Career patterns of local politicians: The case of metropolitan mayors

Abstract

Local government is emerging as a strong third sphere of government. Within local government, metropolitan cities are coming out as powerful institutions. Meanwhile, the discussion on the role of provincial governments is raging. Instead of looking at constitutional or managerial aspects of local and provincial governments, this article looks at the impact of the emergence of local government on the career patterns of politicians. How have political parties reacted to this new sphere of government in terms of their politicians’ career management? What does this say about the role, function and importance of the three levels of government in South Africa? An overview of the history of metropolitan mayors and their profiles, albeit very limited in timespan and scope, reveals some interesting career patterns