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52-582: The Sandfontein Artillery Regiment is currently located in Johannesburg. The main ordnance of the regiment is the G6 self-propelled 155 mm gun/howitzer . It consists of four batteries: Regimental Headquarters Battery, 7 Battery, 8 Battery and 9 Battery. The Transvaal Horse Artillery was formed on 17 March 1904 as Lys' Volunteer Corps (after its first commanding officer, Major Godfrey Lys) and

104-525: A SAP system. The city's call centre also experienced a crisis at the same time, with staff refusing to work. The municipality covers an area of 1,645 square kilometres (635 sq mi), stretching from Orange Farm in the south to Midrand in the north, and contains two big urban centres, Johannesburg and Midrand, and nine more smaller urban centres, namely Roodepoort , Diepsloot , Killarney , Melrose Arch , Randburg , Rosebank , Sandton , Soweto , and Sunninghill . The 2011 census divided

156-543: A People's Centre where any city-related transaction can be dealt with. Residents can lodge complaints, report service problems, and perform council-related business more quickly. After the end of apartheid allowed the consideration of the entire city of Johannesburg as one without consideration of race , it was determined that the previous structure of the city was wasteful and that there was much duplication of functions. Furthermore, some suburbs were affluent with well-established amenities while neighbouring areas lacked even

208-628: A part of 5 South African Infantry Brigade Group, the THA suffered considerable losses during heavy action which saw it firing over open sights at the panzers of the Afrika Korps . After the collapse of Tobruk in June 1942, the regiment lost its headquarters unit as well as its 8th and 9th batteries, except for one troop of 8th Battery. This troop, together with the Coldstream Guards , were

260-564: A service to the public at large – there are no direct charges to individual consumers. These are also structured as separate companies, but they are reliant on the council for funding. The zoo, Civic Theatre, metro bus service, fresh produce market and property company each compete in the open market to "sell" their wares to individual consumers who choose to pay for their services. These departments have been "corporatised" into separate businesses, run by new managements on performance contracts, and tasked to cut their subsidy levels by R100-million in

312-629: A specialist anti-aircraft variant with a GEC-Marconi Marksman turret and twin-barrelled 35mm autocannon. Chile briefly produced the G6 under licence as the CC-SP-45 , although this arrangement was later terminated after the system was not adopted by that country's armed forces. Iraq also manufactured its own domestic variant of the G6 as the Al Majnoon with technical assistance from Canadian artillery engineer Gerald Bull , which later evolved into

364-470: Is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg , the largest city in South Africa . It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. Zulu is the most spoken home language at 23.4% followed by English at 20.1%. Johannesburg is a divided municipality: the poor mostly live in the southern suburbs or on the peripheries of

416-486: Is responsible for overall administration, financial control, supply of services, and collection of revenues. The fire department and ambulances , the metropolitan police and traffic control, museums, art galleries , libraries and heritage sites are all controlled by separate departments. Some of the key city service functions are supplied by separate, self-contained entities, each run on business lines with its own CEO. There are 10 utilities, including electricity which

468-457: Is run by City Power Johannesburg, water and sanitation which is run by Johannesburg Water, and solid waste management, also known as Pikitup. Utilities are registered companies, run on business lines. They must be self-funding, receiving no annual grants from the city. They provide billable services direct to individual households. Agencies include Johannesburg Roads Agency , City Parks and Johannesburg Development Agency. Each of these performs

520-617: The Witwatersrand University Regiment . During the post-war period, the regiment was often mobilised with 7 South African Infantry Division 's 72 Brigade, to take part in South Africa's Border War . The regiment was called up in 1976 for three months active service in Angola and South West Africa and followed this up with two months in the operational area in 1979. Other operations included: In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect

572-460: The 4 South African Infantry Battalion . Operating as an independent battery, the three G6s were instrumental in the bombardment of the strategic Angolan airfield at Cuito Cuanavale . In this their crews were significantly aided by South African special forces acting as forward artillery observers near the airfield; on one occasion the G6s were able to destroy four Angolan Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s on

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624-558: The G5 howitzer series , mating the gun to a six-wheeled mine -protected armoured chassis. Design work on the G6 began in the late 1970s to replace the obsolescent Sexton being retired from service with the artillery regiments of the South African Army . Serial production commenced between 1988 and 1999. At the time of its introduction, the G6 was considered one of the most mobile self-propelled howitzers in service. Its chassis

676-597: The Honourable Artillery Company , (HAC) at the traditional saluting base, the Tower of London , in honour of the official birthday of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , consort to Queen Elizabeth II . It was the first time that any non- Commonwealth troops participated in such an event in the United Kingdom . On 16 December 2013 the THA had the honour of firing a 21 gun national salute for

