MunN5E Text

Municipal Administration N5Avril Kruger

Published by Future Managers (Pty) LtdPO Box 13194, Mowbray, 7705Tel (021) 462 3572Fax (021) 462 3681E-mail: [email protected]: www.futuremanagers.net

FutureManagers

© Future Managers 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright owner.

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ISBN 978-1-77581-042-1

This book was compiled for students studying towards the National Certificate in Public Management N5 at FET colleges. The book was compiled using the syllabus for Municipal Administration N5.

First published 2013

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ContentsModule 1 – The origin of municipal authorities1. Origin of municipal authorities ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Development of urban areas ....................................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Up to the end of the 18th century ................................................................................................. 2 1.2.2 The 19th century .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 The stages of development of urban areas ................................................................................................. 3 1.3.1 Division of urban areas into sections or parts .......................................................................... 4 1.3.2 Squatter camps ................................................................................................................................. 4 1.3.3 Slums ................................................................................................................................................. 5 1.3.4 Tribal villages ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Origin of towns and cities............................................................................................................................ 6 1.4.1 Characteristics of the development of towns and cities ............................................................. 6 1.5 Procedures and conditions for development in a town/city ................................................................... 8 1.5.1 The procedure for the establishment/development of a town or city ...................................... 9 1.5.2 Conditions imposed on applications for new development ...................................................... 9 1.5.3 Control over buildings and requirements for buildings ............................................................. 9 1.6 The emergence of local authorities ........................................................................................................... 10 1.6.1 Local authorities during the transfer of authority from the Dutch to the British ................ 11 1.7 Regional services councils ......................................................................................................................... 11 1.7.1 Financing of regional service councils ........................................................................................ 11 1.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 11

Review questions ........................................................................................................................................................ 12

Module 2 – Reason for existence of municipal authorities1. The reason for existence of local government .................................................................................................. 14 1.2. Reasons for existence of municipalities ................................................................................................... 14 1.3. Summary................................. ..................................................................................................................... 15

Review question ....... ................................................................................................................................................... 15

Module 3 – Environment in which municipal authorities function1. Environment in which municipal authorities function .................................................................................. 18 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 18 1.2 Environmental factors ................................................................................................................................ 18 1.2.1 Physical factor ................................................................................................................................ 18 1.2.2 Social factor .................................................................................................................................... 20 1.2.3 Economic factor ............................................................................................................................. 21 1.2.4 Judicial factor ................................................................................................................................ 22 1.2.5 Political factor ................................................................................................................................ 22 1.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 23

Review questions ........................................................................................................................................................ 23

Module 4 – The structure of a local authority1. Services rendered by and powers of, municipal authorities ........................................................................... 26 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 26 1.2 Structure of a local authority ..................................................................................................................... 26 1.3 Characteristics of services ......................................................................................................................... 27 1.4 Classification of services ............................................................................................................................ 27 1.4.1 Ambulance services ....................................................................................................................... 28 1.4.2 Cemeteries and crematoria .......................................................................................................... 28

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1.4.3 Electricity ........................................................................................................................................ 29 1.4.4 Environmental pollution .............................................................................................................. 29 1.4.5 Health services ............................................................................................................................... 30 1.4.6 Housing ........................................................................................................................................... 31 1.4.7 Library services .............................................................................................................................. 32 1.4.8 Licences ........................................................................................................................................... 32 1.4.9 Parks and sports grounds ............................................................................................................. 33 1.4.10 Rubbish and night-soil removal .................................................................................................. 33 1.4.11 Town and city planning ............................................................................................................... 34 1.4.12 Water provision ............................................................................................................................. 34 1.5 Powers of municipal authorities ............................................................................................................... 35 1.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 35

Module 5 – Levels of government1. Relations between municipal authorities and between municipalities and other levels of the hierarchy .......................................................................................................................................... 38 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 38 1.2 Levels of government ................................................................................................................................. 38 1.3 Relations between local authorities and central government institutions. ......................................... 39 1.3.1 The role of Parliament .................................................................................................................. 40 1.3.2 Role of the State President ............................................................................................................ 40 1.3.3 Role of Cabinet .............................................................................................................................. 40 1.4 The relationship between local authorities and provincial government institutions ........................ 41 1.5. Relations and co-operation with other local authorities ....................................................................... 41 1.6 Conclusion...... ............................................................................................................................................. 42

Review questions ......................................................................................................................................................... 42

Module 6 – Who has the right to vote or qualifies as a voter1. Municipal elections .............................................................................................................................................. 44 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 44 1.2 Right to vote (voter qualifications) ........................................................................................................... 44 1.2.1 Reasons for disqualification of voter ........................................................................................... 44 1.3 Voters’ roll .................................................................................................................................................... 45 1.3.1. Procedure for preparing a voters’ roll ......................................................................................... 45 1.4 Electoral wards ............................................................................................................................................ 45 1.5 Elections ....................................................................................................................................................... 46 1.5.1 Activities prior to election day ..................................................................................................... 46 1.5.2 Election day .................................................................................................................................... 48 1.6 Party politics ................................................................................................................................................ 51 1.6.1 Advantages of political party involvement in municipal elections ......................................... 51 1.6.2 Disadvantages of political party involvement in municipal elections .................................... 51 1.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 52


Module 7 – Councillors1. Municipal councillors .......................................................................................................................................... 54 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 54 1.2 Qualifications needed to be elected as councillor .................................................................................. 54 1.3 Reasons for being disqualified from election as a councillor ............................................................... 54 1.4 Conditions under which councillors serve / Code of conduct ............................................................. 54 1.4.1 General conduct of councillors.................................................................................................... 55 1.4.2 Attendance at meetings ................................................................................................................. 55

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1.4.3 Sanctions for non-attendance of meetings ................................................................................. 55 1.4.4 Withdrawal from meetings .......................................................................................................... 55 1.4.5 Vested interest in council contracts ............................................................................................ 55 1.4.6 Personal gain .................................................................................................................................. 56 1.4.7 Declaration of interest ................................................................................................................... 56 1.4.8 Councillors acting as agents ......................................................................................................... 56 1.4.9 Bribery and corruption ................................................................................................................. 56 1.4.10 Exemption from personal liability .............................................................................................. 56 1.4.11 Appointment as an official of a council ...................................................................................... 57 1.4.12 Rewards, gifts and favours ............................................................................................................ 57 1.4.13 Unauthorised disclosure of information .................................................................................... 57 1.4.14 Intervention in administration .................................................................................................... 57 1.4.15 Council property ........................................................................................................................... 57 1.5 Status of councillors ................................................................................................................................... 57 1.6 Functions of councillors ............................................................................................................................ 58 1.6.1 Representation ............................................................................................................................... 58 1.6.2 Participation in committees ......................................................................................................... 58 1.6.3 Deliberation in council meetings ................................................................................................ 58 1.6.4 Public liaison .................................................................................................................................. 59 1.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 59


Module 8 – Mayors1. Office-bearers of municipal councils ................................................................................................................. 62 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 62 1.2 The mayor .................................................................................................................................................... 62 1.2.1 Election of mayor (executive or non-executive mayor) ........................................................... 62 1.2.2 Functions and powers of executive mayors ............................................................................... 63 1.3 Deputy mayors ............................................................................................................................................ 64 1.4 Chairpersons of committees ..................................................................................................................... 64 1.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 64


Module 9 – Committee system1. Committee systems of muncipal councils ........................................................................................................ 68 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 68 1.2. The executive committee (previously known as the single or management committee) ................. 68 1.2.1 Composition of the executive committee................................................................................... 68 1.2.2 Powers and functions of the executive committee .................................................................... 68 1.2.3 Advantages ..................................................................................................................................... 69 1.2.4 Disadvantages ................................................................................................................................ 69 1.3 Committees to assist executive committees or executive mayors (previously known as multiple committees) ................................................................................................................................. 69 1.3.1 Advantages of the multiple committee system (portfolio committees) ................................. 71 1.3.2 Disadvantages of the multiple committee system .................................................................... 71 1.4 Metropolitan sub-councils ...................................................................................................................... 71 1.4.1 Composition of metropolitan sub-councils ............................................................................... 71 1.4.2 Functions and powers of sub-councils ....................................................................................... 72 1.5 Ward committees ........................................................................................................................................ 73 1.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 74

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Module 10 – Meeting procedures of municipal councils1. Meeting procedures of municipal councils ....................................................................................................... 76 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 76 1.2 Rules of meeting procedures / standing orders ...................................................................................... 76 1.3 Reports ......................................................................................................................................................... 77 1.4 Notice of meeting ....................................................................................................................................... 78 1.5 Agenda ......................................................................................................................................................... 78 1.5.1 Format of agenda ........................................................................................................................... 78 1.5.2 Compilation of the agenda ........................................................................................................... 79 1.5.3 Rules for submission of agenda items. ........................................................................................ 80 1.5.4 Different agendas for the same meeting ..................................................................................... 80 1.5.5 Statutory provisions ...................................................................................................................... 80 1.6 Minutes ........................................................................................................................................................ 80 1.6.1 Order of items ................................................................................................................................ 81 1.6.2 Content ........................................................................................................................................... 81 1.6.3 Types of minutes ............................................................................................................................ 82 1.6.4 Compilation ................................................................................................................................... 82 1.6.5 Indexing .......................................................................................................................................... 82 1.6.6 Statutory provisions ..................................................................................................................... 83 1.7 Chairman .................................................................................................................................................... 83 1.7.1 Functions of the chairperson ....................................................................................................... 83 1.7.2 Powers of chairman ...................................................................................................................... 84 1.7.3 Cycle of events during a meeting ................................................................................................ 84 1.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 85


Bibliography............ ................................................................................................................................... 87

Symbol key

Self-activity

Group activity

Remember/Definition

Did you know?

Note

Discussion Point/ Pause for Thought

Example

Case study

Module 1

The origin of municipal authorities

After completion of this module you should be able to:

• ExplainthedevelopmentofurbanareasinSouthAfrica – Discussslums,tribalvillagesandsquattercampsaspartoftown/city development• Demonstrateanunderstandingoftheoriginsoftownsandcities – Discussthecharacteristicsofthedevelopmentofatownorcity – Discusstheproceduresandconditionsforestablishingatown – Discussthecontroloverbuildings• Explaintheemergenceoflocalauthorities• Demonstrateanunderstandingoftheroleofregionalservicescouncils

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1. Origin of municipal authorities

1.1 Introduction

All of us live in a town, city or urban area. The development of municipal authorities in South Africa has an interesting history, dating back to 1652.

This is not a history lesson on local government, but we need to have a basic understanding of how municipal authorities arrived at the state on which they were, by 1993.

1.2 Development of urban areas

1.2.1 Up to the end of the 18th century

• WhenJanVanRiebeecksetfootattheCapeofGoodHopein1652,nocommunitieswereyetestablished.

• CapeTownwasthefirsturbanareatobedevelopedinSouthernAfrica.• TheDutchsettlersgovernedthecolonyfrom1652till1795,andforashortperiodfrom1803till

1806,onacentralisedbasis.• Asystemconsistingoflanddrostenandheemradenwasestablished,wheredecisionsweremade

with majority vote. • Thelanddrostwasagovernmentofficialwithlocalfunctions.• Theheemradenwerewhitecitizensappointedbygovernor.Inlateryearstheheemradenwere

elected. • ThissystemwastakenbytheVoortrekkerstotheBoerRepublicsandwasusedtillreplacedby

Britishsystems.

1.2.2 The 19th century

• From1795till1803,andagainfrom1806till1910,theBritishruledthecoloniesandinfluencedthe development of local government.

• TheVoortrekkersmovedtotheeastandnorthofthecolonyandintheprocessurbanareaswerecreated.

• PortElizabethwascreatedasamilitarystationin1799,andafterthearrivaloftheBritishSettlersin1920,developedquickly.

• Durbanwascreatedin1828,afterKingChakaoftheZuluscededtheareawhereDurbanislocated,toNathanielIsaacs.

• In1839PietermaritzburgbecamethecapitalofNatal.• BloemfonteinwasdevelopedandbecamethecapitaloftheOrangeFreeStatein1846.• Kimberleydevelopedafterthediscoveryofdiamondsin1867.• Johannesburgwasestablishedafterthediscoveryofgoldin1886.• In1855PretoriabecamethecapitalofTransvaal.

Ordinancesthatsetouttheprinciplesoflocaltaxandtheelectionofcouncillors,werepassedinthetwoBritishColoniesoftheCapeandNatal.In1854anewordinancewhichwasbasedonthelocalgovernmentlawsinEngland,waspassedintheNatalcolony.


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For the first time in South Africa the following concepts were established:• Townswereconstitutedaslegalcorporatebodies.• Representativeswereelectedbyvotersregisteredonavoters’roll.• Thetowncouncildecidedonlocaltax(rates)leviedonvaluedproperties.• Auditorshadtoaudittransactionsofallmunicipalactivities.• TheTownClerkandotherseniorofficialswereappointedandnotelectedatapublicmeeting.• Thecommitteesystemofmakingdecisionswasintroduced.

1.3 The stages of development of urban areas

Urbanareaswentthroughdifferentstages,fromafewpeoplelivingtogether,tothousandslivinginasmallarea.Thestagescanbeidentifiedasfollows:

• Hamlet:Asmallsettlementinaruralareawithonlyafewhouses

• Village:Agroupofhousesandassociatedbuildings,largerthanahamletandsmallerthanatown,situatedinaruralarea.

• Town:Anurbanareathathasaname,definedboundariesandamunicipality-itislargerthanavillageandsmallerthanacity

• City:Alargeurbanareawithalargepopulationandbusinesses

Formanyyearspeoplelivedinsmallvillagesoronfarmsandhadtosatisfytheirownneeds.

Thebasicneedsthathadtobesatisfiedwere:• Water:Peoplehadtofetchandcarrytheirownwaterfromstreamsorrivers.• Lighting:Fires,candlesandparaffinlampswereusedforlighting.• Heatenergy:Firewoodwascollectedforfiresorcoalwasboughtforstovesandparaffinfor lampsandprimusstoves.• Foodandmeat:Animalswereslaughteredformeat,andmaize,grains,fruitandvegetableswere grownforownuse.

Peopleonfarmsprovidedforthemselvesand,withtheassistanceofneighboursandfamily,couldproducetheirownfood.Asthenumberofpeopleincreasedonthefarms,therewasnotenoughworkforeverybodyandsomepeoplemovedtourbanareastofindwork.Thismovementtourbanareastofindwork(urbanisation)isthereasonforthedevelopmentoftownsandcities.

Whitepeoplecouldaffordtobuyorrenthousesintownsandcities.ColouredandBlackpeoplewhocouldnotaffordtobuyorrenthouses,erecteddwellingswhichtheycouldafford.Theseareaswerecalled“locations”andlatertownships.

Hamlet

Atownshipisusuallyatownorpartofatown.Historically,‘township’inSouthAfricareferredtoanurbanresidentialareacreatedforblackmigrantlabour,beyondthetownorcitylimits.Referenceissometimesmadeto‘blacktownship’,‘colouredtownship’and‘Indiantownship’,meaningthatthesesettlementswerecreatedforthesepopulationgroups.Bycontrast,thewhitepopulationresidedinsuburbs.Informalsynonymsfortownshipare‘location’,‘lokasie’,’ilogishi’.

Generally,everytown/cityhasoneorseveraltownshipsassociatedwithit.(www.statssa.gov.za)

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1.3.1 Division of urban areas into sections or parts

Most urban areas developed in the same manner with certain sections and parts which can be identifiedasfollows:

• Suburbs:areasreservedfordivisionintobuildingstands(plots)forhousesandchurches

• Streetsandsidewalksforvehiclesandpedestrians

• Parks,sportsgroundsandcemeteries

• Businessareas:areaszonedforbusinesses,usuallywithacentralbusinessdistrict(CBD)

• Industrialsites:areasdividedintoindustrialsitesforfactories

• Publicbuildings:areasforschools,libraries,museums,prisons,magistrateofficesandrailwaystations

Activity 1Identifyallthedifferentsections/partsoftheurbanareathatyoupassedthroughfromthetimeyoulefthometilltheyougottocollege,aswellasthoseyouwentontovisitduringtheday.

