The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) contains criteria for determining when a region must have a category-A municipality (metropolitan municipalities) and when municipalities fall into categories B (local municipalities) or C. This is in accordance with the Constitution (district municipalities).
Additionally, the Act establishes that category-A municipalities can only be founded in metropolitan regions.
Metropolitan councils have a single metropolitan budget, a common system of service tariffs and property ratings, and a single employer body.
South Africa has eight metropolitan municipalities, namely:
Buffalo City (East London)
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Port Elizabeth)
City of Tshwane (Pretoria).
City of Cape Town
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (East Rand)
Mangaung Municipality (Bloemfontein)
City of eThekwini (Durban)
City of Johannesburg
Do Metros possess any authority?
Metropolitan councils are permitted to decentralise authority and duties. However, the metropolitan council is the only owner of all initial municipal, legislative, and executive authorities.
What systems do metros have?
There are two different types of executive systems available in metropolitan areas: the mayoral executive system, in which the mayor has executive authority, and the collective executive committee system, in which the executive committee has these powers.
Which municipality in South Africa has the largest population?
The largest municipality in South Africa in terms of land mass is the City of Tshwane, which serves as the country’s capital.
In Gauteng, how many metro areas are there?
The City of Ekurhuleni, City of Johannesburg, and City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipalities are the three metropolitan municipalities that make up Gauteng. There are also two district municipalities that are further divided into six local municipalities.