he said. — Sapa