Thisorderlydivisionofurbanareasiscalledland-usezoningandisimportantinareaswherealargenumber of people live and work together.

• A town plan is prepared for the area indicating the purpose and use of each piece of land, e.g. Suburb, business area, etc.

• Theareasreservedforsuburbsmustbedividedintosmallstands(plots)whichpeoplecanbuyto build houses on.

• Duetoalargerdemandforplots,thepricewillincrease.• Inanyurbanareatherearecertainareaswithlargerplotsforricherpeople.• Smaller and more affordable plots will also be made available.

1.3.2 Squatter camps

Squatter campscanbedefinedasunplannedsettlements,consistingmainlyofinformaldwellings(shacks),onlandwhichhasnotbeensurveyedorproclaimedasresidential.

Withthemovementofpeoplefromthefarmsandruralareastotheurbanareas,problemsareexperiencedwithsufficientandsuitablehousing.Normallypeoplewillbuyaplotandbuildahouse,orbuyorrentahouseorflat.

Alotofpeopledonothavethemeanstobuyorbuildhousesandhavetofindashelterorplacetostay.Urbanareasalsodonothaveenoughhousingavailablefortheinfluxofpeopletotheseareas. InSouthAfrica,peoplehavestartedbuildingsheltersonanyopenpieceofland,whichusuallybelongs to the local authority or a private individual. Any type of material like cardboard, timber, tins or plastic is used to build shelters. This type of informal erection of dwellings, is called a squattercamp.


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Characteristics of squatter camps• Theareaisnotdividedintobuildingstandsor

plots.• Nostreetsarefound.• Noprovisionismadeforessentialservices

suchaswater,electricityandrubbishandnightsoilremoval.

• Thedwellingserectedarenotsafe.Ifafirebreaksoutinoneofthedwellings,itspreadsquicklytotheneighbouringdwellings.

• Peopleinvadelandanddonotpayforit.• Livingconditionsintheseareasarevery

unhealthybecausealotofpeopleliveinasmallarea.

• Thehousesarebuiltveryclosetooneanother.Thisresultsintheareabeingverydenselypopulatedandhavingahighcrimerate.

Squattercampsarenottheidealsolution,buttheyprovidehousingforalargenumberofpeoplewhocannotaffordanythingelse.Ifmunicipalitiestrytorelocatepeopletheygetalotofresistancebecausethesquatterspreferlivingintheseconditions.Solutions for squatter camps• Upgradesquattercampsintoproperurbanareas.• Divideopenlandintobuildingstands.• Improveconstructionofdwellings.• Providestreetsandessentialservices.• Thestatecanmakefullyservicedstandsavailabletopeople.• Properbuildingmaterialscanbemadeavailable.

1.3.3 Slums

• Slumsdevelopwhenpeopleneglecttheirhousesorotherbuildingsandallowthemtodeterioratetosuchanextentthattheybecomedangeroustolivein.

• Povertyisthemainreasonfortheappearanceofslums.• Themunicipalitiesshouldhavestrictrulesandmeasuresinplacetopreventpeoplefrom

endangeringotherpeople’slivesbyerectingunsafebuildingsorneglectingproperties.• Ifmunicipalitiesdiscoveraslum,theownerofthepropertymustbeorderedtorepair,cleanor

upgradetheproperty.• Iftheownerrefusestocarryoutsuchorders,thepropertymustbedemolishedtoensurethe

safetyofpeople.

1.3.4 Tribal villages

Tribalvillagescanbedefinedassettlementsinatribalarea.Avillagehasboundaries,whichincludepopulatedandalsoagriculturalareas,e.g.grazingandcroplandorforests.Villagesareunderthejurisdictionoftribalauthorities,headedbychiefs,whilesub-chiefsaredirectprincipalsofvillages.

• Tribalvillagesareusuallyfoundamongstblackpopulationgroups.• Rulesandprocessesofurbanareasarenotfollowedintribalvillages.• Tribalvillagesaregovernedbyinformalruleswhichareenforcedupontheinhabitantsbythe

tribalchiefs.

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• Thelandbelongstothetribe.• Theareaisnotdividedintobuildingstandsand

streets.

There are certain advantages, but also certain disadvantages for tribal villages.

Advantagesoftribalvillages:• Peopleconstructtheirownhouses,whichgives

them self respect and independence.• Peoplefulfiltheirownneedsaccordingtotheir

abilitiesandexpectations.

Disadvantagesoftribalvillages:• Noessentialserviceslikewater,electricityandrefuseremovalareprovided,whichcancause

unhealthy conditions.• Largepiecesoflandareusedunproductivelybecausetribalvillagesarenotdenselypopulated

and agricultural land is wasted.

Ifatribalvillagebecomesdenselypopulated,itcancausealotofhealthandsafetyproblems.Ifthishappens, it should be declared an urban area and dealt with according to the rules and regulations that apply in urban areas.

1.4 Origin of towns and cities

Whydidpeoplesettleinaspecificplace?Peopledeliberately chose a place for various reasons such as the availability of water; the presence of minerals, diamonds or gold, and the safety of thecommunity.Communitieswereestablished,which became permanent settlements. These settlements were well organised and able to support and maintain community structures. The settlerment went through the stages from hamlet, village, town and eventually cities were established. These early settlements were a form of local government.Therewererules,orderandactivities.Wherepeopleconcentrateinaspecificplace,aspontaneous form of government develops.

Themainpurposeoftownsandcitiesistoserveasaplacetoliveandwork.Peoplebuildhouses,protect themselves, go to work and take part in community life.

All towns or cities develop for their own reasons, but there are four characteristics which will identify any town or city.

1.4.1 Characteristics of the development of towns and cities

Ecological environment• Atownorcitywilldevelopinaspecificecologicalenvironment.• Itwilleitherbeclosetoariver,thesea,tradingroutes,minesormountainsforprotection.• Whenpeoplestartdevelopinganarea,theywillreconstructtheenvironmenttosatisfytheir

needs. • Theywillcutdowntrees,fillhollows,makeexcavationsorbuildupagainstmountainstosatisfy

their needs.


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Physical structure • Physicalstructuresareman-madebuildingslikechurches,tradingstores,schools,etc.• These physical structures play an important role in in the economic development of a town or

city.• SomeexpertssaythatinSouthAfricathefirstbuildingsintownswerechurches.• Then trading stores and businesses developed around the churches. • MostofthetownsinSouthAfricahaveachurchinthemiddleofthetown,forexample,

BeaufortWest.

Human beings have to exist• Peoplehaveneedsthatmustbesatisfied,andwhenalotofpeopleliveinthesamearea,different

needsexist.• Tosatisfytheseneedsandmaintainorderinthecommunity,atypeofgovernmenthadtobe

formed. • That was the starting point for local government. • Municipalities were established to maintain order in the community and they even provided

work for inhabitants.

Communication channels• Communicationchannelsarethenetworkthatlinkpeople,othertownsandcities,thestation

and harbour. • Roadsandstreets,telephoneandinternetcables,electricitycablesandpipelinesareneededto

connect services and people. • The planning departments of municipalities include communication channels in the plans for

development of the city or town.

Personalcommunications

Healthcareservices

Transportationsystem Smartbuildings

Communicationnetworks

Wirelesscomminication

Smartgrid

Processindustry

Types of communication channels which must be included in the development plans of cities/towns

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1.5 Procedures and conditions for development in a town/city

Ifanownerofapieceoflandwantstodevelopthatpieceofland,therearevariousproceduresthatmust be followed, as there are conditions imposed on the development by the municipality and requirementsthatmustbefulfilledforthedevelopmenttogoahead.

The owner of the land can be an individual person, a company, provincial or central government or thelocalauthorityitself.Ifthesub-divisionofoneormorestands(plots)isrequired,theprocessisnot so complicated.

Ownerobtainsapproval,divideslandandsellsstandswhichareregisteredwith

theRegistrarofDeedsbeforeapplicationcanbemadefor

developmenttobegin.Conditions to be met

-supplyofwaterandelectricity-entrytostreets-businessawayfromresidentialareas

Control & requirements -suburbimagenotaffected-buildingshygienic&safe-withproperventilation-meetfoundation&heightofwallrequirements.

Procedure (Ord 85 of 85) -apply&submit26copies-applicationconsideredbycouncil&Administratorwhocanapproveorreject

Belowisasummaryoftheprocedurethatmustbefollowedbeforenewdevelopmentortheestablishment of a new town can take place. This will be discussed in detail in this section.

Whendevelopmentofalargeareaisundertaken,provisionmustbemadefor:• streetsandsidewalks• waterandelectricityreticulation• publicbuildings• parks• refusedumpsites• residentialandbusinessareas.

The procedure for the development of land takes time, and the following administrative processes have to take place:• Thedevelopmentmustbeapprovedbytheprovincialgovernment.• Ownershipmustbetransferredfromoneownertoanother.• Thestandshavetobeaccuratelymeasuredanddivided.• ThedeedofsalemustberegisteredbytheRegistrarofDeedsoftheprovince.• TheRegistrarofDeedsmustrecordthesaleinthepropertyregister.


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1.5.1 The procedure for the establishment/development of a town or city

The development and use of land and buildings are generally controlled in terms of various laws and regulations,forexample,theLandUsePlanningOrdinance(Ordinance15of1985)andNationalBuildingRegulations.

The procedure is as follows:• TheapplicantmustapplyinwritingtotheDirectorofCommunityDevelopmentofthespecific

local authority.• Thenecessarycompletedforms,plans,documentsandfeesmustbehandedinwiththe

application.• 26copiesoftheapplicationmustbesubmittedforthevariousgovernmentinstitutions,suchas

SARSandPostOffice,thatneedtobenotified.• Ifthelandfallsoutsidethebordersofanexistingmunicipality,anewtownmaybeestablished

with a new name.• TheDirectorofCommunityDevelopmentwillinformtheSurveyorGeneraloftheprovinceof

the application.• Theapplicationwillthenbesubmittedtothecommitteeofthetowncouncildealingwithland

development.• TheintentionofdevelopmentispublishedintheProvincialGazetteandoneormorelocal

newspapers.• Anypersonwhowantstoobjecttotheproposeddevelopmentcaninspecttherelevant

documentsatthemunicipalcounciloffice.• Anobjectioncanbesubmittedtothecouncilcommitteedealingwithdevelopmentwithina

certain time limit.• Representationforthedevelopmentcanalsobesubmittedtothecommittee.• Iftheproposeddevelopmentlieswithinanexistingmunicipalityorwithinfivekilometresofits

boundary, the municipal council should give their comment.• Ifthetimelimitforrepresentationorobjectionshasexpired,thechairmanofthecouncil

committee will set dates for inspection as well as the time and venue for the hearing of objections and representations.

• Whentheinspectionsandhearingsareconcluded,thecouncilcommitteemakesarecommendation to the Administrator of the province.

• TheAdministratoroftheprovincemayapproveorrejecttheapplicationsorpostponethedecision.

1.5.2 Conditions imposed on applications for new development

• Provisionmustbemadeforthesupplyofwaterandelectricity.• Provisionmustbemadeforentrytostreetsandstands.• Landmustbesetasideforpublicpurposes,e.g.parks,schools,etc.• Feesasprescribedmustbepaid.• Businessstandsmustborderthemainstreetwithsufficientparkingspace.• Standsforindustriesshouldbesituatedawayfromresidentialstands.• Standsforflatsandhotelsshouldbelargerthanresidentialstands.• Layoutofdevelopmentmustmakeprovisionforeasyflowoftraffic.• TheproposeddevelopmentshouldmeetallrequirementsofOrdinancesandActsofParliament.

1.5.3 Control over buildings and requirements for buildings

AftertheapplicationprocesshabeencompletedandthedevelopmentapprovedbytheAdministrator of the province, the owners of the land may proceed with the erection of buildings.

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Authorities laid down standards for the erection of buildings in urban areas. - Detailedplansofthebuildingmustbesubmittedtothelocalauthority.- Localauthoritywillhavetoapproveplansorrequestamendments.

Ifplansareapproved,theconstructionofthebuildingcanbegin,butthelocalauthorityhascertaincommonrequirementsthatmustbemet.

Common requirements for the construction of buildings• Theimageandappearanceofthesuburbshouldnotbeaffectedby

the building.• Therightsandinterestsofneighboursshouldnotbeinfringedby

the building.• Buildingshouldbehygienicandsafe.• Buildingshouldnotcreatefireorhealthhazards.• Sufficientventilationshouldbeallowedforallrooms.• Specificationsregardingfoundationandheightofwallsshouldbe

met.• Flowoftrafficshouldnotbeobstructed.

1.6 The emergence of local authorities

• UrbandevelopmentstartedinCapeTownin1652.• Peoplestartedmovinginlandandby1682therewassomanypeoplesettledinthevicinityof

StellenboschthattheGovernoroftheCapeofGoodHopeappointedfourleadingfarmersasheemraden to solve disputes.

• Alandrost(magistrate)wasappointedin1685forStellenboschand,togetherwiththeheemraden, he served on a council to manage the local affairs of Stellenbosch and surrounding farms.

• Themattersdealtwithwerethemaintenanceandconstructionoffurrowstoconveywater,waterdivision, proper standards in construction of buildings and the removal of rubbish.

• Aspeoplemovedfurtherinland,morevillagesandcouncils(landrostandheemraden)wereestablished.

• Swellendamwasestablishedin1745andGraafReinetin1786.• ThecouncilsgovernedthesevillagesintheCapeColonyuntiltheywereabolishedbytheBritish

on31December1827.

1.6.1 Local authorities during the transfer of authority from the Dutch to the British

• From1785themunicipalaffairsofCapeTownwereadministeredbytheCollegevanCommisarisseuitdenRaadvanJustitiathatconsistedofthreeDutchandthreeprivatepersons.

• TheBritishtookovertheCapeColonyin1795andaBurgersenaatthatconsistedofsixprivatepersonsappointedbytheBritishreplacedtheCollege.

• In1802theBurgersenaatwasreplacedbytheRaadderGemeentewhentheDutchtookbacktheCapeColony.Thislastedforonlythreeyears.

• In1806itchangedbacktoaBurgersenaatwhentheBritishtookoveragain.• TheBurgersenaatwasabolishedon27December1827aswellastheCouncilofLandrostand

Heemradenintheruraltowns.• From1January1828theCapeColonyhadnolocalauthorities.• Localauthoritymatterswerehandledbytheresidentmagistrates.• MunicipalOrdinance9of1836wasapproved,whichmadeprovisionfortheelectionofasmall

number of commissioners to serve on the council.• Onlypersonswhopaidrateswereeligibletobeelectedascommissioners.


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• Ordinance9of1936servedasbasisforlegislationforlocalauthoritiesinNatal(1847),OrangeFreeState(1856)andtheTransvaal(1883).

1.7 Regional services councils

Althoughregionalservicescouncilshavebeenabolished,theywillbediscussedbriefly.

Withtheincreasingproblemsassociatedwithurbanisation,citieshaddevelopedinanuncontrolledmanner.Townsandcitiesclosetoeachotherhadtoco-operatewitheachothertoprovidethenecessary services.

TheRegionalServicesCouncilAct,1985(Act109of1985)establishedregionalservicescouncilstoassist with the performance of functions. The regional services councils were not forced on a local authority who could decide whether they want a regional services council or not. They could make arequesttotheMinisterofConstitutionalDevelopmentandsubmitplanningtoinstitutesuchacouncil in that area.

A regional service council consisted of a chairman appointed by the relevant provincial Administrator and as many members as determined by the Administrator.The members represented all local authorities in that region. The number of representatives allocated to each local authority was determined by the contribution of funds to the regional servicescouncil.Amaximumoffivememberswasallowed.

