City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pretoria with surrounding towns and localities included in the local government area.

City of Tshwane
Metropolitan municipality
Seal
Location in Gauteng
Coordinates: 25°40′S 28°20′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Seat	Pretoria
Wards	107
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	TBD (TBD)
Area
• Total	6,298 km^2 (2,432 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	2,921,488
• Density	460/km^2 (1,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	75.4%
• Coloured	2.0%
• Indian/Asian	1.8%
• White	20.1%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Northern Sotho	19.4%
• Afrikaans	18.4%
• Tswana	14.7%
• Tsonga	8.4%
• English	8.4%
• Zulu	8.3%
• Other	22.4%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	TSH

Tshwane sign, with the former logo depicting the Union Buildings in Pretoria, with slogan "We are the same" (photo 2005)

History

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality was established on 5 December 2000,[4] comprising 13 former city and town councils and managed under an executive mayoral system.

The Metsweding District Municipality was incorporated into the municipality[5] with effect from 18 May 2011 (the date of the 2011 municipal elections).

Geography

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality's land area increased from 2,198 square kilometres (849 sq mi)[6] in 2010 to 6,368 square kilometres (2,459 sq mi) after the incorporation of Metsweding.[7]

The Tswaing crater is in the northwest of Soshanguve.

Subdivisions

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality consists of the following areas:[8]

• Akasia
• Atteridgeville
• Bronberg
• Bronkhorstspruit
• Centurion
• Crocodile River
• Cullinan/Rayton/Refilwe
• Eersterust
• Ekangala
• Elands River
• Ga-Rankuwa
• Hammanskraal
• Laudium
• Mabopane
• Mamelodi
• Olievenhoutbosch
• Pienaarsrivier
• Pretoria
• Soshanguve
• Rethabiseng
• Roodeplaat
• Soshanguve
• Temba
• Winterveld
• Zithobeni

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[9]

