Date:      17 October 2017
Time:      12h30 – 15h00 
Venues:   Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town

Session Chair:
Professor M Kanyane (DGSD, HSRC)

Presenters:
Mr L. J. Calitz (Urban-Econ, Development Economist):
 The Development of a Revised Methodology on Categorisation of Metropolitan Municipalities.

Ms S. Wiggins (Municipal Demarcation Board Member):
Reflection on the outputs from the MDB Conference 2016: Categorisation of Metropolitan.

Ms M. J. J. Thupana (Chairperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board):
‘MDB’s reflection on Mergers and consolidations as a solution to municipal viability’.

Panelists:
Dr Geci Karuri-Sebina (SACN)
Mr Themba Fosi Deputy Director- General (COGTA)
Dr Marietjie Kruger (COGTA)

This seminal discussion that ensues deliberate on the MDB processes paying attention to categorisation of municipalities into metropolitan municipalities which has become one of the critical core functions of the MDB. Recent experience indicates that the MDB is now saddled with the task of establishing additional metropolitan areas in the future and mainly metropolitan areas with large rural component in contrast with section 2 criteria provisions and completely different from what policy makers envisaged early in 1999/2000. Added to this, has been ongoing calls and debates for a differentiated approach to the categorisation process to secondary cities and the drive toward more focus on metropolitan system of governance in the cities.

Cape Town: HSRC, 116-118 Merchant House, Buitengracht Street, Cape Town. Contact: Carmen August ,Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299 or e-mail: caugust@hsrc.ac.za
Durban:  The Atrium, 5th Floor, 430 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Berea, 4001 , Contact: Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or email: RKhan@hsrc.ac.za , or Hlengiwe Zulu at e-mail HZulu@hsrc.ac.za
Pretoria: HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811 or e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za