1.7.1 Financing of regional service councils

Financewasobtainedby:• Leviesonlocalauthoritiesbuyingservices• Donations,loansandstateappropriations• Finesforcontraveninglegislationofregionalservicescouncils• Interestondividends• Aregionalservicelevyonthesalaryofeachemployeeandemployer• Anestablishmentlevyontheturnoverofbusinesses

Regionalservicescouncilswereabolishedandleviesonpayrollswerestopped.

1.8 Conclusion

The development of urban areas and the establishment of local authorities in South Africa started in1652.Peoplestartedmovinginlandandsettledinareaswheretheycouldsurvive.Asmorepeople started living together, more services and order were needed, which resulted in a form of localgovernment.Localauthoritieswereestablishedthroughelectionbytheinhabitantsinordertorender such services.

As towns grew and cities were established, the development of vacant land had to be administered, and so procedures and conditions were laid down for developments which needed to be controlled by the local authority.

Althoughdifferenttypesofcouncilswereestablishedafter1652,itisclearthatwhetheritwasa village, town or city, a local government, with an elected council, was needed to manage that municipality.

Module 1

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Review questions

1. GiveashortexplanationofthedevelopmentoflocalauthoritiesinSouthAfricainthe18thand 19th centuries.

2. Urban areas went through different stages, from a few people living together, to thousands living in a small area. Name and describe the stages of urban development in South Africa.

3. FormanyyearstheurbanareasweresmallvillagesandmostpeopleinSouthAfricalived on farms where they had to satisfy their own needs. Name and describe how needs and servicesweresatisfiedbeforetheinceptionofmunicipalities.

4. Withtheinfluxofpeoplefromtheruraltotheurbanareas,problemsareexperiencedinfindingsuitablehousing.Manysettleforsquattercamps.

4.1ListSIXcharacteristicsofsquattercamps. 4.2ListFOURpossiblesolutionsforsquattercamps.

5. Tribalvillagescanbedefinedasasettlementinatribalareaunderthejurisdictionoftribalauthorities,headedbychiefs.GiveTWOadvantagesandTWOdisadvantagesoftribalvillages.

6. The origin of towns and cities can be traced back to the development of close communities. All towns or cities developed for its own reasons but there are four characteristics which willidentifyatownorcity.Discussthecharacteristicsofthedevelopmentofatownorcity.

7. TheestablishmentofatownofnewdevelopmentisprescribedinOrdinance15of1985.Explaintheprocedureforestablishingatownorforanewdevelopmentinanexistingmunicipality.

8. Theinitiativeoftownshipdevelopmentisvestedintheownerofthelandwhichcanbedivided into building stands or plots. The owner must take into consideration the conditions imposed on applicants. State the conditions imposed on applicants when establishing a town or new development.

9. Anyonewiththeintentionofconstructingafixedstructureorbuildingonaplot,oraddingtoanexistingbuilding,hastosubmitdetailedplanstothemunicipalitywhichwillinturnapproveoramendtheplans.Therearecertaincommonrequirementstobefollowed. ListSIXcommonrequirementswhenbuildingahouse.

10. NameSIXsourcesoffinanceforregionalservicescouncils.

Module 2

Reasons for the existence of municipal authorities


• Explainthereasonsfortheexistenceofmunicipalauthorities.

Module 2

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1. Local government

Local government in the form of municipalities is important for many reasons; not only that it is the level of government closest to the millions of citizens of South Africa, but also that it is constitutionally responsible for providing a range of services to satisfy the needs of citizens.Many reasons are given for and against the existence of local government. As more services are delegated from central government to local authorities, the importance of the role of municipalities in the government and administration of the country cannot be overlooked.

1.1 Reasons for the existence of municipalities

• Municipalitiesensurethatthefivebasicprinciplesofpublicadministration:political supremacy, public accountability, democratic government, fairness and reasonableness, and effectiveness are implemented successfully. The community is closer to policy determination and executive institutions, which makes participation through ratepayers associations or public meetings possible and more effective. • Higherauthoritiescannotprovidethewiderangeofservicesrequiredbyinhabitantsoftowns and cities and therefore provision of services must be made on local level.• Municipalauthoritiesmustmakearrangementstogeneratemostoftheirownfundsforthe renderingofservices.Becauseservicesarerenderedwithinaspecificarea,itiseasiertouse funds more economically.• Itischeapertorenderindispensableservicesrequiredbycommunitiesonlocallevelbecause higher authorities are not in the area and distances are long. Long distance administration is ineffective, time-consuming and costly.• Withthedelegationofgovernmentactivitiesandpowertoregionalandlocalauthorities, division of labour and specialisation is obtained. This lightens the burden on central administration to provide in the needs of communities.• Thereisabigdifferencebetweenntheneedsofinhabitantsinsmallandlargetowns,andin cities. Municipalities know best how to provide in their needs. Cities have more specialised services than towns. For example, refuse removal in a city, due to the large amount of refuse, is done by specialised trucks which mechanically lift and tip the bins into the truck, where a small town will use a normal truck to remove refuse. A small municipality does not have the money or need for a specialised truck.• Inhabitantsofamunicipalityaredirectlyinfluencedbythepublicactivitiestakingplaceintheir communities, which increase public interest in the administration of municipalities. They pay for services and can thus demand better or specialised services. • Officialsworkingforthemunicipalityandcouncilmembersliveinthemunicipaldistrictand are aware of the needs and interests of the community. As they also make use of the services, better administrative practices and improved services can be developed to satisfy needs. • Vasttechnologicaldevelopmentandthecomplexityofcommunityneedsrequirespecialisation andinnovation.Localauthoritieswillbethefirsttobecomeawareofthesespecialisedneedsin thecommunity.Itiseasierandmoreeconomicalforthelocalauthoritytoadjustandsatisfy these needs than fora higher authority that is not close to the community.• Localauthoritiessometimeshavetoimplementcentralpolicywithoutdelay.Municipal authoritieshavethenecessaryexpertiseandequipmenttoimplementsuchpolicy.Often the speed at which policy is implemented will determine its success. Long distance implementation by higher authorities can hamper fast policy implementation.

Reasons for the existence of municipal authorities

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• Inhabitantsaswellaslocalauthorityofficialshaveinterestsintheirownlocalenvironmentinthe formofproperty,businesses,etc.Forthisreasonsmunicipalcouncilswillensurethatthebest servicethattheycanaffordwillberenderedwithoutputtingextraburdensonhigher authorities.• Municipalcouncilscanbeststimulatelocalinitiative.Itisimportantthatlocalcommunitiesare prosperousandeconomicallystable.Iftherearesignsofdeclineorabsenceofservices, higherauthoritiesmighthavetostepintoprovideserviceswhichcanbecostlybecauseof longdistanceadministration.• Municipalauthoritieshaveprovenovertheyearsthattheycanimplementandexecutepoliciesof centralgovernment.Ifhigherauthoritieshadtoexecutesuchpolicies,expensive organisationalarrangementswouldbeneeded.Municipalitiescanrenderservicescheaperif theyaredecentralised,andlocalauthoritiescanactasagentsofcentralgovernment.• Itisnoteasyforhigherauthoritiestoutiliseresourcessuchaspersonnelandmoneyeffectively fromadistanceandensureahighstandardandquality.• Municipalitiescanassistcentralgovernmentwithcertainpolicies,e.g.Tourismbecausetheyare ongroundlevelwherepoliciesareimplemented.• Electedmunicipalcouncilsmakeitpossibleforordinaryinhabitantstotakepartinpublicaffairs throughvotingfororstandingascouncillors.

Thereasonsfortheexistenceofmunicipalitiesaresummarisedbelow.Usethisasaguidelineforyourstudies.

1.2 Summary

• Municipalitiesensurethatprinciplesofpublicadministrationareupheld.• Higherauthoritiescannotrenderalltheservicesneededbytheinhabitants.• Municipalitiesgenerateownfundsandusemoneyeconomically.• Servicesarerenderedmorecheaplybytheauthorityinthearea.• Municipalitieslightentheburdenofcentralgovernment.• Differentmunicipalitieshavedifferentneedsandknowbesthowtosatisfythem.• Interestinadministrationisincreasedand,becausetheypayforservices,inhabitantscan

demandbetterservices.• Municipalworkersandcouncillorsliveintheareaandneedthesameservices,whichcan

improveservices.• SpecialisedneedsareknownbyLAandcanbesatisfiedfasterandmorecheaplyonlocalthan

higherlevel.• Policiesareimplementedfaster.• Inhabitants&officialsshareinterestsinenvironment,whichensuresbetterservice.• Localinitiativestimulatedtocreateeconomicalstabilityandbetterservices• LAisbettersituatedtoimplementcentralpolicy.• Higherauthoritiescannotutiliseresourceseffectivelyandefficiently.• LAhelpswithformulationofcentralpolicy.

Review question

1.Tofacilitatethegovernmentandadministrationofthestatepowerisdividedintothreelevelsofgovernment.StateTENreasonswhyservicesarerenderedbythethirdlevelofgovernment.

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Module 3

Environment in which municipal authorities function


• Understandthedifferentenvironmentalfactorswhichinfluencethewaythat municipalitiesfunction,and - explainthephysicalfactorsinwhichmunicipalitiesfunction. - discussthesocialfactors - discusstheeconomicfactors - explainthejudicialfactors - discusshowpoliticsexertsaninfluence.

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1. Environment in which municipal authorities function

1.1 Introduction

All municipalities function within an identified geographical boundary as determined by legislation. The municipality has to take the environmental factors into account when fulfilling its expected duties. Services are rendered to fulfil the physical, social, economic, judicial and political expectations of the community. Environmental factors will differ from place to place because human beings have different needs in different circumstances. The main objective of a municipal authority is to satisfy the needs of the community by providing the necessary services. To succeed, the local authority will have to take the environmental factors into account.

1.2 Environmental factors

Here is a schematic representation of the environmental factors that will be discussed in this module:

Municipalauthority

Physicalfactor Economicfactor

Judicialfactor

ReligiousfactorPoliticalfactor

Socialfactor

1.2.1 Physical factor

The physical environment in which a municipality functions is often established in the area and is very difficult to change.

People realise the importance of living in harmony with their environment and steps are taken in urban areas to protect the urban ecology against overexploitation and to balance the needs of the inhabitants against the physical factors influencing services.

We will now look at various physical factors that influence municipal functions.

Geographical characteristics• Theseincludeaspectssuchasmountains,hills,valleys,rivers,etc.• Theyiinfluencethedevelopmentofthetown/city.• Theymakesomeareasunsuitableforbuildinghouses.• Althoughhumansaresystematicallysucceedinginmanipulatingthephysicalfactors,theystill have to be submissive to the environment.• Municipalitiesaredevelopingthesegeographicalaspectstoimprovethegeneralwelfareofthe community.


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• Abalanceshouldalwaysbemaintainedbetweenconservationanddevelopmentwherethe demand for growth of cities increases.

• Geographicalcharacteristicscanalsobedevelopedastouristattractions,forexample,TableMountaininCapeTownandtheBigHoleinKimberleywhichgenerateincomeand stimulate economic growth in the area.

Historical areas• Historicalbuildingsandareasneedtobe

protected.• Abalanceshouldbemaintainedbetween

conservation of historical areas and development.

• Decisionshavetobemadeonwhichbuildingsto keep and where to develop in order to maintain the character of the city.

• Thesedecisionshaveaninfluenceontheeconomic, aesthetic and community factors.

• Ascitiesortownsdevelopandexpand,betterinfrastructure is needed, which makes it difficult to keep a balanced environment.

• Difficultdecisionshavetobetaken,forexample,ifahistoricalbuildinghastobedemolished so that another road lane can be bluit to solve the traffic problem.

Climate• Townsandcitiescanexperienceclimatesrangingfromalmosttropicaltoalmostdesert

conditions.• Thesedifferencesinclimatehaveaneffectonthegrowthanddevelopmentoflocal

authorities.• Rainfallandclimatemustbetakenintoaccountwhenbuildingroads,bridgesand

buildings.• Whendevelopmentisplanned,factorssuchasfloods,droughtsandearthquakesneed

to be taken into account.• Municipalitiesshouldbeawareoftheclimaticconditionsandbepreparedtohandle

disaster situations.

Fauna and flora• ‘Faunaandflora’isthevarietyofanimals,fishspecies,birdsandplantsfoundina

specific area.• Amunicipalauthorityhasanobligationtoprotecttheindigenousfaunaandflorainits

area. • Naturereservesareestablishedfortheprotectionoffaunaandflora.• Thenaturereservesensureprotectionandserveastouristattractions.

TableMountainwaselectedasoneofthesevennaturalwonders of the world

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1.2.2 Social factor

The social factor deals with the development of society. In South Africa with its diverse society, a lot ofsocialproblemsareexperienced.Someofthecitizens’needsarepartiallymet,buttherearemanywho have not had their most basic needs met. The biggest social problems experienced by municipal authorities will be discussed.

HousingThis is the most important problem experienced by municipal authorities in urbanised and metropolitan areas. A part of the housing Act 107 of 1997 places a responsibility on municipalities to provide access to housing to the inhabitants in its area of jurisdiction.• Inurbanareasthereisabigshortageofhousingandthis

lead to other social problems like a high crime rate.• Spacetoprovidehousingisaprobleminurbanareas.• Familiesdonothaveenoughprivacyastoomanypeople

live together.• Insomeareas(squattercamps)itisdifficulttoprovideserviceslikerefuseandnightsoil

removal, which can cause a health risk.• Researchhasfoundthatwherethereisashortageofhousing,drunkennessisveryhigh.• Itisdifficultformunicipalauthoritiestoprovideservicesundertheseconditionsandensurethe

safety and welfare of the inhabitants.• Ahighcrimerateiscloselyrelatedtothesocialand

physical environment in which people live.

Literacy, education and employmentForastablesocialenvironment,apersonmustbeliterate(canreadandwrite),haveaneducationandemployment.• Provisionofeducationisnotthefunctionofa

municipalitybutitcancontribute(throughbursariesandfacilities)toassistotherorgansofstatetoprovidesufficient education.

• Withagoodeducationapersoncanobtainajobandearn money.

• Whenearningasalary,apersoncanpayforsocialservices like housing.

• Amunicipalitymustbeawarewhichareashaveahighunemploymentrateandloweducationand literacy rates, and assist where possible or inform higher authority of these needs.

• Amunicipalityneedstoallocatefundstotrytomeettheseneedsandimprovethelivingconditions of the inhabitants.

Influence of urbanisationAsmentionedbefore,localgovernmentistheproductoftheprocessofurbanisation.Morepeoplemove from rural to urban areas for various reasons, causing two types of problems for municipal authorities.

Problems experienced by rural municipalities:• Theycannotdevelopaspeoplearemovingtothecities,deprivingthemofrevenuewhichis

necessary for development.• Thepeoplewhostaybehindwilllateralsomovetothecitiestolookforbetteropportunitiesas

the rural municipality cannot provide the necessary goods and services.


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Problems experienced by urban municipalities:• Peoplecomingtocitiescannotfindhousesandjobs.• Thisresultsinanti-socialbehaviourlikecrime,drunkenness,etc.• Urbanisationcausesalotofproblemsforthemunicipalauthoritywhomust

provide services for these extra inhabitants.• Themunicipalitymustalsoaimtominimiseunemployment,crimeand

healthriskscausedbysquatting.• Thesituationmustbemonitoredregularlybythemunicipality.

HealthSchedule4BoftheConstitutionmakesmunicipalhealthservicesamunicipalfunction.• Theprovisionofservicessuchaswater,refuseremoval,sewerageandnightsoilremovalis

delegated from central to local government.• TheHealthActstipulatesthatmunicipalitiesmustprovidepreventativeservicessuchasfamily

planning, care of the aged and health counselling. • MunicipalitiesplayavaluableroleinthepreventionofAIDSandtuberculosis.• Primaryhealthservicesarealsodelegatedtomunicipalities.

