District Management Area

A District Management Area (abbreviated DMA) is the name for a South African administrative unit. The name means " District Managed Area ".

South Africa is administratively into communes (English Municipality ) divided. There are three different categories:

  • Category A: Metropolitan Municipality (English Metropolitan Municipality )
  • Category B: (local ) communities (English Local Municipality )
  • Category C: district ( communities ) (English District Municipality )

The area of South Africa and the people are divided into Category B municipalities, which are in turn grouped into districts. Exceptions are the metropolitan municipalities and the District Management Areas. In the latter sparsely populated areas are summarized. Often it involves national parks or other protected areas.

DMAs are directly subordinate to the district administration. This assumes all of the duties that would otherwise fall to the local community, such as the provision of the necessary infrastructure.

The Municipal Demarcation Board has laid down three conditions for the establishment of DMAs:

  • Deserts and semi-arid regions; they are sparsely populated and account for a third of South Africa from.
  • State- protected and other conservation areas
  • Areas with special economic characteristics that are of national strategic importance.

The interior of the DMAs was controversial from the start because they are not provided for in the Constitution. There only the three categories of municipalities are defined. A constitutional complaint was dismissed on the grounds that the DMAs are among the districts and thus do not form a separate municipality category.

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