Colonel William A. Phillips

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

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (Tswana: Mmasepala wa Toropokgolo ya Tshwane; Afrikaans: Stad Tshwane Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit; Northern Sotho: Mmasepala wa Toropokgolo ya Tshwane), also known as the City of Tshwane (/tswɑːnɪ/), is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng in South Africa. The metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pretoria with surrounding towns and localities included in the local government area.

History

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality was established on 5 December 2000,[3] comprising 13 former city and town councils and managed under an executive mayoral system.

The Metsweding District Municipality was incorporated into the municipality[4] 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)[5] in 2010 to 6,368 square kilometres (2,459 sq mi) after the incorporation of Metsweding, making it the largest Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa.[6]

The Tswaing crater is in the northwest of Soshanguve.

Constituent areas

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality consists of the following areas:[7]

Main places

The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[8]

Place Code Area (km2) 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%
Olievenhoutbosch 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)[8] people living within the borders of Tshwane: 75.40% black, 20.08% white, 2.01% coloured and 1.84% Indian or Asian.[8]

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 1 November 2021, no party won a majority of seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[9][10][11]

City of Tshwane local election, 1 November 2021
Party Votes Seats
Ward List Total % Ward List Total
African National Congress 231,520 234,521 466,041 34.6% 70 5 75
Democratic Alliance 217,190 213,852 431,042 32.0% 37 32 69
Economic Freedom Fighters 73,605 70,228 143,833 10.7% 0 23 23
ActionSA 53,712 62,502 116,214 8.6% 0 19 19
Freedom Front Plus 53,506 52,458 105,964 7.9% 0 17 17
African Christian Democratic Party 6,281 6,094 12,375 0.9% 0 2 2
Independent candidates 9,623 9,623 0.7% 0 0
African Independent Congress 2,581 5,442 8,023 0.6% 0 1 1
Defenders of the People 3,879 3,291 7,170 0.5% 0 1 1
Patriotic Alliance 3,525 3,219 6,744 0.5% 0 1 1
Congress of the People 1,351 1,246 2,597 0.2% 0 1 1
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania 1,194 1,393 2,587 0.2% 0 1 1
Republican Conference of Tshwane 1,700 869 2,569 0.2% 0 1 1
African Transformation Movement 1,109 1,197 2,306 0.2% 0 1 1
Good 1,131 1,065 2,196 0.2% 0 1 1
Inkatha Freedom Party 596 1,385 1,981 0.1% 0 1 1
35 other parties 10,100 14,403 24,503 1.8% 0 0 0
Total 672,603 673,165 1,345,768 107 107 214
Valid votes 672,603 673,165 1,345,768 98.8%
Spoilt votes 7,918 8,843 16,761 1.2%
Total votes cast 680,521 682,008 1,362,529
Voter turnout 688,237
Registered voters 1,526,585
Turnout percentage 45.1%

The Executive

The political head of the municipality is the executive mayor. As of March 2023, Cilliers Brink of the Democratic Alliance serves as mayor.[12] The mayor appoints a mayoral committee to assist with him/her with the functioning of the municipality.

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

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), as well as The University of Pretoria, one of South Africa's leading research and teaching universities, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU, previously called University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus) and Medical University of Southern Africa-MEDUNSA) a medical school, and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

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.

Festivals

The city of Tshwane hosted the 10th World Choir Games, organised by the Interkultur Foundation, between 4–14 July 2018.[13] 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.[14] The event was the first of its kind on the African continent.[13]

Sporting venues

Scout Groups

  • 1st Nan Hau Scout Group
  • 5th Hillcrest/Colbyn Scout Group
  • 6th St Andrews Scout Group
  • 7th Mamelodi 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

Sport

The city is home to the Tshwane Suns who compete in South Africa's highest basketball division, the Basketball National League.[15][16] There are two Premier Soccer League teams, Mamelodi Sundowns and Supersport United. Pretoria University, known as Tuks plays in the second-tier league. Tshwane is also home to the Blue Bulls rugby team.

Proposal for city name change

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.[17]

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 only for its emotional value; if anything, it would mean "we are not the same" in Tswana (ga re tshwane).[17] Another common misunderstanding is that it is the Tswana word for "little monkeys"; although "Tshwane" resembles tshwene (the Tswana word for baboon), baboons are not little and the words are not the same. "Little monkeys" is actually a translation of the Afrikaans name "Apies".[citation needed]

In 2005, politicians in the South African capital voted to rename the city Tshwane and retain the name Pretoria for the city centre only. 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".[18]

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.[19] They marched to the office of Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan and handed him a petition signed by 3,000 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.[20]

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

Proposed renaming of Pretoria

On 5 December 2000, a number of former 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.[5] The city of Pretoria remained largely intact in this municipality.[clarification needed] On 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, but approval from the Geographical Names Council is only a preliminary step in the process.[21]

The legal process involved is as follows:[citation needed]