Public facilitiesMunicipalitiesmustprovideandmaintainpublicfacilitieslikeparks,sportsgrounds,libraries,streets, public toilets, etc. • Thesefacilitiesmustbesafeandnotendangerthelivesoftheinhabitants.• Alldepartmentsofthemunicipalitymustensurethesafetyandwelfareofthecommunity,e.g.

traffic(publictransport),health,engineering(roads),etc.• Recreationfacilitieslikesportsgroundsandlibrariesshouldbeprovided.• Properandenoughpublicfacilitiesalsoimprovetheimageofthecityortown.

1.2.3 Economic factor

A municipality should not operate businesses and industries. Its function is to provide services to the private sector that will invest and start businesses and industries. Investment results in more jobs and more funds for development in a local authority.

The economic environment in which a municipality functions, is influenced in the following ways:• Peoplehaveneedsandexpectationswhichhavetobesatisfiedwithscarceresources(money)by

the municipality.• Economicconditionsonnationalandlocalleveldetermineactivities.• Governmentpolicyonlocallevelisdeterminedbytheeconomicwelfareofthestate(national

budget).• Theresources(money)generatedbythemunicipalitydeterminestheextentofservices.• Thecorrectroleofthemunicipalityineconomicdevelopmentistoattractinvestmentinthe

municipalityandcanbecalledthe3F’s: – Findinvestorsbycreatingtherightconditionsforinvestment. – Facilitatetheacquisitionofland,sub-division,approvalofplans,provisionofwaterand

electricity, etc. – Fostertheinvestorbycontinuouscontactaimedatsmoothingoverdifficultiesanddiscussing

problems.• Investorsandindustriescontributetotherevenueofthemunicipalitybypayingrates,andfor

services.• Theeconomicenvironmentwillinfluencemunicipalpoliciesbecausepolicycanonlybe

implemented if the necessary funds are available.

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1.2.4 Judicial factor

What is meant by a judicial entity? A judicial entity can be described as something which originates fromthelaw(statute).Anurbanisedareaisastatutoryformationandcanberegardedasajudicialentity.

TheConstitution(Act108of1996)Section151dealswiththe“newdeal”forlocalauthorities,explained as follows:• Thethreespheresofgovernmentareinterdependentandinterrelated,buteachhasitsseparate

existence.• Amunicipalityisnot,aspreviously,a“creationofstatute”,butanintegralpartofthegovernment

ofSouthAfricaasentrenchedintheConstitution.• Themunicipalcouncilhastheexecutiveandlegislativeauthorityofthemunicipalityvestedinit,

which makes it a legal entity.• Section151(3)givesmunicipalitiestherighttogovernontheirowninitiativeinthemanner

whichtheyconsiderappropriatefortheircommunityasprovidedforintheConstitution.• Section151(4)givesamunicipalitytherightorabilitytoexerciseitspowersorperformits

functions. It gives the municipality authority to govern subject to national and provincial legislation,asprovidedforintheConstitution.

• Ifamunicipalityactsunconstitutionallyorunlawfullyorbankruptsitself,itcannotrelyonSection151(4)forprotection.

• Becauseamunicipalityisalegalentityitalsohascontractualandtradingpowersandcansummons and be summonsed.

1.2.5 Political factor

All human beings have needs and not all have the same needs. Individual needs also differ from group needs and it is sometimes difficult to reconcile the individual self actualization with the interest of the group. • Municipalitieshavetosatisfytheneedsofthecommunity,butdonotalwayshavethemeans

(money)tosatisfyalltheneeds.• Allneedscannotbemetsimultaneously;thereforemunicipalcouncilsmustdeterminepriorities.• Ifsomedemandsandneedsaremetandothersnot,itcanleadtounhappinessamongstthe

inhabitants and confrontation, with the authorities.• Decisions,whichwillleadtopolicy,areinfluencedbythefollowing: – Position and status of the local authority in government – Compositionofthemunicipalcouncil – Existence and influence of interest and pressure groups – Demandsandexpectationsofthecommunity.• Municipalities’powersarelimitedtowhatisspelledoutintheConstitution,nationalactsand

provincial ordinances. • Thestructureandcompilationofmunicipalauthoritiesandcouncilsdifferfromoneanother

according to the number of tax payers they serve.


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• Thesizeofthemunicipalitywillalsodeterminethecomplexityofservices.• Nowadayscouncillorsareelectedonapoliticalbasis,whereasinthepast,theywereelectedfor

what they could do for the inhabitants. • Groupswithpoliticalinterests(unions)areformed,puttingpressureoncouncilstosatisfytheir

political needs.• Thesegroupsusesit-ins,marchesandrentboycottstomanipulatemunicipalities.• Eventheworkersofthemunicipalitiesareforcedtotakepartinstrikesandareintimidatedif

they want to go to work.• Municipalitiesalsosufferdamagestoproperty,roadsignsandvehiclesduringprotests,which

caninfluencethequalityofservices.

1.3 Conclusion

Municipalitiesperformaveryimportantroleintheirareaofjurisdiction.Whentheyprovideservices they have to take the environmental factors into account. Some factors will be more prominent in certain municipalities as not two local authorities are the same.

Review questions

1. Various environmental factors affect local authorities in one way or another. Explain how the following physical environmental factors affect municipalities: 1.1Geographicalcharacteristics (5x2) 1.2Historicalenvironment (5x2)

2. Discussthefollowingsocialfactorswhichhaveaninfluenceontheservicesof municipal authorities:

2.1Housing (5x2) 2.2Literacy,educationandemployment (5x2) 2.3Influenceofurbanisation (5x2)

3. Explain how the economic factor affects the way in which municipalities function andprovideservices. (10)

4. Discusshowthepoliticalenvironmentaffectsthewayinwhichmunicipalities function. (5x2)

Module 3

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Module 4

The structure of a local authority


• Understandthestructureofalocalauthority• Explainthecharacteristicsofmunicipalservices• Understandtheclassificationofservicesandexplaintheservices• Discussthepowersofmunicipalauthorities.

Module 4

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1. Services rendered by, and powers of, municipal authorities

1.1 Introduction

Municipal services are vital for the growth and development of a municipality. The Constitution, Sections 152 and 153, stipulate the objectives of local government and the services that need to be provided to the communities. The services to be rendered are set out in Section 156 Schedule 4 and 5 of the Constitution.

The Municipal Act, which has been amended twice, has two definitions of municipal services. The first definition is that of basic municipal services which are necessary to ensure an acceptable and reasonable quality of life, and if not provided, would endanger public health, safety or the environment.

The second definition is that of services that a municipality provides in terms of its powers and functions for the benefit of the local community. Such a service is either provided by the municipality itself or by an external mechanism, and fees or tariffs are levied in respect of such services.Municipal services must be accessible, be provided in an efficient and effective manner, be financially sustainable, be environmentally sustainable and be regularly reviewed and upgraded or improved if necessary.

Services rendered by municipalities will differ according to the environmental factors affecting the municipality, the needs of the inhabitants and the financial resources available to provide the services.

1.2 Structure of a local authority

Council

Committee

ChiefExecutiveOfficer(TownClerk)

HOD HODHOD HODHOD

HOD = Head of Department or Division

The council, executive officer (Town Clerk or Municipal Manager) and the executive units (Departments) form the main structure of the municipality. The committees are additional and are established from members of the council to discuss policies.

The Town Clerk / Municipal Manager is the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer in charge of the administration of the municipality


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The Municipal Systems Act specifies that a municipality must have an administration. If municipalities are to fulfil their constitutional mandate, they should have the means (funds) to provide sustainable services, to promote social and economic development, to promote a safe and healthy environment and to perform the functions as listed in the Constitution.

There is no set model for the classification of local government services, because of the diversity between urban and rural areas. Below is a list of the departments of the City of Cape Town:• Community Services• Social Development and Early Childhood Development• Tourism, Events and Marketing• Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning• Safety and Security• Health• Transport, Roads and Storm water• Human Settlements• Finance• Corporate Services• Utility Services

A municipal council has to prioritise the needs of the community, declare its intentions and set specific objectives to satisfy these needs. It has to clearly indicate what it wants to achieve and ensure that the necessary funds are available to achieve the objectives. After setting objectives it has to formulate the policies so that the officials can execute the policies and render the necessary services.

1.3 Characteristics of services

When examining the services rendered by municipal authorities, we can identify a few distinct characteristics as follows:• Municipalauthoritiesrenderservicesofalocalnature,whichexplainswhyservicesdifferfrom one municipality to another.• Municipalauthoritiesfulfilanimportantroleinpromotingthewelfareofthecommunity.• Eachservicerenderedinfluenceseverypersonlivinginthatspecificarea.• Municipalitiesarenotforcedtorenderservices.• Provincialauthoritiessetbroadguidelinesformunicipalservices.• Municipalitiesareautonomousinstitutionsonlocalgovernmentlevel.• Municipalitiesdecideonthenatureofservices,scopeandwhentheyshouldberendered.• Renderingofservicesislinkedtothedevelopmentofamunicipality.• Theneedofthelocalinhabitantswilldeterminewhattypeofservicetorender.• Serviceswillberenderedifthenecessaryfundsareavailable.• Theinhabitantsofthespecificmunicipalitymustpayfortheservicesrenderedbythe municipality.• Servicescanonlyberenderedifthecouncillorsareawareoftheneedsoftheinhabitantswhose responsibility it is to make their needs known.

1.4 Classification of services

The Constitution requires that municipalities provide services in a sustainable manner and that municipal administrations provide services impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias. The Municipal Systems Act place a responsibility on municipalities to give effect to the provisions of the

Module 4

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Constitution by• providinginthebasicneedsofthecommunity• promotingthedevelopmentofthelocalcommunity• ensuringthatallmembersofthelocalcommunityhaveaccesstotheminimumbasicmunicipal services.

The Act also states that municipal services must be• equitableandaccessibletoall• providedinamannerthatiseffectiveandefficient• financiallysustainable(affordable)• preservetheenvironmentforfuturegenerations• regularlyreviewandupgradeorimproveservices.

The services which are rendered by most municipalities will be dealt with below.

Cremation offers a number of benefits for cities like Cape Town where cemetery space is in short supply. Not only is it affordable, but it also helps alleviate the on-going challenge around lack of burial space.

1.4.2 Cemeteries and crematoria

• AstheinpopulationinSouthAfricaincreases,sodoesthenumberofpeoplewhodie,withtheresult thatmore space is needed for people to be buried.

• Allmunicipalitiesneedacemeteryanditexpandscontinually,whichputsanextraburdenonthe municipality to provide more space.

• Whencemeteriesexpand,morepeoplemustbeemployedtomaintainthem,whichresultsinhigher costs.

• Inmanytownsandcitiescemeteriesareneglected.• Adisadvantageofcemeteriesisthatfertilesoilisusedtoburypeople.

1.4.1 Ambulance services

• Theambulancepersonnelareresponsibleforthetransport of sick or injured patients, which is a delicate task.

• Theymusthavecompassionforpeoplebecausetheyare not only responsible for the welfare of the patient but also for moral support.

• Thevictimofanaccidentisusuallyconfusedandfeels helpless.

• Thepatienturgentlyneedsthesupportandhelpofambulancepersonnel.• Theambulancepersonnelarewelltrainedandequippedtotransportpatientstohospitals.• Thepatientormedicalaidpaysforthetransportfromthesceneoftheaccidentortheirhomesto

the hospital• Ifanybodyneedsanambulancethehospitaloremergencyservicescanbephonedandan

ambulance will be send out.• Differenttypesofambulancesareavailableandareequippedtohandlespecificcases,e.g.

emergency rescue, paramedics, etc.• Everycitizenshouldshowrespecttowardsambulanceservices.• Motoristsandpedestriansshouldmakewayfortheambulancebecauseadelaycouldresultin

the death of the injured or sick person.


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• Toeliminatethisdisadvantageandtoescapetherisingcostsforthemaintenanceofcemeteries,cremation of the dead is increasing.

• Itisexpensivetobuildacrematoriumandthat’swhyitisonlyfoundinbiggercitiesandtowns.

1.4.3 Electricity

• Electricityformspartoftheinfrastructureofmanyhomesandwhenthereisapowerfailure,people are very upset.

• Peopleareverydependentonelectricity.• Intheolddaysmunicipalitiesgeneratedtheirownelectricity.• SincetheestablishmentofESCOM(ElectricitySupplyCommission)mostmunicipal

authorities buy electricity in bulk from ESCOM and resell it to residents.• Electricityprovisionisanexpensiveundertakingwhichinvolvesthebuildingofpowerstations,

construction of towers, laying of cables and repairing of cables. • Municipalauthoritiesmakeaprofitonthesaleofelectricity,butalsolosealotofmoneyif

people do not pay their electricity bills.• Tomonitorconsumption,metersareinstalledateachhouse.• Personneltakemeterreadingseverysecondmonthtopreparebills.• Anewmethodistobuyelectricitycardswhichareinsertedintotheelectricalboxathome.• Eachcardcontainsanumberofunitswhichcanbeused,andiftheunitsarefinished,the

owner can reload electricity on the card at various businesses or through the Internet.

1.4.4 Environmental pollution

Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to his/her health or well-being and to have the environment protected for the benefit of the present and the future generations. Therefore we note the following:• Themunicipalityisresponsibletopromoteasafeandhealthyenvironment,bypreventing

pollution and economic degradation.• Theconservationoftheenvironmentwasentrustedtospecificstatedepartmentsandlocal

authorities.• DifferentactsofParliamenthavebeenpassedinordertoprovideasafeandhealthyenvironment

and conserve the environment.• Municipalauthoritieshaveappointedqualified

personnel to implement the provisions of the Acts e.g. health inspectors.

• Themunicipalitymustactinsuchawaythatitsetsanexampletothecitizensonhowtotreatthelocalenvironment.

• Themunicipalityshouldimposefinesifpeoplepersist in polluting the environment.

• Pollutioncanalsobepreventedbyeducatinginhabitants on how to keep the environment clean and free from pollution and litter.

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1.4.5 Health services

Everyone has the right to have access to health care services and municipal authorities are best placed to provide community and environmental health services.

The Health Act (Act 63 of 1977) stipulates the following:• Municipalauthoritiesmustprovide – specific health services such as the prevention of the spread of contagious diseases – health inspection services and to – family planning services.• Inordertoprovidetheseservicesspecialisedpersonnelmustbeappointed,e.g.medicalhealth officers, health inspectors and nurses. • Ifthemunicipalityfailstoprovidetheprescribedservices,theMinisterofHealthcanrelieve them of this service.• TheDepartmentofHealthcanthenprovidetheseservicesandrecoverthecostfromtherelevant municipality.

Health services can be divided into personal services and environmental services.

Personal health • All health services are rendered by nursing staff.• They have to help and advise people on health issues, e.g. family planning, TB, immunisation,

and provide post natal care.• They must make sure people suffering from diseases like TB, complete the full course of

treatment so as not to expose others to the disease.• It is sometimes difficult to treat people in areas like squatter camps as

the people move from one place to another.

Environmental health• It is the responsibility of health inspectors to inform the public about

pollution of food, air and water.• Health inspectors inspect business premises when the owner applies

for a business licence.• Often owners neglect the health and safety measures after the licence

has been granted. • They also have to inspect restaurants and any place where food is

prepared to ensure health measures.• Health inspectors must regularly inspect businesses and restaurants

and make sure health and safety measures are applied.

Our purpose is to maintain and improve the health of all communities in the City of Cape Town through a District Health System that includes: •Promotivehealthservices•Preventivehealthservices•Appropriatecurativehealthservices•Environmentalhealthservices•Specialisedhealthsupportservices

The City has made HIV/AIDS & TB one of its priorities and we are committed to effectively tackling this pandemic. We are dedicated to equity and a developmental multi-sectoral approach where we work with other sectors to meet the overall health needs of communities – especially the poor.