728-688: The Johannesburg Zoo , the Civic Theatre , the Fresh Produce Market, and the city's property holdings were turned into corporations with the city as the single shareholder . Each was run as a business, with management hired on performance contracts. In 2010–11, the municipality faced a qualified audit from the Auditor-General following a large number of billing issues, as the result of the flawed implementation of

780-601: The People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) during the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale . Their ability to bombard a target and change positions rapidly in less than two minutes, with minimal preparation, greatly reduced the threat posed by retaliatory Angolan air raids and counter-battery fire . A number of G6s were subsequently manufactured for export and purchased by Abu Dhabi and Oman . Export models included

832-837: The Transvaal Horse Artillery Volunteers , which it retained until 1911, when the volunteers designation was dropped, to become the Transvaal Horse Artillery . In 1913, the unit was embodied in the citizen force of the new Union Defence Forces as the 7th Citizen Battery (THA) . The regiment was part of the Northern Force sent to invade (the then) German South-West Africa at the outbreak World War I . It first saw action in September 1914 at Sandfontein and later distinguished itself at Riet and Namutoni . Volunteers from

884-678: The United Arab Emirates Defence Force to Aden during the Yemeni Crisis . The howitzers were landed in Aden by ship and escorted by a large Emirati armoured formation. They have since been used to shell Houthi militant positions in support of Emirati and allied Yemeni offensives carried out near Taiz . City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality ( Zulu : UMasipala weDolobhakazi laseGoli )

936-651: The Southern MLC covering Ennerdale, most of Soweto, parts of Diepmeadow and the old Johannesburg City and Lenasia; the Northern MLC covering Randburg and Randburg CBD, and parts of Soweto, Diepmeadow and the old Johannesburg City; the Eastern MLC covering Sandton, Alexandra, and part of the old Johannesburg City; the Western MLC covering Roodepoort, Dobsonville and parts of Soweto, Diepmeadow. However,

988-686: The Transvaal Horse Artillery also later fought as part of the South African Heavy Artillery in Palestine , Egypt and Europe . In the inter-war period the regiment grew from a single battery to a three battery brigade ; it was also mechanised by the introduction of trucks . During the 1922 Rand Rebellion the THA took part in the Battle of Brixton Bridge and in the clearing of Fordsburg . The unit

1040-615: The bigger picture and ensures that LIDPs don't conflict or lead to wasted resources. LIDPs will be revised annually so as to respond to changing conditions both locally and at a city level. As of the August 2016 municipal elections, the municipal council consists of 270 City Councillors in Johannesburg elected by mixed-member proportional representation . The Councillors are divided into two kinds: (a) 135 Ward councillors who have been elected by first-past-the-post voting in 135 wards ; and (b) 135 councillors elected from party lists (so that

1092-455: The city's audit had R 45,796 million chalked up to fraudulent activities. In 2013, the city admitted that it would be unable to collect two-thirds of the R 18 billion in outstanding billings. The first undertaking of the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, as mapped out by the "Igoli 2002" plan, was to restructure Metro Gas, Rand Airport , and some sports stadiums as stand-alone corporate entities. The city bus service,

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1144-480: The city. In the election of 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won the largest share of the seats on the council with 91 but once again did not achieve a majority. The DA won the speaker and mayoral position during the council meeting held on the 22 November 2021. Vasco da Gama (council speaker) and Mpho Phalatse were elected respectively. On the 26 January 2023, Phalatse

1196-622: The development of a specific area. A LIDP guides a region's future development. For this reason, the LIDP zones closely follow the boundaries of the regions. However, in certain cases where suburbs are cut in half by the new region boundaries, the entire suburb may be covered in only one of the regions. LIDPs deal with city development, management and growth over a five to 10-year period. While they deal with local issues, they take an integrated approach to issues such as transportation, housing and environmental management. An overall Metropolitan IDP looks at

1248-591: The diverse military history of South Africa. The Transvaal Horse Artillery became the Sandfontein Artillery Regiment , and had three years to design and implement new regimental insignia. The Freedom of Entry into the City of Johannesburg was bestowed on the Regiment in 1964. The regiment celebrated their 110th Anniversary in 2014. On 11 June 2007 the THA shared a Royal Salute alongside

1300-558: The establishment at the metropolitan level of the Transitional Metropolitan Council (TMC) and several urban-level councils under and neighbouring the TMC. In February 1997 the final constitution replaced the interim constitution and its transitional councils with the final system of local government which defined the current category A, B and C municipalities. Today's City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

1352-598: The far north, and the middle- and upper class live largely in the suburbs of the central and north. As of 2012, unemployment is near 25% and most young people are out of work. Around 20% of the municipality lives in abject poverty in informal settlements that lack proper roads, electricity, or any other kind of direct municipal service. Following the end of the apartheid era, in April 1991 the Central Witwatersrand Metropolitan Chamber

