Country South Africa Wards 101 Municipal code EKU White population 15.8% Province Gauteng | Seat Germiston Time zone SAST (UTC+2) Area 1,975 km² Black african population 78.7% University CTI Education Group | |
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Destinations Benoni - Gauteng, Kempton Park - Gauteng, Springs, Boksburg, Alberton - Gauteng Points of interest Ke‑Ditselana Tourism and Multi, Wild Waters ‑ Boksburg, Korsman Bird Sanctuary, Rondebult Bird Sanctuary, Galaxyworld | ||
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of the East Rand region of Gauteng, South Africa. The name Ekurhuleni means place of peace in Tsonga. Ekurhuleni is one of the five districts of Gauteng province and one of the eight metropolitan municipalities of South Africa. The seat of Ekurhuleni is Germiston. The largest language group among its 2,480,260 people is Zulu (2001 Census). OR Tambo International Airport is in the Kempton Park area of Ekurhuleni. An Integrated Transport Plan has been initiated to allow Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to confidently develop a transport system within its responsibilities over the next 5 years.
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Map of East Rand, South Africa
Following the 2016 municipal elections, Ekurhuleni will include the area of the Lesedi Local Municipality, which will be abolished, making Ekurhuleni the local government of both the East Rand and the rest of south-eastern Gauteng.
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:
Windmill Park
Demographics
The following statistics are from the 2011 census.
Politics
The municipal council consists of 224 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. 112 are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 112 wards, while the remaining 112 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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority on the council for the first time. The ANC subsequently formed a coalition with the African Independent Congress (AIC), the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.
Manufacturing
The municipality is an important manufacturing centre in South Africa, and has been described as "the workshop of the country"[1]
Aviation
Several airline companies are headquartered in the Kempton Park area of Ekurhuleni.
South African Airways, the flagship air carrier of South Africa, and its subsidiary South African Express Airways have their head offices in Ekurhuleni. In addition Mango, a low cost airline owned by SAA, is headquartered on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport.
The headquarters of Comair and Kulula.com are at an intersection within Ekurhuleni in close proximity to OR Tambo International Airport. Federal Air also has its headquarters on the OR Tambo International Airport grounds. 1Time has its head office in the Isando Industrial Park. Safair's head office is in Kempton Park.
Airports Company South Africa has its head office in Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni. TAAG Angola Airlines has an office in Bedfordview.