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1.4.6 Housing

A section of the Housing Act 107 of 1997 stipulates the duty of on municipalities with regard to housing. Everymunicipalitymust,aspartofthemunicipality’sprocessofintegrateddevelopmentplanning,take all reasonable and necessary steps within the framework of national and provincial housing legislation and policy to• ensure that inhabitants of its area of jurisdiction have access to adequate housing from arising• conditions that are not healthy and safe for the inhabitants in its area of jurisdiction revented or

remove such condition• services in an economically efficient manner in respect of water, sanitation, electricity, roads,

storm water drainage and transport.• set housing delivery goals in respect of its area of jurisdiction• identify and designate land for housing development• promotetheresolutionofconflictsarisinginthehousingdevelopmentprocess• initiate, plan, co-ordinate, facilitate, promote and enable housing development in its area of

jurisdiction• plan and manage land use and development.

Municipalitieshavehousesandflatsthattheyrentouttoinhabitants.Oneofthebiggestproblemsthey are facing is to determine to whom the houses must be allocated. The following process is normally followed:• Names are usually put on a waiting list• When a house becomes available, it is allocated to the person whose name appears on the top of

the list

The moment people move into the house a second problem arises:• The collecting of rent can be very complicated and sensitive.• If people do not pay, discussions take place between the municipality and the tenant to

determine the reason for not paying.• Reasons for not paying vary from neglecting to pay to a shortage of the necessary funds.• If a person cannot pay the rent, solutions must be found.• When a tenant signs a rental contract with the municipality he pays a deposit equal to one

month’srent.• When the contract is terminated, this deposit is used to repair any damages.• The balance or full deposit is then paid to the tenant.• The municipal authority must ensure that the tenant does not let certain rooms to other people

as it is against the rules to rent rooms to generate income.• Overcrowding must also not be allowed on the premises.• Inspectors have to regularly visit the rented properties.• If defects are found, they must be repaired and the tenant is held liable for the damages.

These service points not only lend books to residents but also provide them with access to electronicresources,magazinesandjournals,programmesininformation-retrievalskills,lifelong learning and storytelling.

In addition, city libraries function as cultural hubs and venues for community activities and events.

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1.4.7 Library services

• Alibraryisacollectionofbooks,magazines,paintingsandDVD’s.

• Itisaplacewherepeoplemeet,readbooksandstudy.• Anybodycanmakeuseofthefacilitiesofthelibraryby

registering.• Onregistration,themembergetsalibrarycardwhich

isusedwhenbooks,magazinesorDVD’saretakenoutof the library.

• Bookscanbekeptfortwoweeksbeforetheyhavetobereturned.

• Ifapersonreturnsthebookslate,afinewillbeimposed.• Alibrarymakesprovisionfortheexchangingofideas.• Anatmospheremustbecreatedwherepeoplecanrelaxandsearchforthebookstheyneed.• Avarietyofliteratureisprovidedandchairsandtablesareavailabletouseforreadingordoing

research.

1.4.8 Licences

Motor vehicle licences

Municipal authorities are required by Provincial Ordinances to award licences to inhabitants.

There are over a million vehicles currently registered on the Electronic National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) (ITP, 2009), which is the official register for all vehicle, driving licence, contravention and accident data.

• Theyundertaketheregistrationandlicensingofmotorvehicles.• Theyalsoissueroadworthycertificatesforlicensingvehicles.• Licencesareawardedafterdrivershavebeentestedbytrafficofficials.• Incomeisgeneratedbyrenderingtheseservices.• Partoftheamountscollectedispaidtomunicipalauthorities.

Business licences• Municipalauthoritiesareinvolvedinthelicensingofcommercialundertakings.• Ordinancesauthorisemunicipalitiestoexercisecontrolfunctionsassociatedwiththelicensingof

businesses.• Municipalitiesareentrustedwiththecontrolfunctionastheyareresponsibleforrendering

healthservicesandmustseethatthepremisesdonotcreateahealthhazard.• Theyissuecontrolcertificateswhichareessentialforanapplicanttohavebeforealicencewillbe

issued by the Receiver of Revenue.• Healthinspectorsinspectbusinesspremisesandcantakeactionagainstanyindividualwhodoes

not comply with the regulations.• Thegrantingorrefusalofabusinesslicenceisimportantbecausetherightsofindividualsand

the well-being of the community are at stake.• Municipalitiesmakeuseofalicencecommittee(consistingofcouncilmembers)todealwith

licences.


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1.4.9 Parks and sports grounds

• Municipalitieshavetomakeprovisionforparksandsportsgroundswhentheyplantheircitiesand towns.

• Residentialplotsarenotbigenoughtosatisfythephysicalrecreationneedsofthepeople.• Theserecreationalareasareexpensivetoestablishandmaintainandthereforeparksarenotvery

big.• Moneyshouldnotbewastedonestablishingfacilitiesthatwillbeusedbyonlyafewpeople.• Beautifulgardensandtreescancreateanatmosphereoffriendlinesswhichcanattractpeopleto

the city or town.• Childrenlovetoplayinparkswhileotherpeoplelovetowalkinparks.• Sportsgroundsarenecessaryasaplacewherepeoplecangetexercise,andwheretheycan

participate in sports against other teams. • Somemunicipalitieshaveestablishedindoorsportcentreswherebasicallyanysportcanbe

offered.• Itisthedutyofthemunicipalitytoensurethatthesefacilitiesareusedproperlyandthatcontrol

is exercised over the behaviour of the users, e.g. swimming pools.• Alotofsoccerstadiumswerebuiltforthe2010SoccerWorldCup,whichisputtingalotof

financial strain on the municipalities. These stadiums are also used for other purposes, e.g. concerts to generate money.

1.4.10 Rubbish and night-soil removal

Rubbish and night-soil removal is one of the essential services of a municipality.• Ifgarbageisallowedtopileup,itis

unhygienicandcancauseahealthhazardforthecitizens.

• Inanemergencysituatione.g.floods,thefirst task is to remove rubbish and rubble for health and safety reasons.

• Nowadaystheremovalofrefuseisdonewithspecialised trucks.

• Incitiestheinhabitantsputtheirgarbagein special rubbish bins which are lifted electronically and dumped into the trucks.

• Smallermunicipalitiesstillpickupgarbagebagsfromhouses.• Garbageiscollectedonspecificdaysinspecificareas.• Alotofmunicipalitiesaremakinguseofrecyclingtechniques.• Inhabitantsaremotivatedtoputallplastic,glassandpaperinseparaterecyclebinswhichare

collected.• TheCityofCapeTownhasbuiltanewwastemanagementfacilitywherewasteisrecycled.• Theremovalofnight-soilalsowentthroughdifferentstages.• Intheolddaysabucketsystemwasusedbutastownsexpanded,andtechnologydeveloped,

new methods were implemented.• Smallertownsusewater-borneseweragesystemsaswellaschemicaltoiletsandpitlatrinesin

rural areas.

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1.4.11 Town and city planning

Town and city planning is probably one of the most interesting and rewarding tasks of a municipal authority.• Futureneedsofthecommunitymustbeidentifiedandplanstosatisfytheseneedsmustbe

worked out.• Itmustbetakenintoaccountthattheneedsthatexistatpresent,won’tbethesameneedsto

satisfy in fifty years from now.• ItisthefunctionoftheTownPlanningdepartmenttodecidewherefutureindustrialareas,

residential areas, recreation areas, churches, schools, shopping centres, etc. will develop.• Whenatownisfounded,surveyingoflandintotheabove-mentionedareasmustbedone

systematically.• Thewayitshouldbedoneisspeltoutinparliamentarylegislationandprovincialordinances.• Legislationrequiresthateachtownandcityshouldhaveaplanningscheme.• Townplannersareappointedtoperformthistaskandthemunicipalitycanalsoappoint

surveyors.• Smallertownsdonotrequirethesepersonnelfulltimeandmakeuseofprivateconsultantsto

assist them with the planning of their town.• Townandcityplanningisnowadayslinkedwithregionalplanning.• Team-workisneededbytheplanninginstitutionsonallthreelevelsofgovernmenti.e.central,

provincial and local.

1.4.12 Water provision

Planning and Building Development Management of the City of Cape TownAs part of these functions, the department facilitates and processes development applications (suchasbuildingplansandapplicationsforrezoningandsubdivisionofland)andmonitorstheirimplementation. These functions are controlled and directed by various national and local laws.

The department also assists with local environmental impact management and the implementation of forward spatial planning policies (long term development planning in line with statutory and local requirements).

Water forms a very important part of ordinary life.• Whenatownisfounded,rivers,fountains,streamsorboreholesinitiallyprovideenoughwater

for the inhabitants.• Ifthepopulationincreases,communalwatersupplyschemesarenecessary.• Themunicipalitydoesn’tonlyhavetosupplywater,butalsoneedstopreventdiseases.• Areticulationsystem,reservoirsandpurificationworksbecomeessential,andthenecessary

funds must be obtained to establish them.• Governmentissuesdirectivesonwater.


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• TheWaterActprescribestherequirementstobemetwhenconstructingwaterschemesandmakes provision for subsidies from government.

• Sometimeswaterissuppliedinbulktometropolitanareas.• Individualmunicipalitiesprovidefortheconstructionofreservoirsandreticulationsystemsto

supply and sell water to the consumers.• Waterdeliveredbymunicipalauthoritiesmustbesuitablefordrinkingandwashingpurposes.• Todeterminetheconsumptionofinhabitants,peopleareappointedbymunicipalitiestotake

readings of metres installed.• Thesereadingsareusedtopreparewaterbills.Electricityandwaterarereflectedtogetheronthe

account.

1.5 Powers of municipal authorities

The Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) and the Municipal Systems Act of 2000 set out the powers and functions assigned to municipal authorities to provide services and to promote the well-being of the inhabitantswithinthespecificareas.Legislationfromprovincialgovernmentliststhefunctionsandpowers which could be undertaken by municipal authorities.A municipality is not compelled to undertake all the activities and provincial governments also don’tsetstandardstobecompliedwith,shouldmunicipalitiesdecidetocarryouttheactivities.This is why municipalities can function autonomously and this also makes them different from the regional offices of provincial and central executive institutions.

The following powers have been granted to municipal authorities:• Theycanmakeby-lawsfortheareaofjurisdictionofthemunicipality,providingthatitisnot

against the constitution of higher legislation.• Theymustexercisecontroloverthetown/cityandensurethatallservicesarecarriedout

effectively.• Theycanrenderserviceswithpermissionfromhigherauthorities.• Theycanlevytaxeswithinprescribedlimits.• Theycandeterminetariffsfortherenderingofservices.• Theycanappointordismissofficialswithintheirmunicipality.• Theycanenterintocontracts.• Theycanraiseloansinordertorenderservices.

1.6 Conclusion

A detailed list of services rendered by municipal authorities has been discussed above. As the population increases and cities and towns develop, more services are needed. Municipalities can only provide services as set out in legislation, and if they have the necessary funds to provide the services. Localauthoritiesareautonomousbodiesandcandecideforthemselveswhichservicestheywillrender, depending on the availability of resources.

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Module 5

Levels of government


• Understandthelevelsofgovernment• Explaintherelationsbetweenlocalauthoritiesandcentralgovernment• UnderstandtheroleofParliamentinlocalgovernment• UnderstandtheroleoftheStatePresidentinlocalgovernment• UnderstandtheroleofCabinetinlocalgovernment• Explaintherelationshipbetweenlocalauthoritiesandprovincialgovernment• Explaintherelationshipandco-operationwithotherlocalauthorities.

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1. Relations between municipal authorities and between municipalities and other levels of the hierarchy

1.1 Introduction

The Constitution has established three levels of government which are distinctive (separate from one another), interdependent and interrelated (Section 40).

The Constitution also requires that all three levels of government must conduct their activities with the principles of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations in providing a service to the citizens of the country.

The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005 also lays down principles and provides a framework for the national, provincial and local governments and all organs of state within those governments to facilitate co-ordination in the implementation of policy and legislation. Local government is important because it is the sphere of government closest to the citizens of South Africa and is constitutionally responsible for providing services without which citizens cannot live.

Local government can however not function without the higher authorities as all municipal functions are authorised by central legislation or provincial ordinances and some activities are also funded by higher authorities. This means that municipal authorities must be in contact with higher authorities and maintain good relations.

Central and provincial authorities often have local offices within the boundaries of the municipalities, which requires them to work together on a regular basis.

The relations between the three spheres of government will be discussed below.

1.2 Levels of government

The three levels of public institutions, central, provincial and local, were established by the Constitution (Section 40) to carry out all the functions which must be performed in order to provide services to the population. Legislative, executive and administrative functions are carried out on all three levels of government to provide the necessary services.

Centralgovernment

Relationsbetweencentral

provincialandlocal

government

Provincialgovernment

Localgovernment


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South Africa is a big country with a large population. To facilitate government with the administration of the state the geographical area is divided into smaller parts. Before 1994 South Africa was divided into four provinces and ten TBVC states (black homelands). With the new Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) the country was divided into nine provinces including the TBVC states.

The provinces consist of urban areas, towns and cities and rural areas consisting of farms. This division of the state into geographical areas necessitates the creation of institutions to administer and govern the state.

The state is divided into three levels of government: central, provincial and local government. The nine provinces are each divided into local or municipal authorities. There will always be a relationship between theses three levels of government because the local authority, although an autonomous body, needs authorisation from higher authorities to perform its functions.

Provinces of South Africa Municipalities in Gauteng

1.3 Relations between local authorities and central government institutions

In Chapter 3 of the Constitution the principles of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations are set out. Chapter 3 requires that the different spheres of government must co-operate with one another to ensure the implementation of legislation in which they have a common interest.The South African government system is not a federation of cities and provinces but a unitary state in which central government is the supreme legislative and executive body, and local government plays a significant role in providing services to the citizens of the country.

Functions and authority among the three levels of government are distributed as follows:• Centralgovernmentdelegatescertainfunctionsandauthoritiestotheprovincialgovernment.• Theprovincialgovernmentthendelegatescertainofthesefunctionsandauthoritystatutorily

(through provincial ordinances) to local authorities.• Localauthoritiesarethenauthorisedtomakeby-lawstocarryoutthefunctionsdelegatedto

them.

The Constitution requires that Parliament enact legislation to establish and provide for structures and institutions to promote and facilitate intergovernmental relations as well as to provide for mechanisms to settle disputes between the different spheres. The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005 was established in this regard.

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The object of Act 13 of 2005 is to provide within the principle of co-operative government a framework for the national, provincial and local governments, and all organs of state within those governments, to facilitate co-ordination in the implementation of policy and legislation including:• coherentgovernment• theeffectiveprovisionofservices• themonitoringoftheimplementationofpolicyandlegislation• therealisationofnationalpriorities.

The role and relationship of the higher authorities with local authorities will be discussed below.

1.3.1 The role of Parliament

• Parliament(centralgovernment)makeslawsonissuesthataffectthefunctioning of municipalities, e.g. laws on housing, roads, air pollution, water, electricity, etc.

• Municipalauthoritiesarenottotallyautonomous,onlywithinthescopeof legislative provisions. This means that they can make autonomous by-laws on the issues delegated to them through higher legislation.

• Municipalauthoritiesareanintegralpartofthepoliticalandadministrative processes with which the country is governed and administered.

• Therelationshipbetweenmunicipalauthoritiesandcentralgovernmentisnotonlyarelationshipwhere control is exercised by central over municipal institutions.

• Thecentralandmunicipalinstitutionsaredependentoneachotherandarelationshipofco-operation and not competition should be maintained.

• Theonlytimecontrolneedediswherecentralinstitutionshavetocarryoutdirectingandsupervisory functions to ensure that the minimum standards are maintained by municipal authorities.

1.3.2 Role of the State President

• TheStatePresidentistheheadofthestateandactsonadviceoftheexecutiveauthority(Cabinet).

