<--- Back to contents

Chapter 4 - Local Government

Different categories of Local Government

The structure of local government is dealt with in terms of the Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 which sets out the categories and types of municipalities and provides for elections and other matters.

In the 2011 Local Government Elections, 4 277 wards were contested in 8 metropolitan councils, 44 districts and 226 local municipalities.

CATEGORY A municipalities

Metropolitan municipalites are set up in large cities with more than 500 000 voter and are dividedinto smaller wards (and in some cases, sub-councils, within which wards are located). Metro municipalities are responsible for delivering all service the Constitution provides for. As at 2011, South Africa has eight metropolitan municipalities, namely:

• Buffalo City (East London)
• City of Cape Town
• Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (East Rand)
• City of eThekwini (Durban)
• City of Johannesburg
• Mangaung Municipality (Bloemfontein)
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Port Elizabeth)
• City of Tshwane (Pretoria)

For more information about Category A municipalities - please visit www.sacities.net and www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/locgovt/categories.htm

CATEGORY B municipalities

These are areas that fall outside the eight metropolitan areas. Local municipalities also fall in a district and share powers and functions with District Municipalities.

There are 226 local (Category B) municipalities and each municipality is divided into wards. People in each ward are represented by a ward councillor.

CATEGORY C (district) municipality

District municipalities are made up of a number of local municipalities that fall in one district. With the exception of the 8 metros, the rest of the country is covered by the 44 district municipalities, which are divided into local municipalities and share responsibilities with them.. In 2011, there were 44 District Councils in South Africa. Typically, there are between 4-6 local municipalities that fall under one district council..

The purpose of District Municipalities (Category C) and Local Municipalities (Category B) sharing the responsibility for local government in their areas, is to ensure that all communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, have equal access to resources and services. This arrangement is made in order to help local municipalities who do not have the capacity (finances, facilities, staff or knowledge) to provide services sustainably and adequately to their communities. It also helps to cut the costs of running a municipality by sharing resources with other councils. For detailed maps and population statistics of each district in South Africa, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_South_Africa (updated 1 June 2011).