By Thomas Thale
GAUTENG'S municipalities should be integrated to form a strong, global city region, says Pascal Moloi, Johannesburg's city manager. "It's the way to go. It's about rationalisation of resources," he says. "Technically, the province, which has three of the six metros in the country, already qualifies to be a global city region."
If the idea of a global city region is adopted, says Moloi, focus will shift away from concerns such as who owns Lanseria Airport, to ways of making it benefit the entire region.
Local and provincial authorities in the province are looking at the feasibility of integrating their municipalities into such a region, which will allow a more co-ordinated approach to service delivery.
A global city region is groups of urban nodes clustered close together, which have a common, co-ordinated approach to rendering services beyond their own municipal boundaries, says Moloi.
The idea was given a recent boost when a team of provincial and local government representatives went to Sao Paulo in Brazil to "gain a deeper understanding of state and municipal development strategies, operations and institutions in the Sao Paulo State". What was learned there will be applied to the strategy to make Gauteng a globally competitive, integrated city region.
Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa spearheaded talk of re-configuring municipalities when he called for cities in the province to co-ordinate their functions across traditional boundaries.
Speaking at the provincial conference of the ANC in November 2004, the premier called for the establishment of "a city province characterised by a seamless and integrated approach to governance and a holistic, compassionate and responsive government".
"All spheres of government in Gauteng shall strive to function as a single entity with an integrated approach to service delivery, economic planning and social development, facilitated by an effective system of inter-governmental relations that is based on enhanced and revised roles of national, provincial and local government, with a single system of metropolitan local government," added Shilowa.
Moloi supports the premier, but is quick to point out that he is not supporting any serious changes to the Constitution. "We don't have to create new spheres of government. What is feasible is the realignment of powers and functions - to devolve powers down or up to improve service, such as the need for a single transport authority and a single transportation plan."
In his view, municipalities will keep their autonomy, but will work more closely on issues of common interest, like transport planning and culture, and safety and security, to benefit the whole region.
"For instance, we could have a single command structure to enable law enforcement agencies to combat crime," he says.
"We could also rationalise the entire basket of social grants, so that we use the same data in implementing poverty alleviation policies. This year, we are trying to identify 10 000 families that will benefit across all social grants."
The idea of a mega city was first discussed by Alex Boraine, the chairperson of the South African Cities Network, in a state-of-the-cities report in May 2004.
Boraine said the challenge for the next decade would be to "think beyond municipal structures to ways of linking national and provincial structures". The report anticipated that the region would grow to become the fourteenth largest urban conglomeration by 2015.
The province is a major metropolitan centre undergoing rapid urbanisation and population growth as rural people and foreigners flock to the cities. There is also a growing gap between rich and poor, a characteristic of many global city regions around the world.
Moloi says Gauteng is already well positioned to become a global city region. "Already, activities in the region have much more impact than those in the cities."
"Gauteng is the most connected region in Africa in terms of business, trade and politics. We have many corporate head offices here and now even the parliaments of the country and of the African Union are based here."
To become a global city region, however, will need the support of the province's 15 local authorities and not just its three large metros.
"We have three districts and local authorities. We will also need the co-operation of national departments that play economic functions, such as treasury and trade and industry."
The beauty of the debate is exploring a common purpose for government and business, says Moloi.
There are practical considerations to setting up a global city region, though. One of the major challenges would be to define its boundaries.
"Do borders of the region need to be defined? Does it cut across provincial boundaries? What about towns on the outskirts? We would have to consider the status of a town like Rustenburg, which shares borders with Mogale City," says Moloi.
With an economy that is driven by an upswing in the platinum market, Rustenburg, in North West, has become one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country.
A global city region can only strengthen Gauteng. "Africa needs Gauteng
to be strong. When we engage, we'll realise just how little we have to
compete on," says Moloi.
Source: Jonews
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