• TheStatePresidentmustsignallbillsofParliamentbeforetheybecomelegislationandthereforeapproves authorities and functions for local authorities.

• TheStatePresidentappointsministersanddeputyministersandwillappointtheministerdealing with local government.

1.3.3 Role of Cabinet

• Cabinetconsistsofthepresident,deputypresidentandministerswhoaretheleadersandprominent members of political parties.

• Ministersarechargedwiththeadministrationofstatedepartments,andthepowersinregardtostate corporations, agricultural control boards and research institutions (executive function).

• Cabinetisthepowercentreofgovernmentandadministrationofthestateasitmustensurethat legislation of Parliament is carried out (executed).• AministerofCabinetdecideswhichproposals,billsandbudgetproposalswillbesubmitted to Parliament.• Thenatureandextentofworkprogrammesandactivitiesofstateinstitutionsrestwiththe

minister and Cabinet and therefore the functions of provincial and local authorities are also influenced by the proposals submitted by Cabinet.


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To summarise: legislative authority is vested in Parliament and, to carry out the delegated functions, municipal authorities have to be in contact with the minister of Cabinet entrusted with local government.

Central and local government work together in areas of finance, health, housing, electricity, transport, planning, tourism, sport, labour and recreation, to name a few, and thus a co-operative relationship between these two government bodies is essential.

1.4 The relationship between local authorities and provincial government institutions

In each of the nine provinces an executive council is formed with the Premier of the province as head. The executive council has authority, as set out by the Constitution (Act 108 of 1996), to approve provincial ordinances (provincial laws) which give local government authority to act.The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 of 2005 requires, on provincial level, a Premier’sintergovernmentalforum,ofwhichthePremier,MEC’sandmayorsofdistrictandmetropolitan municipalities must be members. The Premier is the chairperson and the role of the Premier’s forum is that of a consultative body for the Premier and the local governments in the province.

The Premier is closely associated with the activities in local authorities and the role the Premier plays in the local government system is as follows:• ThePremiermayadviseamunicipalauthoritytofollowaparticularlineofactionortoactina

specific manner.• ThePremiercanusehis/herinfluencetorestrainorstopamunicipalauthorityfromdoing

something that is not in the interests of the local residents.• ThePremiercaninterveneinmunicipalaffairsiftheygetoutofhand.• ThePremierhasextensivepowersand,ifthePremiergoesbeyondthepowersauthorisedtohim/

her by law, will act unconstitutionally.• ThePremierinfluencestheshapingofmunicipalpolicybecausethePremier’sapprovalis

required for many municipal activities.• ThePremiermakessurethatmunicipalpolicystayswithintheparametersofnationalpolicyand

the Constitution.• WhenthePremier’sapprovalisrequired,hecangiveadviceonthecourseofactionthe

municipality should take• ThePremiercanalsoimposeconditionsonthemunicipalitywhenapprovingactivities.• ThePremiercanrestrainamunicipalityfromhastyactionbywithholdinghis/herapproval.• ThePremiercanalsostimulateactionbyputtingpressureonthemunicipality.

A local authority cannot undertake any activity before it hasobtained approval from the respective Provincial authority. Authorisation is obtained through provincial ordinances. The municipal authorityisthereforesubordinatetotheProvincialExecutiveCouncilwhichlaysdowntheworkprogrammes through ordinances.

1.5 Relations and co-operation among other local authorities

Local authorities realised that it would be to their advantage to unite and work together to protect their mutual interests. They also realised that their activities are affected by provisions of parliamentary laws and provincial ordinances. To protect their interests the local authorities formed their own association.

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Sections 24 to 27 of Act 13 of 2005 deal with district intergovernmental forums. For every district municipality there must be a district intergovernmental forum to promote and facilitate intergovernmental relations between the district municipality and the local municipalities. The forum consists of the mayors of the municipalities, or councillor designated by them.

The role of the district forum is to serve as a consultative forum for the local authorities to discuss and consult one another on matters of mutual interest, including:• draftnationalandprovincialpolicyandlegislationrelatingtomattersaffectingthelocal

government interests• theimplementationofnationalandprovincialpolicyandlegislationwithrespecttosuchmatters• mattersarisingfromthePremier’sforumwhichaffectthelocalauthorities• mutualsupportandtheprovisionofservicesinthedistricttogetherwithplanningand

development in the district• theco-ordinationandalignmentofthestrategicandperformanceplansandpriorities,objectives

and strategies of the municipalities in the district• anyothermattersofstrategicimportancewhichaffecttheinterestsofthemunicipalitiesinthe

district.

Act 13 of 2005 also allows two or more municipalities to establish an inter-municipality forum to serve as a consultative forum for the participating municipalities to discuss and consult one another on matters of mutual interest.

1.6 Conclusion

In the past, intergovernmental relations between the different levels of government was more a matter of hope than of constitutional fact. The Constitution, Act 108 of 1996, changed this. Chapter 3 deals with the principles of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations. As discussed above, national legislation was promulgated to establish forums on the different levels for intergovernmental relations.

The Constitution also requires that all organs of state must make every reasonable effort to avoid intergovernmental disputes and to settle intergovernmental disputes without resorting to judicial proceedings. If disputes do happen, the procedures on how to deal with them are also laid down in legislation.

Review questions

1. Discuss how the functions and authority are distributed among the three levels of government.

2. Parliament makes numerous laws on matters which affect the functioning of the local authority e.g. laws on electricity, roads, etc.

2.1 Describe the role of Parliament in Local Authority. 2.2ExplaintheroleofCabinetinLocalAuthority.

3. In each province an executive council is established according to the constitution. The Premier of the province is the head of each province. Discuss the role of the Premier

in municipalities.

Module 6

Who has a right to vote or qualify as voter


• Understandwhohasarighttovoteorqualifyasvoter;• Understandwhoisdisqualifiedtovote;• Explaintheproceduretoprepareavoter’sroll;• Understandhowwardsaredivided;• Explaintheelectionpreparationandprocedure;• Discusspartypoliticsanditsadvantagesanddisadvantages.

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1. Municipal Elections

1.1 Introduction

Residents in a municipal area cannot decide individually about a matter, and therefore representatives are elected to make decisions on their behalf in the municipal council. Residents must register as voters and then have the opportunity to select representatives through local elections.

Representation is not the perfect way to satisfy all the needs of the community, but it is not possible for all inhabitants to meet to make decisions. By voting for a representative the voter gets the opportunity to voice his opinion on local matters.

The elected representatives get a mandate from the voters to deliberate with other representatives on legislation to organise community life and provide services to satisfy needs and approve the budget which is needed to implement decisions.

Regular elections (every four years) will give the voter the opportunity to replace representatives (councillors) who did not represent his/her ward properly. If a councillor die or resign an interim election, for that ward only, will be held to elect another councillor.

In the paragraphs that follow the municipal election process will be discussed.

1.2 Right to vote (voter qualifications)

Previously only people who owned property in a municipal district were eligible to vote during municipal elections. This requirement was changed in the Interim Constitution of 1993 and the following people can vote in municipal elections:

• Anaturalpersonwhichmeansanindividualandnotacorporateorbusiness;• SouthAfricancitizen;• Minimumageof18;• Inpossessionofvalididentitydocument;• Registeredtovoteonthemunicipalvoter’sroll;• Residentintheareaofjurisdiction;• Notsubjecttoanydisqualifications(thiswillbediscussedbelow)

Aresidentcanonlyvoteonceforamunicipalgovernmentbutcanvoteintwodifferentmunicipalareas if he/she own property in both areas.

Avoterwhoseresidencehaschangedmustapplytohavethatchangerecordedinthevotersrollorbe deregistered as voter.

1.2.1 Disqualifications to vote

• Hasfraudulentlyappliedforregistrationintheprescribedmanner;• isnotaSouthAfricancitizen;• hasbeendeclaredbyaHighCourttobeofunsoundmindormentallydisordered;• detainedundertheMentalHealthAct18of1973;• detainedunderthePreventionandTreatmentofDrugDependencyAct1992.• notaresidentinthevotingdistrictwherethatpersonhasappliedtoregister.


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1.3 Voter’s roll

Avoters’rollisalistofnamesofalltheresidentswhoregisteredtovote.TheIndependentElectoralCommission(IEC)specifiestheformatanddetailstobeenteredonthevoters’roll.

Beforeanelectioncantakeplace,itisthefunctionoftheChiefElectoralOfficertocompileavoters’roll.

1.3.1. Procedure to prepare a voters’ roll

• Aspecifictimeperiodisspecifiedtopreparethevoters’roll.• Aspecificperson(employeeofthelocalauthority)isappointedtopreparethevoters’roll.• Formsareavailableforresidentstoregisteriftheyqualify.• Aftertheexpiringdatealistiscompiledwhichcontainsthefollowinginformation; • Aserialnumber • Identitynumber • Alphabeticallistofsurnamesandfullnames • Residentialaddressofthevoter.• Thevoters’rollisdividedintopartsaccordingtothewardsofthemunicipality.• Afterthepreliminaryvoters’rollhasbeenprepared,itmustbeadvertisedinthelocalnewspaper.• ItisopenforinspectionattheIECofficesforacertainperiod.• Duringtheinspectionperiod,anypersoncanrequesttobeincludedonthevoters’rollorobject againstanameappearingonthevoters’roll.Theserequestsorobjectionsmustbeinwriting.• AftertheinspectiontheIECdecideonobjectionsreceivedandrequestreceivedwhichcouldbe fororagainsttheinclusionofanameoronthecorrectnessofaperson’sdetails.• AfterthehearingstheChiefElectoralOfficermustcompletethecompilationofthevoters’roll and publish it.• Thisvoters’rollisnowreadyandusedonthedayofelectionstocontrolvoting.

1.4 Electoral wards

TheConstitutionrequiresthatwardsbedeterminedforeachlocalauthority.Awardistheboundary of area within which voters may cast their votes. TheDemarcationBoard,anindependentauthority,requiredbytheConstitution,receivesitsauthoritytodeterminewardsfromtheMunicipalStructuresAct.

When deciding on the number of wards the following criteria can be used:• Thenumberofcouncillorsmustbedeterminedbeforewardscanbeallocated;• Thenumberofregisteredvotersinanarea;• Topographicalandphysicalcharacteristicsofthearea;• Theavailabilityandlocationofsuitableplacesforvotingandcounting;• Thedensityofthepopulation–greaterdensity–morevotingstations;• Safetyandsecurityofvotersandelectionmaterial.

“The national common voters’ roll compiled and maintained in terms of the Electoral Act must be used for municipal elections. A municipality’s segment of the voters’ roll consists of the segments of the voters’ roll for the voting district falling within the municipality.” Municipal Electoral Act 27 of 2000.

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Afterthewardshavebeenallocatedandhowmanyrepresentatives must be elected, the election can take place.

1.5 ElectionsAmunicipalauthoritymustbeelecteddemocraticallyaccordingtotheConstitutionandMunicipalElectoralAct27of2000atintervalsofnotlessthanthreeyearsandnotmorethanfiveyears.

LocalgovernmentelectionsinSouthAfricatakesplaceeveryfouryears.

1.5.1 Activities prior to election day

In order to have an orderly election, the following requirements are needed:

Election timetable When the election has been called (date for election set), the IEC must compile a timetable setting outtheprocesstobefollowed.ThetimetablemustbeprintedintheProvincialGazette.

IEC local representativeThe IEC appoint an employee of the municipality to be their representative who is known as theMunicipalElectoralOfficer.TheMunicipalElectoralOfficerwillberesponsiblefortheadministration, organisation, supervision and conduct of the election for his/her municipal authorityaslaidoutintheMunicipalElectoralAct,undertheChiefElectoralOfficer(IECofficial).

Voters’ rollTheMunicipalElectoralOfficermustensurethatthevoters’roleisbroughtuptodatebeforethedayof the election. Parties contesting the electionPolitical parties who want to contest the municipal election must be registered by the Chief Electoral

Officer for a particular municipality by:• Givingnoticeofitsintentiontocontesttheelection;• Submittingalistofcandidatesfortheelection;• Nominatingwardcandidatestostandforthepartyinawardand• PayingadepositasdeterminedbytheIECtotheIEC.

Nomination of ward candidatesAwardcandidatecouldbeamemberofapoliticalpartyregisteredfortheelectionoranindependent candidate. Acandidatecontestingthemunicipalelectionmust:• beanordinaryresidentinthemunicipalityinwhichthewardfalls;• beregisteredonthemunicipalitiesvoters’roll;• submitnominationontheprescribedformtotheIEConorbeforedatesetoutinelection timetable;• signanacceptanceofnominationforthewardnominatedfor;• submitacertifiedpagewithphoto,nameandidentitynumber;• Submitatleast50signaturesofvoterswhoappearonthevoters’rollifhe/shearecontestingas an independent candidate.


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The IEC must:• compilealistofcandidatescontestingthewardsforeachwardtobecontested;• certifythoselistsforthatspecificelection;• keepcopiesofthelistsavailableattheofficeoftheIEC’slocalrepresentativeand• Issuetoeachcandidateacertificate.

Activity 2Gotothewebsiteofthemunicipalityinyourareaandfindthecouncillorwhorepresentsthe ward where you live. List the name of the ward and the details of the councillor (ward representative).

Establishment of voting stationsSuitablevenueswhichwillserveasvotingstationsmustbeidentified.Whendeterminingvotingstations the IEC must take into account:• anythingthatcouldaffectthefree,fairandorderlyconductoftheelectionforexampleanarea

exposedtoattacks;• populationdensity(howmanypeopleliveinthearea);• theneedtoavoidcongestionatthevotingstatione.g.inadequateparkingfacilitiesorpoor

design of venue which hinder free flow of voters from door to officials to voting compartments.

The IEC must give notice that copies of voting stations are available for inspection at the office of the local representative. If necessary for a free and fair election, the IEC may relocate a voting station.

Ballot papersThe IEC determines the design of the ballot papers to be used in an election and ensure that ballot papers are printed and delivered in the correctformandnumbertothecorrectvotingstation.Strictsecurityin the printing, transport, delivery and storage of ballot papers is of utmost importance.

The names of parties or candidates appear in alphabetical order on the ballot paper. Ballot papers are bound into books or blocks and the counterfoils contain a serial number for control purposes.

Ballot boxesThe IEC is responsible for the design, construction and numbering of the ballotboxes.Itmustbedesignedinsuchawaythatitcanbesecurelyclosedaftertheelections.Inthepastballotboxeswasmadeofsteel,whichisexpensiveanddifficulttohandle.Modernballotboxesaremadeofcardboard.

Voting compartments (voting booths)The IEC is responsible for the design, construction and delivery of the voting compartments. Three sides of the voting compartment are closed and one side open where the voter enters and make his mark / vote.

Voting materialsThe IEC is responsible for providing every voting station with the following voting materials:• ballotpapers;• ballotboxes;• votingcompartments;

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• certifiedsegmentofthevoters’rollforthatvotingdistrict;• stationary;• furnitureand• Anofficialmarktobestampedonthebackoftheballotpapers.

Appointment of presiding officersApresidingofficeranddeputypresidingofficerareappointedbytheIECforeveryvotingstation.

The presiding officer or deputy presiding officer has to:• manage,co-ordinateandsupervisethevotingatthevotingstation;• takeallnecessarystepstoensureorderlyconductatvotingstation;• order,ifneededsecuritytoassistinensuringorderlyconduct;• ExerciseanyotherdutyimposedbytheAct.• Appointmentofvotingofficers

The IEC also appoints voting officers who assist the presiding officer with duties on election day e.g. checkingvoters’rollandID’s,handingoutballotpapers,etc.

Appointment of counting officers and countersAteachvotingstationacountingofficeranddeputycountingofficerisappointedbytheIECwhosedutiesarethemanaging,supervisionandcountingofvotes.Acounterisapersonwhohelpsthecounting officer with the counting of voters.