Place	Code	Area (km^2)	Area (sq mi)	Population	Most spoken language
Akasia	799037	80.84	31.21	59,455	Tswana 24% Afrikaans 23% Pedi 12% English 10%
Atteridgeville	799056	9.84	3.80	64,425	Pedi 41% Tswana 17% Sotho 12%
Baviaanspoort	799045	13.85	5.35	2,456	Afrikaans 32% Pedi 26%
Bon Accord	799036	15.85	6.12	2,270	Afrikaans 33% English 14% Pedi 13% Tsonga 11%
Boschkop	799067	29.28	11.31	623	Ndebele 25% Afrikaans 23%
Bronkhorstspruit	799072	34.00	13.13	12,470	Afrikaans 47% Ndebele 10% English 10%
Bultfontein	799013	92.48	35.71	2,147	Afrikaans 61%
Centurion	799059	394.88	152.46	236,580	Afrikaans 49% English 26%
Cullinan	799049	55.66	21.49	8,693	Afrikaans 49% Pedi 16%
Dilopye	799025	7.45	2.88	3,874	Tswana 58% Pedi 14% Tsonga 10%
Donkerhoek	799051	22.33	8.62	3,472	Pedi 28% Zulu 13% Afrikaans 12% Tsonga 12% Ndebele 11%
Eersterust	799047	6.05	2.34	29,676	Afrikaans 78% English 11%
Ekangala	799054	46.05	17.78	48,493	Zulu 33% Ndebele 29% Pedi 15%
Ga-Rankuwa	799034	52.18	20.15	90,945	Tswana 69%
Haakdoornboom	799020	101.60	39.23	4,309	Afrikaans 50%
Hammanskraal	799012	7.60	2.93	21,345	Tswana 46% Pedi 18% Tsonga 15%
Hebron	799033	1.02	0.39	2,321	Tswana 41% Pedi 17% Tsonga 15%
Kameeldrift	799043	32.76	12.65	6,727	Pedi 29% Afrikaans 28%
Kekana Garden	799010	2.61	1.01	15,709	Pedi 34% Tswana 31% Tsonga 13%
Kungwini Part 2	799065	8.60	3.32	8,738	Afrikaans 54% English 25%
Laudium	799058	6.07	2.34	19,102	English 77% Afrikaans 12%
Mabopane	799080	42.20	16.29	110,972	Tswana 59% Pedi 10%
Majaneng	799004	5.79	2.24	9,972	Tswana 31% Pedi 24% Tsonga 18%
Mamelodi	799046	45.19	17.45	334,577	Pedi 42% Zulu 12% Tsonga 11%
Mandela Village	799011	3.72	1.44	7,305	Tswana 28% Tsonga 22% Pedi 21%
Marokolong	799009	6.65	2.57	17,455	Tswana 29% Pedi 22% Tsonga 21%
Mashemong	799005	5.55	2.14	14,118	Tswana 36% Pedi 24% Tsonga 19%
Mooiplaas	799052	56.69	21.89	14,979	Pedi 25% non-official languages 20% Tsonga 14% Ndebele 10%
Nellmapius	799053	13.03	5.03	56,111	Pedi 35% Zulu 13%
New Eersterus	799023	23.64	9.13	35,059	Tswana 28% Pedi 22% Tsonga 22% Ndebele 10%
Olievenhoutbos	799078	11.39	4.40	70,863	Pedi 33% Zulu 14%
Onverwacht	799028	1.24	0.48	1,518	Afrikaans 29% Pedi 29% Sotho 15%
Pretoria	799035	687.54	265.46	741,651	Afrikaans 48% English 16%
Ramotse	799002	6.00	2.32	15,760	Tswana 30% Pedi 22% Tsonga 19% Ndebele 11%
Rayton	799050	145.99	56.37	8,166	Afrikaans 59% Pedi 11%
Refilwe	799048	2.22	0.86	19757	Pedi 52% Zulu 10%
Rethabiseng	799055	1.75	0.681.75	10,964	Zulu 32% Ndebele 31% Pedi 13%
Roodepoort B	799062	24.33	9.39	1,915	Afrikaans 42%
Saulsville	799057	8.66	3.34	105,208	Pedi 45% Tsonga 15%
Soshanguve	799021	126.77	48.95	403,162	Pedi 28% Tswana 17% Tsonga 15% Zulu 14%
Soutpan	799022	12.75	4.92	2,157	Tsonga 29% Tswana 28% Pedi 17%
Stinkwater	799024	0.13	0.050	39,201	Tswana 33% Tsonga 24% Pedi 17%
Suurman	799007	126.77	48.95	11,071	Tswana 36% Tsonga 22% Pedi 21%
Temba	799008	21.81	8.42	58,431	Tswana 49% Pedi 16% Tsonga 12%
Thembisile	799038	1.98	0.76	1,809	Ndebele 70%
Tierpoort	799075	32.14	12.41	1,167	Afrikaans 50%
Tsebe	799032	4.34	1.68	2,702	Tswana 30% Ndebele 24% Zulu 11% Pedi 11% Tsonga 8%
Tshwane NU	799026	3,126.37	1,207.10	16,831	Ndebele 29% Afrikaans 23% Zulu 11% Pedi 10%
Vaalbank	799064	50.98	19.68	1,458	Afrikaans 38% Ndebele 21%
Waterval	799019	62.99	24.32	2,517	Afrikaans 46% Pedi 13%
Winterveld	799029	104.52	40.36	120,826	Tsonga 22% Tswana 20% Zulu 19% Pedi 12%
Zithobeni	799038	3.86	1.49	22,434	Ndebele 30% Zulu 28% Pedi 13%
Zwavelpoort	799066	37.50	14.48	1,148	Afrikaans 35%

Demographics

There were around 2,921,500 (2011 census)[9] people living within the borders of Tshwane: 75.40% black, 20.08% white, 2.01% coloured and 1.84% Indian or Asian.[9]

Ethnic group 2011 census

Ethnic group	Population	%
Coloured	58 788	2.01%
Black African	2 202 847	75.40%
White	586 495	20.08%
Indian/Asian	53 744	1.84%
Other	19 614	0.67%
Total	2 921 488	100.00%

Ethnic group 2011 census (age 0-4)

Ethnic group	Population	%
Coloured	5 802	2.12%
Black African	225 111	82.20%
White	36 860	13.46%
Indian/Asian	4 280	1.56%
Other	1 814	0.66%
Total	273 867	100.00%

Politics

The municipal council consists of 214 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. 107 are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 107 wards, while the remaining 107 are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 3 August 2016, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a plurality of 93 seats on the council, but no party won a majority. On August 19, 2016, minority parties united with the DA to vote in DA mayoral candidate, Solly Msimanga as the first Democratic Alliance mayor of Tshwane.[10] Msimanga appointed a mayoral committee coalition consisting of the DA, African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+).

