The business community on the West Rand doubts the government will be able to successfully merge the region's municipalities in a short space of time. Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Pravin Gordhan has placed an application to the Municipal Demarcation Board for the Merafong, Westonaria, Randfontein and Mogale City municipalities to be merged .All four municipalities heavily depended on mining activity to sustain themselves financially . Now that mining has declined, informal settlements have mushroomed and the number of people who can pay rates has sharply declined.Yesterday, the demarcation board held public hearings in Krugersdorp, Mogale City.Dennis Pretorius, CEO of the West Rand Chamber of Business and Tourism, said forums had for five years debated the four municipalities merging into a single metro - to no avail.He said: "In fact, the local municipalities did not support that vision [of a single metro]."Because of the failure of the administration and politicians to implement, we do not believe a metro can now be implemented in 10 months. It is not possible. The costs are enormous. We might support a process that works towards a metro over a longer period of time. But to try to do this by the 2016 elections is almost doomed to fail."But Boyce Maneli, ANC West Rand regional chairman, said the forums failed because there was no legal framework in place then.Maneli said though the municipalities currently struggled to attract skilled people, once merged the combined resources would lure professionals to the area .The demarcation board is expected to reach a decision in time for the Independent Electoral Commission to prepare for next year's local government elections.A final decision will be gazetted before the end of August...