Cape Town hosts historic first Metro Mayors’ meeting
27 August 2025
In an historic first, the Mayors from all eight Metros in South Africa (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Ethekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane, Mangaung, Buffalo City, and Ekurhuleni), along with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), convened in Cape Town today, 27 August 2025, to discuss issues which affect metro governance, municipal autonomy, and the devolution of powers.
‘Cape Town is proud to host this first meeting and I hope this will become a more regular engagement. It has always surprised me that Metro Mayors don't interact in a more coordinated way on issues that uniquely affect South Africa’s major cities. So I was pleased that the President of SALGA so readily agreed to convene this meeting when I proposed it.
‘Together these eight cities represent 55% of South Africa’s population and over 70% of South Africa’s economy. It is important that we realise we have a powerful and important voice, and that we speak together on things which impact us all. It is important that we all know that we are not merely local branches of a national head office. The Constitution imbues us with independent powers and functions, and we should be more willing to assert these and resist attempts at over-control,' said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Among the issues discussed were the need to push back against constant efforts by the national government to impose ever-more legislation and regulation on local governments, and the failure of metro funding to keep up with rapid city population growth.
‘We also emphasised the necessity to devolve additional powers to metros, especially additional policing powers and the management of passenger rail,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
SALGA further highlighted the scale of investment required in South Africa’s cities, noting that metros should collectively be spending around R70 billion annually on capital projects, over the next decade to keep up with growth, and infrastructure demand. The City of Cape Town strongly supports this call, and is already committed to meet this level of investment through its own ambitious capital investment programme.
‘This was an important start, with a packed agenda. There is much more to discuss and we look forward to this becoming a more regular engagement,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
Caption: (front row left to right): Buffalo City, Councillor Xola Pakati; SALGA Deputy President, Councillor Flora Maboa-Boltman; Alderman Xanthea Limberg SALGA Deputy President and Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, Mayor of Buffalo City, Princess Faku; Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Babalwa Lobishe; Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero.
Back row (from left to right): Mayor of Ethekwini, Cyril Xaba, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, SALGA President, Bheke Stofile, Mayor of Ekurhuleni, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, Mayor of Mangaung, Gregory Nthatisi, and SALGA Chief Executive Officer, Sithole Mbanga.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
