Buffalo City METROPOLITAN

Our city is to become a metro! This is the good news after the Demarcation Board made a decision earlier this week to elevate Buffalo City to the same level as its big brother, the Nelson Mandela Metropole.

Municipal manager Gaster Sharpley said the board’s decision to grant metro status will go a long way in cementing Buffalo City as a developing city.

“We now join an elite group of metros in the country and this status will encourage development. We are hoping the demarcation process is concluded before the electrions of 2011,” said Sharpley.

“Buffalo City Metropolitan – it has a fantastic ring to it,” added Democratic Alliance caucus leader John Cupido, adding that there are both negative and positive aspects to become a metro.

According to him, different departments within the municipality would have to be consolidated and this would ultimately improve service delivery.

“But in the past, consolidating departments have always gone haywire. We are concerned this could impact negatively on service delivery and the taxpayer.”

Cupido said although Buffalo City would get a “larger chunk” of funding from National Treasury once it becomes a metro, there were still concerns about the ability to spend they money.

So, what do you think? Good news or not? Blog us now .