Appointment of agentsAnagentisapersonappointedbyapoliticalpartyorbyanindependentwardcandidatewhomayobservetheproceedingsconcerningvoting,countinganddeclarationofresults.Anagentmaynotinterferewiththeproceedingsbutmaylodgeanobjection,ifallegedirregularitiesaresuspected,tothe presiding officer or counting officer.

ObserversAnorganisationmayapplytotheIECtobeanobserveratanelectionwhowillonlyobserveandbepresent at the election proceedings.

1.5.2 Election day

If everything was prepared and organised as stated above before election day, everything should run smoothlyandorderlyonelectionday.Alltheroleplayerswillhavetheirdutiestoperformandifeverybodydowhatisexpectedfromthemtheelectionsprocessshouldrunsuccessfully.

On the day of the election the following aspects is dealt with:

Voting timesThehoursprescribeinlegislationforvotingisfrom7:00till21:00.TheIECmaychangethehours,buthavetomakethechangedvotingtimeswidelyknown.No-onemaybeallowedinavotingstationafteritwasclosed.

ToensureafreeandfairelectiontheIECmaytemporarilycloseavotingstationforpartofelectiondayoritmayextendthehourstillmidnightonelectiondayifnecessary.


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Opening of voting stationsBeforeopeningat7:00thepresidingofficerateachvotingstationmust:• Showtheagentsandcandidatespresentthateachballotboxisempty;• SealtheballotboxwithasealdesignedbytheIEC;• Closeandsecureallopeningsoftheballotboxexcepttheopeningthroughwhichtheballot papers are inserted by the voters.

Duties of officials at voting stations• ensurethatballotboxesaresealedbeforeopeningvotingstation;• ensurethatrequiredfurnitureandstationaryareavailable;• ensurethatlayoutofvotingstationiseffective;• openandclosevotingstationattheprescribedtimes;• ensurethatthevotersvoteinsecretinthevotingcompartments;• verifytheregistrationofthevoteronthevotersrole;• issueballotpapersandkeeprecordofit;• keeporderatthevotingstation;• sealtheboxesafterclosureofthevotingstation;• delivertheballotboxesandelectionmaterialtothepresidingofficer.

Voting procedureAvotermayvoteonceatthevotingstationwherethatvoterisregistered.Theprocedureisasfollows:• Thevoterproduceshis/heridentitydocumenttoanelectoralofficer.• Theofficialwillverifythevoteronthevoters’rollandcheckifthevoter’sisthepersoninthe identity document.

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• Thevoter’snameismarkedinthevoters’rollasproofofvoting.• Thevoter’sleftthumbandnailismarkedwithink.• Thebackoftheballotpaperismarkedwiththeofficialelectionstamp.• Theballotpaperishandedtothevoter.• Thevotervoteinavotingcompartmentinsecret.• Thevoterfoldstheballotpaperandputitintheballotbox.• Voterexitsthevotingstation.

Closing of voting stationThevotingstationsdoorswillcloseat21:00ifnotextendedbytheIEC.Voterswhoenteredthevotingstationbefore21:00canfinishtheirvotingprocedure.

The presiding officer will then close the opening, through which ballot papers were inserted of the ballotbox,usingasealprovidedbytheIEC.Otherballotboxeswouldhavebeensealedinthiswayastheyhavebeenfilledupduringtheday.Allunusedboxesmustalsobesealedbytheendofthevoting day.

After boxes were sealed the presiding officer must do the following:• Completeaballotpaperstatementreflectingthenumberof: • ballotboxesissued; • usedballotboxes; • unusedballotboxes; • ballotpapersissued; • ballotpapersnotissued/unusedballotpapers; • cancelledballotpapers.

• Sealinseparatecontainers: • thecertifiedsegmentsofthevoters’rollprovided; • theunusedballotpapers; • anycancelledballotpapers; • thewrittenrecordofobjectionsconcerningvoting; • allowagentstoaffixtheirsealstothosecontainers.

Counting of votes and announcement of resultsIn the past votes were counted at central point by nowadays votes are counted at voting stations. Thisissaferthantransportingtheballotboxestoacentralpoint,butitrequiresexpertofficialstodothejob.TheIECcanalsoidentifyavenueforcountingvotesincasesofmobilevotingstations.

The presiding officer may also be the counting officer. The procedure for counting votes is as follows:• Verificationofthesealedboxesandothermaterial;• Thepresidingofficerwithagents,candidatesandobserversmustexaminesealsofballotboxesto ensurethattherewasnotampering;• Sealedboxesareopenedandverifiedwithpresidingofficer’sform;• Ballotpapersaresortedandspoiltpapersandpaperswithouttheofficialmarkareremoved;• Ballotpapersaresortedintobundlesof50or100,facedownsothatvotescannotbeseenand backischeckedfortheofficialmark;• Thebundlesaretotalledandcheckedagainstthetotalsinthepresidingofficer’sballotpaper statement;• Theactualcountisdonebyteamswhoturnballotpapersfaceupandsortthemintobundlesof 50or100foreachpartyorwardcandidate.• Afterthecountinghasbeencompleted,thepresidingofficerwillinspectthedoubtfulballot papersanddecidetoacceptorrejectthem.


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Oncecountingiscompleted,andthepresidingofficerissatisfiedwiththecountingprocess,he/shewill submit the results to the IEC. The IEC may have to investigate alleged irregularities by electoral or counting officials.

The declaration of results will be made by the IEC within seven days of an election.

1.6 Party Politics

Theroleofpoliticalpartiesinmunicipalelectionsisoftenquestioned.Votersvoteforacandidateand not for a political party even though candidates represent political party, independent candidates, who do not represent a political party, can also stand in municipal elections.

We can argue that political parties do not play a role in municipal elections, but municipalities is partofSouthAfricaasawholeandcannotbeseparatedfromnationalandprovinciallegislation.

Till1988politicalpartiesdidnotplayaverybigroleinmunicipalelectionsbutin1988politicalparties openly contested seats in the elections. The involvement of political parties in municipal elections has both advantages and disadvantages.

1.6.1 Advantages of political party involvement in municipal elections

• Thepercentagepollformunicipalelectionsisnormallyverylowandpartiescouldencouragemore voters to vote in the election.

• Politicalpartiescanplayaroleintheformulationofpoliciesonmunicipalaffairstobringaboutchange in the municipal administration and government.

• Politicalpartiescandisciplinethecandidatesiftheybelongtoaspecificparty.• Politicalpartieshelpcandidateswhodonothavethefinancialmeanstocontestanelectionto

take part.

• Ascandidatesarenominatedbypoliticalpartiesandboundbytheelectionmanifest,thevoterortaxpayercancallthemunicipalitytoaccount.

• Politicalpartieswillpreventcandidatestopromotetheirowninterests.

1.6.2 Disadvantages of political party involvement in municipal elections

• Politicalpartyparticipationcanexcludecandidateswhodonotbelongtoaspecificpoliticalparty.

• Municipalitiesgetinvolvedinthebroaderpoliticalschemewhenelectionsarecontestedonaparty political basis.

• Acandidatewithgreatpotentialtobecomeagoodcouncillorcanbeexcludediftheydonotbelong to a political party.

• Partypoliticalinterestscanbeseenasmoreimportantthantheinterestsoftheresidentsoftheward that he / she are representing.

• Iftheoppositionpartyonmunicipallevelistherulingpartyonnationallevel,itcanhappenthathigher authorities want to intervene on municipal level.

• IfmorethantwopoliticalpartiesarerepresentedintheCouncilandtherulingpartyonlyhaveaslightmajority,aminoritypartycanrulethetownorcitybecauseitcansidewithanyofthebigger parties in the council.

• Thebestpossiblecandidate,whowillservetheinterestofthevotersbest,isnotalwayselectedifhe does not belong to a political party.

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1.7 Conclusion

AllinhabitantsofmunicipalitieshavearightaccordingtheConstitution(Act108of1996)toelecttheirmunicipalrepresentatives.Locallevelistheclosestleveltothecitizensandistheplacewherethey can take part in municipal government and administration.

InhabitantsinanareaaredirectlyaffectedbythedecisionsoftheMunicipalCouncilandtheymustdeep the municipal authority accountable and take part in elections. If they do not it may happen that candidates are elected who might serve their own or party interests rather than the interests of the residents in the municipality.

Activity 3Go to the website of the municipality in your area and identify all political parties that contested the last local election and which parties are represented on the council.

Review Questions

1. Residents in a municipal area choose, through voting, representatives (councillors) to representthemontheMunicipalCouncil.Explainthefollowingwithregardtothe voting procedure:

1.1 Who qualify to vote in local elections? 1.2Howcanapersonbedisqualifiedtovote? 1.3DiscusstheprocedureforpreparingaVoter’sRoll.

2. Explainthecriteriausedtodeterminethehowthenumberofwardsforamunicipalelection.

3. Awardcandidatecouldbeamemberofapoliticalpartyregisteredfortheelectionoranindependent candidate.

3.1Discusstheprocedurepoliticalpartiesmustfollowtocontestthelocalelections. 3.2Explainwhatacandidatemustdotocontesttheelection. 3.3ExplainwhattheIECmustdoi.r.tthewardcandidate.

4. On the day of the elections everything must run smoothly in order to have orderly elections. Thedifferentroleplayerswillallhavetheirownduties.Discussthedutiesofofficialsatthepolling stations during elections.

5. Discusstheprocedureforcountingofvotesaftertheelection.

6. Since1988politicalpartiesopenlycontestedseatsintheMunicipalelections. ThepresenceofpoliticalpartiesinMunicipalelectionshasbothadvantagesand disadvantages.

6.1Discusstheadvantagesofpoliticalparties. 6.2Discussthedisadvantagesofpoliticalparties.

Module 7

Councillors


• Explainwhoqualifiestobeelectedasacouncillor• Explainhowapersonisdisqualifiedfrombecomingacouncillor• Understandtheconditionsunderwhichcouncillorsserve• Discussthestatusofcouncillors• Explainthefunctionsofcouncillors.

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1. Municipal councillors

1.1 Introduction

Municipalities enjoy a constitutional status, but not the same as national and provincial government. A municipal council is a legislative as well as governmental institution. Nowadays councillors need special abilities and qualities although no particular academic or other qualifications are prescribed for councillors. Councillors have diverse training, each with his/her own occupation and profession exercised in a private capacity. Basic requirements to serve as councillor are a sound judgement, good debating skills and a sound knowledge of governmental and political issues.

The basic conditions under which councillors must serve is prescribed in provincial ordinances. In this module the qualifications and disqualifications of councillors, the conditions under which they serve and the status and functions of councillors will be discussed.

1.2 Qualifications needed to be elected as councillor

The election and membership of municipal councils are prescribed in laws passed by national and provincial legislatures. Councils of metropolitan areas (cities) will have more councillors than towns in order to serve more effectively the larger population of voters they represent.

The qualifications needed for a person to seek election as a councillor, are the following:• Thepersonmustreside(live)inthemunicipalitywhereheseekselection.• Ifthepersonresidesoutsidethemunicipality,he/shemayonlyseekelectionifpropertyisowned

in the municipality concerned.• Thepersonmustberegisteredasavoterinthemunicipalityconcerned.

1.3 Reasons for being disqualified from election as councillor

There are certain criteria prescribed in Acts of Parliament and provincial ordinances that disqualify a person from becoming a councillor.

A person does not qualify to be elected as a councillor of a municipality if the person:• isalreadyacouncillorofamunicipality,unlesshe/sheseeksre-election• isaMemberofParliament• isanunrehabilitatedinsolvent• waspreviouslyacouncillorbut,duetomisconductorcorruption,wasdeclaredineligibleto

serve as councillor• wasfoundguiltyofanoffencebyacourtoflawandwassentencedwithouttheoptionofafine,

in the period three years prior to nomination day• owesmoneytothemunicipalityconcernedforlongerthanthreemonths• afterbeingelected,nolongerqualifiestoberegisteredasavoterforthemunicipality• ismarriedtoanemployeeofthecouncil• isanemployeeofanothermunicipalcouncil• wasdeclaredunfittoholdpublicofficebyacourtoflaw• wasdeclaredtobementallyunfittoserveascouncillorbyacourtoflaw.

1.4 Conditions under which councillors serve / code of conduct

The Municipal Systems Act contains a code of conduct for councillors which sets out the conditions under which councillors must serve.

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1.4.1 General conduct of councillors

• Acouncillormustperformthefunctionsofofficeingoodfaith,honestlyandinatransparentmanner.

• Atalltimesacouncillorshouldactinthebestinterestofthemunicipalityandnotcompromisethe integrity of the municipality.

1.4.2 Attendance at meetings

• Acouncillormustattendcouncilandcommitteemeetingsexceptifleaveofabsenceisgrantedorif the councillor had to withdraw from the meeting.

• Acouncillorwhoisabsentformorethanthreeconsecutivecouncilorcommitteemeetingswithout prior permission (except in cases beyond his/her control) is unfit to remain a councillor.

• Leaveofabsencefrommeetingscanbegrantedtoacouncillorifhe/sheinformsthesecretaryinwriting at least 24 hours before the meeting.

1.4.3 Sanctions for non-attendance of meetings

A municipal council may fine a councillor for:• not attending a meeting which he/she is required to attend• failing to remain in attendance at such a meeting • being absent for three or more consecutive meetings without permission.

1.4.4 Withdrawal from meetings

• A councillor must withdraw from council or committee meetings if he, his spouse, business associate, or company stands to gain financially, either directly or indirectly from matters on the agenda of the council meeting.

• Councillorsmustdecideforthemselvesiftheyoranyoftheabove-mentionedhasafinancialinterest in the matter and withdraw from the meeting.

• If a councillor refuses to withdraw, a court may find him guilty and order that he be removed from his position.

1.4.5 Vested interest in council contracts

Ordinances of all nine provinces contain conditions that forbid a councillor from entering into an agreement (contract) with his/her council under the following circumstances:• He/sheortheirspouseoranassociatewouldreceiveanyfinancialgainorbenefitfromthe

agreement;• Ifthereisindirectfinancialgain,nocontractmaybeclosed.(Financialgainthroughfamily).

There are however, exceptions to the rule and a councillor may enter into contracts with the councilwhere he/she:• entersintoacontractwiththecouncilregardingthenormalmunicipalservicesavailabletoall

residents (e.g. provision of water and electricity)• buysorrentslandwiththepermissionofthePremierorbuysorrentslandatapublicauction• sellsgoodsatapublicauction• isamemberofasportsclubandthisclubhastosignacontractwiththecouncil• isashareholderofacompanyenteringintocontractwiththecouncil,providedthathe/sheand

his/her spouse do not own more than a third of the company’s shares.

The internal auditors of the council must check the records of the council regularly to ensure that no councillor entered into illegal contracts with the council. If a councillor infringes on this regulation,

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he/shemaybefoundguiltybyacourtoflawandorderedtovacatehisofficeandwillnotbeeligiblefor election for a period of three years.

Acouncillorwhohasbeenforcedtoresignduetoaninfringementmaynotbere-electedascouncillor for a period of three years.

1.4.6 Personal gain

• Acouncillormaynotusehispositionorprivilegesorconfidentialinformationobtainedasacouncillor for private gain or to improperly benefit another person, except with prior consent of the council. A councillor may not:

– be party to or benefit from a contract to provide goods and services to the municipality – perform any other work except that of councillor – obtain any financial interest in any business of the municipality – for a fee appear on behalf of another person before the council.

1.4.7 Declaration of interest

• Acouncillormustdeclareinwritingtothemunicipalmanagerallfinancialinterestsandincome,withinaperiodofsixtydaysafterelected.

• Anychangeinfinancialinterestsmustbedeclaredtothemunicipalmanagerannually.• Giftsreceivedbyacouncilloraboveaprescribedamount,mustbedeclared.

