Politics

Provincial Legislature, Johannesburg City Hall

While Gauteng has long been regarded as a global city-region because of the size of its economy, population density and growth, it was only in 2008 that the province was officially named a city-region by local authorities.

The guiding philosophy behind the city region is the alignment of municipalities’ development strategies, including the elimination of competition and sharing of assets and ideas on wealth creation and poverty alleviation, to stimulate economic development. The three metropolitan municipalities – the City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane (Greater Pretoria) and Ekurhuleni (East Rand) – thus work together to build a globally competitive province.

South Africais a unitary, parliamentary republic. The president of South Africa is both head of state and head of government. The president is elected by the National Assembly, the popularly elected lower house of parliament (the upper house is the National Council of Provinces) and must be supported by the Assembly in order to remain in office.

Every five years, South Africans also elect provincial legislatures, which govern each of the country’s nine provinces. Since the end of apartheid, South Africa’s political landscape has been dominated by the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC is the ruling party in the national legislature, as well as in eight of the nine provinces, including Gauteng.

Nomvula Mokonyane has been the premier of Gauteng since May 6, 2009. She has an impressive track record in South African politics, having been an anti-apartheid activist and held leadership positions in organisations such as the Congress of South African Students, ANC Women’s League and the Civic Movement. Mokonyane has more than a decade’s experience serving on Gauteng’s Executive Council in the portfolios of agriculture, conservation and environment, safety and liaison, and housing.

As premier, Mokonyane champions policy delivery, especially around housing, and promotes female enterprise in the construction and housing sector. In 2009 she and then Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa launched the 20 Priority Township Programme, which has as its aim the renewal and rehabilitation of Gauteng’s old townships. One of the programme’s initiatives involves tarring roads into townships, linking previously marginalised communities with economic empowerment opportunities.