Abstract:
City-regions have increased in many developed countries as the primary political and
administrative units to drive development and growth at a sub-national level. The
Gauteng Province has all the hallmarks of an ideal city-region given its dominant role in
the South African economy. The study examined the efforts of the City of Tshwane in
facilitating the realisation of a Gauteng City-Region (GCR) by responding to the primary
research question: “Leadership in establishing the Gauteng City-Region: the Case
of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality”.
In the quest to respond to the primary research question, a qualitative research study
was adopted and the case study method was utilised. Four case studies were selected
on the following basis: replicability, innovation, and potential impact in realising the
GCR. The lessons which emanated from the case studies were utilised to propose
interventions necessary to realise the GCR. The study revealed that misaligned
planning cycles; lack of enabling legislation, and a poor record of implementation track
record were selected impediments to the GCR. The study formulates policy and
provides recommendations on public leadership aimed to facilitate the realisation of the
GCR. It is comprehensively concluded that the City of Tshwane has contributed
meaningfully towards advancing the prospect of the GCR.
