The City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of the East Rand region of Gauteng. The municipality itself is a large suburban region east of Johannesburg. The name Ekurhuleni means place of peace in XiTsonga. Ekurhuleni is one of the five districts of Gauteng province and one of the eight metropolitan municipalities of South Africa. The seat of Ekurhuleni is Germiston. The city is home to South Africa's busiest airport, OR Tambo International Airport, which is located in the Kempton Park area of Ekurhuleni. History The municipality was established in 2000, the result of a merger between the Eastern Gauteng Services Council, the Khayalami Metropolitan Council, and the previous municipalities of Alberton, Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan, Edenvale/Lethabong, Germiston, Kempton Park/Tembisa, Nigel and Springs. The planned expansion of Ekurhuleni through the abolition of the Lesedi Local Municipality, which includes Heidelberg, and its absorption into Ekurhuleni after the 2016 municipal elections, were blocked by the High Court of South Africa in 2015. The name Ekurhuleni meaning place of peace alludes to the fact that the East Rand townships were the site of severe political violence between supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC in the early 1990s, prior to South Africa's first non-racial elections in 1994. Geography Ekurhuleni lies on the highveld plateau at about 1600 metres in altitude above sea level (asl). The highest elevation is at the Gillooly's Ridge – Bill Stewart Side – Fisher's Hill at 1772 metres asl. The lowest point is at 1552 metres asl. The city is rich in wetlands, pans, streams and rivers. The city is highly urbanised; however, the north especially has high-potential agricultural land. Climate Ekurhuleni has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb) according to the Köppen-Geiger Climate classification. This is a temperate climate of warm summers and dry winters. In the winter months (May - October) the city has a diurnal temperature pattern with a high amplitude, as temperatures can range from freezing at night to mid 20s °C in the day. The main precipitation falls between October and March with a monthly average precipitation of up to 148mm which falls usually in convective thundershowers. The daily maximum temperatures in October–March are on average 27°C. The Winter is mostly dry with only a few cold fronts reaching the highveld from the southern Atlantic Ocean. Main places The 2011 census divided the municipality into inter alia