1404-614: The ground as they attempted to take off. The heightened artillery threat to the Cuito Cuanavale airfield eventually forced the Angolan pilots to relocate their operations to another airstrip at Menongue , which was beyond the range of the G5 and G6 but severely diminished their ability to time and execute their missions, given Menongue's distance from the actual fighting. However, they also began making South African artillery positions

1456-452: The larger utilities and agencies, such as City Power , and is designed to maximise efficiency. The closeness of the new regional administrations with their communities enables them to be more responsive to differing local needs. For instance, the needs of a high-income commercial centre such as Sandton will be very different from the needs of a low-income area such as Orange Farm . Local Integrated Development Plans (LIDPs) are plans for

1508-409: The most basic of services. The new regions are presently smaller than previous mega-suburbs with each being home to about 300,000 people. The idea is that smaller regions are able to stay in closer contact with local communities. The regions are no longer seen as part of the core administration, but instead take on a role as contractors to the central government. The relationship is similar to that of

1560-725: The much larger and more sophisticated Al Fao . The first G6 prototype appeared in 1981, during the height of the South African Border War . Four engineering development models were being tested with the South African Defence Force by the mid-1980s. In October 1987, the South African government ordered all the G6s deployed to Angola for combat trials as part of Operation Hooper . One suffered an engine failure, so only three actually reached Angola, where they joined expeditionary troops of

1612-495: The municipality into the following main places (unchanged from the 2001 census): Each province determines the structure of local government in its region. Gauteng province , run by the African National Congress , has opted for a Mayor–council government . The first Mayor of Johannesburg was Amos Mosondo since the establishment of the current structure. The administration of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

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1664-439: The new "City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality" from 6 December 2000. The iGoli 2002 plan went into effect and returned some sectors into "cash cows" that helped support the city in general. Although some jobs were lost, there were no mass firings, as agencies used attrition to remove excess staff. The plan took the city from near insolvency to an operating surplus of R 153 million (US$ 23.6 million). Following

1716-460: The new post-apartheid City Council ran into problems in part due to inexperienced management and political pressure, which contributed to over-ambitious revenue projections, over-spending, wasted expenditures and out-right fraud. In the newly combined metropole services were unnecessarily duplicated. But, by far, the biggest financial drain was the failure to collect revenues for services, which ranged from rent (rates) to utilities. Part of this failure

1768-651: The only units to drive out in formation. The remaining (7th) battery of the regiment was first attached to 7 Field Regiment and took part in the fighting at El Alamein in October 1942. It subsequently joined 4/22nd Field Regiment, South African Artillery and saw action throughout the Italian Campaign . From 1960 to 1968, the THA was affiliated to the University of the Witwatersrand and was known as

1820-482: The overarching Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, also known as the "Transitional Metropolitan Council" for the city. The government of Johannesburg's metropolitan area evolved over a seven-year period from 1993, when no metropolitan government existed under apartheid, to the establishment in December 2000 of today's Metropolitan Municipality. An "interim phase" commenced with the 1993 Constitution . This saw

1872-590: The president at the official parade to commemorate the Day of Reconciliation and also in honour of the late President Nelson Mandela at the occasion of the unveiling of this statue at the Union Buildings . 11 Field Postal Unit G6 howitzer The G6 , sometimes denoted as the G6 Rhino , is a South African self-propelled howitzer . It was developed as a turreted, self-propelled variant of

1924-414: The primary targets of their raids, forcing the G6 crews to constantly shift positions after each bombardment. The G6s themselves were considered so valuable that an air defence contingent from South Africa's 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment was subsequently attached to the battery for the remainder of the campaign. The G6 is not known to have seen combat again until 2015, when a single battery was deployed with

1976-411: The relative success of iGoli 2002, the city undertook a number of initiatives both to help equalise municipal services benefits, such as the water utility's Free Basic Water policy, and to curb fraud and increase payment percentages, such as the water utility's Operation Gcin'amanzi to repipe areas to eliminate siphonage and to install water meters for excess use. For the first six years the municipality

2028-453: The total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received). Ward Councillors have more local responsibilities, including setting up Ward Committees in their wards to raise local issues, commenting on town planning and other local matters in their ward, and liaising with local ratepayers' and residents' associations. PR Councillors are usually allocated to more political tasks within their party structures and within

2080-540: Was a regiment dependent on horse transport from the start. His adjutant was Brevet-Major J.W.F Lamont, Royal Field Artillery . Lys would resign in January 1905 and Major A. Langebrink took over command. The uniform was in the style of the Royal Household Artillery with the silver substituted by gold. Its first honorary colonel was Thomas Cullinan . The regiment's name was changed six months later to