  1. Recommendation to the Geographical Names Council.
  2. Council approves/rejects recommendation (approved 26 May 2005).
  3. Council gives its recommendation to the Arts and Culture Minister.
  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 groups attached themselves to the Pretoria name change issue, including the trade union Solidarity, which,[22] along with the Pretoria Civil Action Committee, threatened legal action should the name change be recommended by the minister. 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.[23][24]

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.[clarification needed][why?] 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.[25] In November 2011, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, who had been elected mayor earlier that year, vowed to push forward with the renaming in 2012.[26]

Management and 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) were dedicated to this region since 2010.[27][28][29] The screening of applicants for management positions has also been criticized.[30]

When, by November 2020, businesses and residents owed the metro R12 billion,[31] the metro outsourced its credit management to 34 debt collecting agencies after normal means were ineffectual. This was expected to increase the metro's income levels, cash flow and capacity for service delivery. In 2021, its debt with Eskom stood at over R200 million, and the utility labeled it as a municipality with a poor payment record.[32] When in August 2022 its debt stood at R1.152 billion, Eskom warned that the city's electricity may be disconnected.[33]

In February 2022, its debtors book stood at R17 billion[34] and Tshwane implemented the Tshwane Yatima project to disconnect the power and/or water supply to 420 businesses, besides that of some state departments (Public Works and Infrastructure owing R355 million[35]) and embassies, SARS, the Navy and SAPS headquarters and Hatfield Gautrain station due to non-payment of their electricity or municipal accounts.[36][37] The University of Pretoria paid the bill of its Hillcrest campus under protest at the last minute.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Structure and Roles of the City of Tshwane". City of Tshwane. Archived from the original on 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  4. ^ "Tswane property tariff hike shock : Property News from". IOLProperty. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  5. ^ a b "Tshwane Metropolitan Profile" (PDF). City of Tshwane. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "Areas constituting the City of Tshwane". City of Tshwane. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  8. ^ a b c Statistics South Africa: data reworked by Adrian Frith Tshwane - Census 2011
  9. ^ "Results Summary – All Ballots: City of Tshwane" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Seat Calculation Detail: Tshwane" (PDF). IEC. Electoral Commission of South Africa. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Voter Turnout Report: Tshwane" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  12. ^ "DA's Cilliers Brink elected new City of Tshwane mayor". SABC News. 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  13. ^ a b "World Choir Games 2018: South-Africa to host 10th world choir games". interkultur.com. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  14. ^ "10th World Choir Games: July 4 - 14, 2018 Tshwane, South Africa". Interkultur 2020. 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  15. ^ Boroughs, Don (3 August 2015). "Basketball (And The NBA) Try To Find Fans In South Africa". NPR. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015.
  16. ^ "Tshwane Suns (South Africa-BNL)". Eurobasket Inc.
  17. ^ a b "Meanings of place names in South Africa: Tshwane". Africanlanguages.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  18. ^ "Pretoria News". Pretoria News. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "Pretoria name change?". Mg.co.za. 2010-07-23. Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "Solidarity trade union South Africa - Solidariteit - Ons beskerm ons mense!/We protect our people!". Solidaritysa.co.za. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  23. ^ "Down with Pretoria signs!". News24. 2007-08-02. Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  24. ^ Independent Online. "Politics: Moves afoot to make Tshwane the capital". Iol.co.za. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  25. ^ "Pretoria is Pretoria again - for now". Jacarandafm.com. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  26. ^ Tshwane it will be – mayor, iol.co.za; accessed October 28, 2015.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Pretorius, Gerhard (7 November 2012). "Maak korrupsieverslag bekend". Beeld. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  30. ^ Claassen, Cobus (26 August 2012). "Tshwane bekyk nie kandidate deeglik". Beeld. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  31. ^ Cornelissen, Christel (3 November 2020). "Skuldinvorderaars moet wanbetalers in Tshwane vasvat". maroelamedia.co.za. Maroela Media. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  32. ^ Khumalo, Sibongile (2 September 2021). "Eskom wins judgment against Emfuleni municipality over R1.3 billion debt". news24.com. fin24. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  33. ^ Redaksiespan (1 September 2022). "Donkerte dreig nadat Tshwane-metro nie daarin slaag om sy uitstaande skuld te betaal nie". afrinuus.com. Afrinuus. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  34. ^ a b Bhengu, Lwandile (11 February 2022). "UP calls Tshwane's attempts to cut power over unpaid bills 'political grandstanding'". news24.com. News24. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  35. ^ staff writer (13 February 2022). "Pay up or else — Johannesburg warning after Pretoria power cuts". mybroadband.co.za. MyBroadBand. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  36. ^ Pijoos, Iavan (15 February 2022). "Named and shamed: Tshwane cuts power to SARS, SAPS and Gautrain station over 'non-payment' of bills". news24.com. News24. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  37. ^ Cornelissen, Christel (9 February 2022). "Af, af, af gaan Tshwane-wanbetalers se ligte". maroelamedia.co.za. Maroela Media. Retrieved 18 February 2022.

External links