Msimanga resigned in February 2019. The Democratic Alliance nominated Stevens Mokgalapa to succeed him. Mokgalapa was elected on 12 February 2019.[11] Mokgalapa announced his resignation in February 2020.

Seats in the city council after the 2016 elections

  EFF

  ANC

  DA

  FF Plus

  Others

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[12][13]

Party		Votes				Seats
		Ward	List	Total	%	Ward	List	Total
	Democratic Alliance	381,146	381,044	762,190	43.2	39	54	93
	African National Congress	361,950	366,702	728,652	41.3	68	21	89
	Economic Freedom Fighters	102,511	102,895	205,406	11.6	0	25	25
	Freedom Front Plus	17,789	17,421	35,210	2.0	0	4	4
	African Christian Democratic Party	4,553	4,168	8,721	0.5	0	1	1
	Independent	5,185	–	5,185	0.3	0	–	0
	Congress of the People	2,347	1,975	4,322	0.2	0	1	1
	Pan Africanist Congress	1,767	1,269	3,036	0.2	0	1	1
	Others	5,026	8,619	13,645	0.8	0	0	0
Total		882,274	884,093	1,766,367	100.0	107	107	214
Spoilt votes		10,193	10,224	20,417

On 5 March 2020, the Gauteng provincial government placed Tshwane under administration and the council was consequently dissolved. A new council was set to be elected within 90 days.[14] The North Gauteng High Court overturned the decision to dissolve the council on 29 April 2020.[15]

Services

Water and sanitation

As of 2016, City of Tshwane receives 72% of its bulk water from Rand Water, which utilizes the Integrated Vaal River System. The remaining 28% of Tshwane's water is sourced from its own treatment plants and boreholes. Water restrictions are implemented during drought, heat waves or other seasonal changes.

Transport

Railway

The main rail station is in Pretoria.

The Gautrain runs through parts of the municipality, with stations in Centurion and Pretoria, ending at a station in the suburb of Hatfield.

Airports

OR Tambo International Airport in neighbouring Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality serves Tshwane. Wonderboom Airport in the north of Tshwane serves light aircraft.

Education

The front part of the Theo van Wyk Building on the Main Campus of UNISA

University of Pretoria's Old Arts Building

Tertiary education

See also: List of universities in South Africa

The Tshwane municipality is home to the Tshwane University of Technology, and the largest distance education university (the University of South Africa, more commonly known by its acronym, UNISA). The University of Pretoria, one of South Africa's leading research and teaching universities, University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus) (formerly known as Medical University of Southern Africa) a medical school in the north of Pretoria and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are also in the municipal area.

Military

AFB Swartkop

Air Force

The South African Air Force military bases AFB Waterkloof and AFB Swartkop are in Centurion.

Thaba Tshwane Military Base

Thaba Tshwane military base (formerly called Voortrekkerhoogte and before that Roberts Heights) is in the municipality.

Memorials

The SANDF memorial is at Fort Klapperkop and the South African Air Force memorial is at AFB Swartkop.

Society and culture

Media

Museums

There are a large number of museums, many of them in Pretoria.

• Pretoria Forts
• Kruger House (residence of the president of the ZAR, Paul Kruger)
• Mapungubwe Collection
• Melrose House (the Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the Anglo-Boer War was signed here in 1902)
• Voortrekker Monument
• Freedom Park
• Transvaal Museum
• African Window
• South African Air Force Museum

Festivals

The city of Tshwane hosted the 10th World Choir Games, organised by the Interkultur Foundation, between 4–14 July 2018.[16] Various locations across the city were used as venues to host concerts and ceremonies for the event, including the Musaion and Aula theatres at the University of Pretoria, the ZK Matthews Great Hall at the University of South Africa, and the Pretoria State Theatre.[17] The event was the first of its kind on the African continent.[16]

Sporting venues

• Lucas Moripe Stadium, Atteridgeville
• HM Pitje Stadium, Mamelodi
• Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
• SuperSport Park, Centurion
• Odi Stadium, Mabopane
• Giant Stadium, Soshanguve

Scout Groups

• 1st Nan Hau Scout Group
• 5th Hillcrest/Colbyn Scout Group
• 6th St Andrews Scout Group
• 8th St Albans Scout Group
• 9th Irene Air Scout Group
• 10th Arcadia Scout Group
• 13th St Patricks Scout Group
• 14th Delp Scout Group
• 22nd Waterkloof / Kosmos Sea Scout Group
• 23rd Lyttleton Scout Group
• 35th Pretoria Sea Scout Group
• 36th Sinoville Scout Group
• 37th Springvale Scout Group
• 40th Glenstantia Scout Group
• 41st Parks Scout Group
• 42nd Laudium Scout Group
• 46th Midstream Scout Group

Name change: Pretoria to Tshwane

Logo of City of Tshwane depicting the Union Buildings in Pretoria, with slogan "We are the same".

