Pretoria, May 2 (IANS) The city of Tshwane will become the largest in South Africa and the third largest in the world when a new municipality is incorporated into it, state agency BuaNews reported.
Tshwane executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said the Metsweding district municipality would be added to the city after the May 18 local government elections.
‘When Metsweding with its local municipalities – Nokeng tsa Taemane and Kungwini – become part of the city, Tshwane will become the largest in South Africa, comprising of an area of 6,368 square km and a population of just over 2.5 million,’ he said.
This would also make Tshwane the third largest city in the world in terms of land mass, only after New York and Yokohama in Japan.
The reconfigured Tshwane will also move from its current five regions and 76 wards to seven regions and 105 wards.
The mayor said the incorporation would also provide the city with new opportunities to diversify its revenue base.
‘The new areas will bring in valuable resources such as vast tracts of vacant, undeveloped, agricultural or farming communities, mining enterprises, eco-tourism, forestry and fishing,’ he said.