2132-535: Was a result of the anti-apartheid boycott of paying the government. In 1999, Johannesburg appointed a city manager to reshape the city's ailing financial situation. The manager, together with the Municipal Council, drew up a blueprint called "iGoli 2002". This was a restructuring plan to be completed in 2002, that called upon the government to sell non-core assets, restructure certain utilities, and required that all others become self-sufficient. The plan

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2184-623: Was administered in eleven numbered regions, which were: "Region 1": Diepsloot, Kya Sand; "Region 2": Midrand, Ivory Park; "Region 3": Sandton, Rosebank, Fourways, Sunninghill, Woodmead, Strijdom Park; "Region 4": Northcliff, Rosebank, Parktown; "Region 5": Roodepoort, Northgate, Constantia Kloof; "Region 6": Doornkop, Soweto, Dobsonville, Protea Glen; "Region 7": Alexandra, Wynberg, Bruma; "Region 8": Inner City (Johannesburg CBD); "Region 9": Johannesburg South, South Gate, Aeroton, City Deep; "Region 10": Diepkloof, Meadowlands; "Region 11": Ennerdale, Orange Farm, Lenasia. The present day City of Johannesburg

2236-563: Was created accordingly as a category A municipality, giving it exclusive executive and legislative power over its area. The new post-apartheid administration was the "Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council" (GJMC), also known as the "Transitional Metropolitan Council", created in 1995. The council adopted the slogan " One City, One Taxpayer " to highlight its primary goal of addressing unequal tax revenue distribution. To this end, revenue from wealthy, traditionally white areas would pay for services needed in poorer, black areas. The City Council

2288-411: Was created from eleven existing local authorities, seven of which were white and four black or coloured . The white authorities were 90% self-sufficient from property tax and other local taxes, and produced and spent R 600 (US$ 93) per person in municipal services, while the black authorities were only 10% self-sufficient, spending R 100 (US$ 15) per person in municipal services. Although Johannesburg

2340-538: Was decentralised initially into eleven regions, named simply Region 1 to Region 11, which were largely unrelated to the 11 former apartheid administrations. The new numbered regions were subsequently consolidated, in the summer of 2006, to seven regions named Region A to Region G. The current regions are: Each region is operationally responsible for the delivery of health care, housing , sports and recreation , libraries , social development , and other local community-based services, and each region has

2392-501: Was divided initially into seven municipal substructures (MSSs), rationalised within a year to four MSSs, each with a substantially autonomous authority or "Metropolitan Local Council" (MLC) that was to be overseen by the central metropolitan council. Furthermore, the municipal boundaries were expanded to include wealthy satellite towns like Sandton and Randburg , poorer neighbouring townships such as Soweto and Alexandra , and informal settlements like Orange Farm . The four MLCs were:

2444-497: Was divided into eleven administrative regions, these new divisions did not correspond to the areas governed by the former local authorities. Later, in 2006, the number of administrative regions was consolidated, from eleven to seven (see § Regions ). The reason given was to separate powers between the legislative and executive bodies of the City. Nonetheless, according to the opposition party, fraud, theft and non-payment still remained problems as of 2013 . In fiscal year 2011,

2496-461: Was engineered to be mine-resistant and blastproof, allowing it to survive multiple TM-46 detonations during trials. The G6 was conceived as a wheeled rather than a tracked vehicle for this purpose, as well as to allow it to deploy long distances by road without consuming excessive quantities of fuel or requiring a tank transporter . G6s entered service during the last two years of the South African Border War , frequently shelling positions held by

2548-529: Was formed as a "people-based" negotiating forum prior to holding a democratic election and the formation of a new administration for the Johannesburg area. Following the 1993 "Local Government Transition Act", the Greater Johannesburg Negotiating Forum was created, and this forum in September 1994 reached an agreement which entailed regrouping the suburbs into new municipal structures, the metropolitan local councils (MLCs), and

2600-536: Was removed from office through a motion of no confidence. She was succeeded by Al-Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad . Amad's tenure was short-lived and he resigned in April 2023. Kabelo Gwamanda , also of Al-Jama-ah, was elected to succeed him. The following table shows the results of the 2021 election. The city management team head office is the Metro Centre Complex in Braamfontein , which

2652-607: Was renumbered as the 3rd Citizen Battery (THA) in 1926, and reverted to the name Transvaal Horse Artillery in 1932. On the outbreak of World War II in 1939, it became the 3rd Field Brigade (THA) . During World War II , the THA first saw action against the Italians in Abyssinia . The regiment's most memorable action during the war was during the battle of Sidi Rezegh in the Western Desert on 23 November 1941. As

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2704-535: Was strongly opposed by unions who feared a loss of jobs. In 1999 the Municipal Demarcation Board conducted a study of metropolitan areas and other large councils, and found that Johannesburg should be declared as a "category A" municipality. The following Local Government Municipal Systems Act no. 32 of 2000 replaced the GJMC, its four MLCs and also the neighbouring Midrand Local Authority, with

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