Tshwane [tsʰwane] is the Setswana name of the Apies River, which flows through the city. The origin of the name of the river is unclear. It may mean "place -e of the black cow, tshwana, from ceremonies where a black cow was sprinkled with water from the river to end a drought.[18] Another claim is that it was named after Tshwane, son of Chief Mushi, an Ndebele leader who settled near the Apies River about a century before the arrival of the Voortrekkers in the early 19th century.[18] However, some Ndebele kings claim to have never heard of a chief named "Tshwane".[19]

Two other common explanations are demonstrably untrue. One is that it is the Tswana for the motto of Tshwane Municipality, "We are the same". However, this appears to be promoted for its emotional value; if anything, it would mean "we are not the same" in Tswana (ga re tshwane).[18] Another common misunderstanding is that it is the Tswana word for "little monkeys"; although it resembles the Tswana word for baboon, tshwene, "little monkeys" is actually the translation of the Afrikaans name "Apies".

The name Tshwane is sometimes used as an alternate name for the city of Pretoria itself. Following the city council's vote on March 8, 2005, it could become the city's new name if approved by the central government. Should the change take place, "Pretoria" would continue to refer to the city's central business district, as proposed by the current municipality. By November 2007 the change of the name from Pretoria to Tshwane had not been finalized, and controversy over the name change continues. The change is seen by many as a way to recognize that peoples of non-colonial origins represent a majority in the city. The controversy, however, says that the city was originally established under the name Pretoria, little evidence has been provided for the origin of the name “Tshwane”, and no form of jurisdiction for the area existed before Pretoria's creation.

The Sunday Times used the word Tshwane to refer to the Pretoria area for a short period in 2005. The state-controlled SABC also started using the term in its evening news broadcasts, for a period, but by 2010, had reverted to "Pretoria". Private media outlets continued to refer to the metropolitan area as Pretoria. The Pretoria News, the main newspaper in the metropolitan area did not appear to have plans to change its name as of early 2006, although it has adopted the slogan "The paper for the people of Tshwane". The newspaper refers to the capital city as Tshwane and sometimes Pretoria. This, with the public backing of the name change by the editor of the Pretoria News, Philani Mgwaba,[20] has led to the independence of the editorial team being called into question.

Road signs erected at the boundaries of the Tshwane Metropolitan area have been consistently defaced, with the word Tshwane replaced with the word Pretoria, presumably by South Africans opposed to the name change. The letters PTA, which are an abbreviation of "Pretoria", have also been stencilled on a number of speed limit signs.

On 21 May 2005, the Pretoria Civil Action Committee, a group consisting of business, labour, cultural, civil and political leaders opposed to the name change organised a protest in the Pretoria city centre.[21] They marched to the office of Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan and handed him a petition signed by 3000 University of Pretoria students as well as other petition documents. Former president FW De Klerk, a Nobel prize winner and the last president under apartheid, also raised concerns about the change.[22]

In November 2005, the Advertising Standards Authority found that advertising proclaiming that Tshwane, rather than Pretoria, was the capital of South Africa was misleading.[23]

The Pretoria name change

On 5 December 2000, a number of old Pretoria municipalities, as well as others that fell outside the Greater Pretoria area, were combined into one area called the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The city of Pretoria remained largely intact in this municipality. On the 26 May 2005 the South African Geographical Names Council unanimously approved a recommendation by the Tshwane Metro Council that the name Pretoria be changed to Tshwane.[24]

The legal process involved is as follows:

1. Recommendation to the Geographical Names Council.
2. Council approves/rejects recommendation (approved 26 May 2005).
3. Council gives its recommendation to Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan.
4. Minister approves/rejects recommendation.
5. Approved/rejected name is published in the Government Gazette.
6. Any person or body unhappy with the name change can complain within one month of above.
7. The minister can consult the Geographical Names Council with concerns raised.
8. The minister's decision, along with the reasons for it, are published
9. The minister will then take the matter before parliament where the central government will decide on whether to change the name or not based on the information before it.

