3 of South Africa’s biggest cities could be combined into a ‘Megatropolis’

Johannesburg – The African National Congress (ANC) has opened debate on a potentially sweeping overhaul of local government that could see Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni brought together into a single Gauteng “city region” or megatropolis.

The proposal has sparked debate over whether the three metropolitan municipalities should continue operating separately or be integrated into a larger administrative structure.

ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane said the party was considering whether existing municipal boundaries and structures remained appropriate as Gauteng’s urban areas have expanded and become increasingly interconnected.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Mokonyane said: “In Gauteng, at [one] point, there was acceptance across the board that, in fact, you need a city region here, because the boundaries [within] Gauteng are imaginary.”

She argued that the three metros have complementary economic roles, with manufacturing concentrated in Ekurhuleni, financial and economic activity in Johannesburg and government and diplomatic functions centred in Tshwane.

The idea is not entirely new 

“Doesn’t that make Gauteng become a city region?” she asked, adding that the future approach should be “developmental”.

Mokonyane also pointed to the increasingly seamless urban landscape between Johannesburg and Tshwane.

“A few years back, not so long ago, you could know [you were] leaving Johannesburg now and travelling to Tshwane,” she said. “Nowadays, you don’t even know. You just see the sign on the road that says you are in Centurion now, but you thought you were still in Midrand.”

The idea is not entirely new. Research by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) describes Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane as part of Gauteng’s interconnected city-region, with the broader region extending beyond municipal and even provincial boundaries through shared economic, transport and infrastructure networks.

The GCRO says the Gauteng City-Region is home to about 16.1 million people and generates roughly a third of South Africa’s GDP, highlighting the economic significance of greater integration.

Outright majority

However, the proposal has also raised concerns about governance, accountability and political representation.

SABC News noted that political parties have reacted differently to the proposal, with some welcoming greater integration while others questioning whether a larger municipality would actually resolve existing service-delivery and governance problems.

The proposal also comes amid years of political instability in the three metros. Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni have experienced unstable coalition governments since the 2021 local government elections, when no major party secured an outright majority in the three municipalities.

But the ANC has since sought to distance itself from suggestions that a merger is already party policy.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told Jacaranda FM that Mokonyane’s comments should not be interpreted as an official commitment in the party’s 2026 Local Government Elections Manifesto.

The future

“So, it’s not our manifesto, it’s a viewpoint that the DSG expressed in the context of the public discourse and the debate in the country about the future of local government and the state of local government,” Mbalula said.

The distinction is important because the ANC’s formal manifesto commitments will guide its campaign ahead of the 4 November 2026 local government elections, while any future restructuring of municipalities would require a much broader political, administrative and legal process.

Mokonyane said discussions on restructuring would form part of the ANC’s policy review after the elections, suggesting that the megatropolis idea remains a long-term proposal rather than an immediate change to Gauteng’s municipal boundaries.

For now, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni remain separate metropolitan municipalities, but the renewed debate has placed the future shape of Gauteng’s local government firmly on the political agenda.