Some controversial groups have attached themselves to the Pretoria name change issue, including the trade union Solidarity.[25] Solidarity and the Pretoria Civil Action Committee have threatened legal action should the name change be recommended by the minister. As of November 2007 the name change has not yet been approved or rejected by the minister (step 4 above). In early August 2007, it was reported in the press that the municipality, after consulting with the Gauteng provincial government had withdrawn the application to change the name, and was instead contemplating a plan to change all road signs pointing to "Pretoria" to "Tshwane" or the "City of Tshwane" across the country. This plan raised threats of legal action from both political groupings opposed to the renaming, and concerns from municipal officials about the possibility of vandalism to the proposed signs.[26][27]

In 2010, the Ministry of Arts and Culture prepared to publish the registration of Tshwane as a place name, in the Government Gazette. However, the registration was withdrawn at the last minute, which was explained by the minister. Although it was too late to remove the name from printing in the Government Gazette, the retraction of the name registration was published the following week in the gazette.[28] In November 2011, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, who had been elected mayor earlier that year, vowed to push forward with the renaming in 2012.[29]

Corruption

As in other parts of the country, the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality experiences high levels of corruption. Significant resources of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) are dedicated to this region since 2010.[30][31][32] The screening of applicants for management positions has also been criticized.[33]

See also

• Pretoria
• Centurion, Gauteng
• Media in Pretoria
• Rainbow Junction

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
3. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
4. "Structure and Roles of the City of Tshwane". City of Tshwane. Archived from the original on 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
5. "Tswane property tariff hike shock : Property News from". IOLProperty. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
6. "Tshwane Metropolitan Profile" (PDF). City of Tshwane. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
7. "City to become largest in SA". South African Cities Network News. BUANews. 12 May 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011. The City of Tshwane will become the largest metropolitan municipality in the country after the local government elections when it incorporates the Metsweding District Municipality.
8. "Areas constituting the City of Tshwane". City of Tshwane. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
9. Statistics South Africa: data reworked by Adrian Frith Tshwane - Census 2011
10. "As it happened: Amidst much ANC heckling, the DA's Msimanga becomes Tshwane mayor".
11. DA’s Stevens Mokgalapa is Tshwane’s new mayor. Retrieved on 12 February 2019.
12. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Tshwane" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
13. "Seat Calculation Detail: Tshwane" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
14. Deklerk, Aphiwe (5 March 2020). "Tshwane municipality dissolved 'for the sake of its residents'". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
15. Deklerk, Aphiwe (29 April 2020). "Court overturns dissolution of City of Tshwane council". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
16. https://www.interkultur.com/newsroom/choir-games/details/news/south-africa-to-host-10th-world-choir-games/. Retrieved 27 April 2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
17. https://www.interkultur.com/events/world-choir-games/tshwane-2018/. Retrieved 27 April 2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
18. "Meanings of place names in South Africa: Tshwane". Africanlanguages.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
19. "Forum policy - Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source". Mg.co.za. 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
20. "Pretoria News". Pretoria News. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
21. "Forum policy - Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source". Mg.co.za. 2010-07-23. Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
22. "Pretoria name change?". Mg.co.za. 2010-07-23. Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
23. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=qw113267034143B232
24. "South African Geographical Names Council approves name change from Pretoria to Tshwane". Mg.co.za. 2010-07-23. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
25. "Solidarity trade union South Africa - Solidariteit - Ons beskerm ons mense!/We protect our people!". Solidaritysa.co.za. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
26. "Down with Pretoria signs!". News24. 2007-08-02. Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
27. Independent Online. "Politics: Moves afoot to make Tshwane the capital". Iol.co.za. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
28. "Pretoria is Pretoria again - for now". Jacarandafm.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
29. Tshwane it will be – mayor, iol.co.za; accessed October 28, 2015.
30. du Toit, Pieter (4 April 2011). "LP's hoor vloed van korrupsie spoel oor SA". Beeld. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
31. Claassen, Cobus (7 April 2011). "Groot aankoopbedrog in Tshwane onthul, 65 in sop". Beeld. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
32. Pretorius, Gerhard (7 November 2012). "Maak korrupsieverslag bekend". Beeld. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
33. Claassen, Cobus (26 August 2012). "Tshwane bekyk nie kandidate deeglik". Beeld. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

External links

• Official City of Tshwane Website
• Hospitality Portal to Centurion, Gauteng
• Visit Pretoria Guide to Pretoria