1.4.8 Councillors acting as agents

• beforeavaluationcourtappointedbythecounciloracommitteeofthecouncil• atalicensingcommitteeofthecouncil• asapaidadvocate,attorney,notaryorconveyanceonbehalfofthecouncilonwhichhe/she

serves• asmedicaldoctor,veterinarysurgeon,architect,engineer,landsurveyor,accountant,auctioneer,

appraiser or assessor and receive remuneration from the council.

1.4.9 Bribery and corruption

• Acouncillormaynotbeinvolvedinbriberyandcorruption.• Iffoundguiltybyacourtoflaw,severesentencesmaybeimposedandthecouncillorfound

guilty of these transgressions will be declared incompetent to remain a councillor. • Suchacouncillorcannotseekre-electionforaperiodofsevenyears.

1.4.10 Exemption from personal liability

• Acouncillorwhohastakenaction,ontheinstructionofthecouncilandingoodfaith,isfreedby the relevant legislation from personal liability for any action, responsibility, gain or any claim which may derive from it.

• Anyexpensesincurredbythecouncillorinthisregardmustbepaidfromtherevenueofthecouncil concerned.

1.4.11 Appointment as an official of a council

Acouncillormaynotbeappointedasanofficial/civilservantofthecouncilunlesshistermofservice as a councillor ended at least six months before appointment.

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1.4.12 Rewards, gifts and favours

Acouncillormaynotrequestoracceptanyreward,giftorfavourfor:• voting or not voting on a matter before the municipal council;• persuading the council or any committee to take certain action • making a presentation to the council or committee.

1.4.13 Unauthorised disclosure of information

A councillor may not, without the permission of the council or committee, disclose any confidential information which• was determined as confidential information by the council• was discussed in a closed session by the council or committee• would violate a person’s right to privacy• was declared to be privileged or secret in terms of law.

1.4.14 Intervention in administration

A councillor may not: • interfere in the administration or management of any department of the municipality unless

mandated by the council• give any instruction to an employee of the municipality unless authorised to do so by the

council• obstruct or attempt to obstruct the implementation of any decision of the council or a

committee by an employee of the municipality• encourage or participate in any conduct which would cause or contribute to maladministration

in the council or municipality.

1.4.15 Council property

A councillor may not • appropriateormisusecouncilproperty,officefacilitiesorequipmentforhispersonaluseorfor

conducting private business affairs• be in arrears to the municipality for rates and services charges for longer than three months.

1.5 Status of councillors

When a candidate accepts the nomination, he/she agrees to devote him/herself to the interests of the inhabitants of the municipality. If the candidate is elected to the municipal council, the interests of the voters and inhabitants come before personal interest and needs. If elected, the councillor is bound by the code of conduct and the conditions as discussed above, under which he/she must serve.

Jointly with other councillors decisions are made and policy is determined for the municipality to serve the best interest of the inhabitants. Individual municipal councillors do not have any authority to make decisions on behalf of the council but, together with the other councillors, as a group, they have the authority given to them by the voters to manage the municipality to the best of their ability.

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1.6 Functions of councillors

1.6.1 Representation

Councillors are elected by the voters to represent them (the voter) in the municipal council. The voters expect the councillor to ensure that their needs and expectations are met through decisions by the council and municipal policy.

To perform this task councillors must:• keepthemselvesinformedoftheviewsandneedsofthevoters• determinethenatureandextentofactivitiesundertakenbythecouncilanditsofficialstosatisfy

these needs• Representtheirwardsincouncilmeetingsbytakingpartindecision-andpolicy-making.

1.6.2 Participation in committees

The municipal council makes use of a system of committees to discuss matters and make recommendations to the council before policy is made. Committees are formed for all the major functions of the municipality, e.g. finance committee or transport committee.

It is expected from councillors to be a member of a committee, and to exercise their governing function properly they must:• bewillingtobeamemberofacommitteeoradhoccommittee• beconversant(informed)withtheproceedingsofcommitteemeetings• putmoreenergyintocommitteemeetingsthancouncilmeetings,ascommitteemeetingsarethe

venues where all problems, wishes and needs of the inhabitants (voters) are discussed• discussmattersindetailinmeetingsandformulatealternativepoliciesanddecisionsfor

submission to the council.

A matter not will be put on the agenda of a full council meeting before it has been discussed in acommittee meeting.

1.6.3 Deliberation in council meetings

All matters are first discussed and analysed by a committee before being submitted to the full council for consideration and policy making.

In council meetings councillors must:• evaluatetherecommendationsofthecommitteesbycreativediscussioninpublicdebate;• participateinthepublicdebateandthusdefendingtheinterestsofthevoters;• ifnecessary,amendorrejectrecommendations;• ifsatisfiedwiththerecommendationofacommittee,approveit.Thisrecommendationwillthen become council policy.

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1.6.4 Public liaison

Acouncillor’sdutydoesnotendafterdecision-making.Sometimesthecouncilmakesdecisionsthatare not always acceptable for all the voters.

A councillor as part of his/her liaison function must:• convincevotersinhis/herwardofthereasonforcouncildecisionsandpolicy• informthecommunityabouttheprogressmadeintheexecutionofcouncildecisionsandthe

rendering of services• evaluatetheresultsofpolicieswhichhavebeenimplementedtodeterminewhethertheneeds

and wishes of the community have been satisfied• beavailabletothecommunitytolearntoknowtheirneedsandexpectations.

1.7 Conclusion

The high degree of urbanisation, especially in metropolitan areas, requires municipal councillors with exceptional qualities such as a high degree of integrity, a good sense of judgement, the ability to debate, good articulation and the art of persuasion, in order to be able to get colleagues and others to accept their point of view.Although no specific qualification is necessary to become a councillor, specific disqualifications are prescribed in legislation to prevent ineligible persons from serving as councillors. Individual municipal councillors do not have authority on their own, and cannot interfere in the administration of the municipality. Their function is to govern the municipality through decisions and policy approved in council and committee meetings and represents the voters who elected them.

Review questions

1. To be nominated or elected as members of municipal councils, members must comply with certain statutory qualifications prescribed in Acts of Parliament and provincial ordinances. Discuss the criteria which can be used to disqualify a person from becoming a councillor.

2. Briefly discuss the following conditions / codes of conduct under which councillors must serve: 2.1 Withdrawal from meetings 2.2 Exceptions for entering into contracts/agreements with the council 2.3 Personal gain 2.4 Acting as agent 2.5 Declaration of interest 2.6 Interference in the administration

3. Discuss the functions of councillors.

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Module 8

Mayors


• Understandthemayoralsysteminmunicipalauthorities• Explaintheprocessofelectionofthemayor• Discussthedutiesandpowersofthemayor• Explaintheroleofthedeputymayor• Explaintheroleofchairpersonofacommitteeinmunicipalauthorities.

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1. Officebearers of municipal councils

1.1 Introduction

New legislation makes provision for certain office-bearers, namely the mayor, deputy mayor, chairperson of the council and chairperson of committees. These office-bearers are elected annually by the council. The office-bearers are elected by majority vote of the councillors and committee members.

1.2 The mayor

Two types of mayoral systems are applicable in municipal authorities. • AStrongMayorSystemwherethemayoriselectedby

voters and the mayor serves as chief executive of the municipalauthority.ThissystemisinuseinAmerica.

• TheWeakMayorSystemwherethemayoriselectedbythecouncilmembers.SouthAfricamakesuseofthissystembut the mayor plays a much bigger role nowadays.

ThecurrentstatusofmayorsinSouthAfricahaschangedradicallyfromtheolder,traditionalmodelin the last century where the mayor’s role was more ceremonial.ThenewSouthAfricanmayoristhepoliticalleaderofthecouncil,actsaschairpersonofthecounciland has certain executive powers.

TheMunicipalStructuresAct117of1998makesprovisionfortheelectionofanexecutivemayorornon-executive mayor depending on the type of municipal structure adopted.

1.2.1 Election of the mayor (executive or non-executive mayor)

The municipal council of each municipal authority elects its own office bearers. The mayor is elected at the first meeting of the newly elected council. The term of office of the mayor is one year and a mayor may be re-elected. The mayor is elected before the chairpersons of the various committees because the mayor is not allowed to chair a committee meeting.

InSchedule3oftheMunicipalStructuresActtheprocedureforelectingtheexecutivemayor,deputyexecutivemayor,mayorordeputymayorandSpeakeraresetout.

The procedure for electing a mayor is as follows:• Nominationsarecalledforbytheseniorofficial(oftenTheMunicipalManager)atthefirst

council meeting.• TheMunicipalManagermustdecideontheformonwhichnominationscanbesubmitted.• Thenominationform,orletterfromabsentofsicknominee,mustbesignedbytwocouncil

members and by the nominated member.• Thepersonpresidingoverthemeetingmustannouncethenamesofallnominees,butnotallow

a debate.• Ifonlyonecandidateisnominated,thepersonpresidingmustdeclarethatcandidateaselected.• Ifmorethanonecandidateisnominated,avotemustbetakenbysecretballotandeach

councillor present may cast one vote. The candidate receiving the most votes is declared elected.

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• Ifnocandidatereceivesanoutrightmajorityofvotes,thenthecandidatewiththelowestnumberof votes is eliminated and another vote is taken. This process continue till one candidate has a clear majority and is elected.

• Ifonlytwocandidatesarenominated,oronlytworemainafterhavingreceivedthesamenumberof votes, a further council meeting must be held within seven days where election procedure is repeated till a candidate is elected.

1.2.2 Functions and powers of executive mayors

ThefunctionsoftheexecutivemayorintermsofSection56oftheMunicipalStructuresAct117of1998areto:• receivereportsfromthecommitteesofthecouncilandtoforwardthem,withthenecessary

recommendations, to the council, except if the mayor can handle the matter in terms of delegated powers

• identifytheneedsofthemunicipality• reviewandevaluatethoseneedsinorderofpriority• recommendtothemunicipalcouncilprogrammesandstrategiestoaddressthepriorityneeds

and the estimates of revenue and expenditure for these needs, taking into account national and provincial plans

• recommendthebestwaytodeliverthosestrategiesandsatisfytheneedstothemaximumbenefitof the community

• identifyanddevelopcriteriaintermsofwhichtheprogressoftheimplementationofstrategiesand programmes can be evaluated

• reviewmunicipalperformanceinordertoimprove: – the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the municipality – the efficiency of credit control and revenue and debt collection – the implementation of municipal by-laws• monitorthemanagementoftheadministrationofthemunicipalityinaccordancewith

municipal council directions• overseetheprovisionofservicestocommunitiesinthemunicipalityinasustainablemanner;• performsuchdutiesandexercisesuchpowersasdelegatedbythecouncil• reportannuallyontheinvolvementofcommunitiesandcommunityorganisationsintheaffairs

of the municipality• ensurethatthepublicviewistakenintoaccount.

“The people of Cape Town have given us the resounding mandate to deliver on the promise of building the opportunity city of the future.”

“Wewillbuildonthesolidfoundationlaidbytheprevioustwoadministrations under my predecessors, Helen Zille and Dan Plato, by fulfilling our mission of being a government of excellence and innovation, a government with a vision of a greater city.”

“That vision is to address poverty through economic growth and jobs, because only through a strategy of sustained poverty reduction through economic development will we ensure that we give every resident the means for a better life and create a truly inclusive city.”

“I am determined that all of us in this new administration will work tirelessly, day and night, to live up to this vote of confidence to ensure that we do justice to the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all the citizens of our great city. It will be difficult work but I have faith that we will achieve what we set out to do and more.” (Executive Mayor Alderman Patricia de Lille)

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Powers and functions of mayors (non-executive)Thenon-executiveMayorhasthesamefunctionsasthetraditionalmayor.Thepowersandfunctions are:• tochairthefullmunicipalcouncilmeetingexceptwheretheManagementCommitteeSystemis

used• tobeanex-officio(non-voting)memberofeachcommittee• tohaveacastingvoteinthecouncil,inadditiontonormalvoteinthecaseofanequalvote• toconveneanextra-ordinaryorspecialmeeting• tosigntheminutesofthecouncilmeeting,ofteninconjunctionwiththemunicipalmanager• tocallapublicmeetingonrequestofaprescribednumberofvoters• toauthenticatedocuments(signdocumentstogiveitlegalvalidity).

Non-statutory functions of the mayor are:• torepresentthetownorcity• toactasceremonialheadofthecityortownandmeetandentertainprominentvisitorsonbehalf

of the community, and attend functions• toheadthedelegationstoprovincialandcentralgovernment• toinitiate,sponsorsoractaspatronforwelfarecauses.

TheremunerationofmayorsissetoutthePublicOfficeBearersAct20of1998whichprovidesfor the determination of upper limits of the salaries and allowances of the different members of municipalcouncilsbytheMinisterofProvincialAffairsandLocalGovernmentafterconsultationwiththelocalgovernmentMEC’s.

1.3 Deputy mayors

The deputy mayor is elected at the same meeting and in the same manner as the mayor. There are two types of deputy mayor, namely the deputy executive mayor and the deputy mayor, depending on the type of municipality.

Both types do not have any statutory powers, but assume the powers of the executive mayor/mayor when they are absent or unavailable.

1.4 Chairpersons of committees

TheMunicipalStructuresActmakesprovisionforthecompulsorycommittees,suchastheexecutivecommittee or mayoral committee for executive mayors and committees such as planning, finance, etc., as well as sub-council and ward committees. Foreachcommitteeachairpersonanddeputychairpersonmustbeappointedafterthedifferentcommittees have been established by the council. The council may appoint the chairperson and deputy chairperson, or the members of the committee can elect them. The executive mayor/mayor is not allowed to chair a committee meeting. The duties of the chairmanofthecommitteeswillbediscussedinModule10.

1.5 Conclusion

Office bearers play an important role in the municipal councils and new legislation makes provision for the election of an executive mayor or mayor deputy, executive mayor and/or deputy mayor. The electionoftheofficebearersandtheirownpowersandresponsibilitiesissetoutintheMunicipalStructuresAct117of1998.

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Municipalitiesmakeuseofacommitteesystemandthechairpersonofthecommitteesmustensurethat committees are effective and issues are discussed and evaluated before recommendations to the council are made.

Review questions

1.Discusstheprocedureforelectingthemayor.

2.Discussthepowersandfunctionsoftheexecutivemayor.

3.Discussthepowersandfunctionsofthenon-executivemayor.

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Module 9

Committee system


• Understandthecommitteestructuresofmunicipalities• Explaintheexecutivecommitteesystemofmunicipalities• Explaintheroleofthecommitteesinassistingtheexecutivecommittee/mayor• Explainthemetropolitansub-councilsystem• Explaintheroleofwardcommittees

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1. Committee systems of muncipal councils

1.1 Introduction

The Municipal Structures Act makes provision for compulsory committees, such as the executive committee or mayoral committee for executive mayors and portfolio (Section 79) committees for the various services such as finance, planning, etc.

The main advantage of committees is to prevent lengthy council meetings where matters have to be discussed in detail. With a committee system, the committee must investigate matters and report back to the council where the final decisions are taken.Sections 33 and 79 of the Municipal Structures Act gives municipalities the power to establish committees to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the performance of the municipality and the council. Section 79(2) of the Act allows the council to delegate powers to these committees.

The old single/management committee and multiple committee system were replaced by the executive committee, mayoral committee, metropolitan sub-councils, ward committees and committees to assist the executive or mayoral committees.

A quorum is a legal requirement for the constitution of a valid meeting at which a binding decision may be taken.

1.2. The Executive Committee (previously known as the Single or Management Committee)

1.2.1 Composition of the executive committee

• Anexecutivecommitteemustbeestablishedwithin14daysaftertheelection.• Thenumberofmembersiscalculatedonthebasisof20%ofthetotalnumberofcouncillorsof

the town/city or TEN, whichever is the lowest.• Thepartiesonthecommitteemustbeproportionallyrepresented.• Themembersareelectedbymajorityvoteinthecouncil.• Themembersareelectedaftertheexecutivemayoranddeputyhavebeenelected.• Itisdesirabletolimitthenumberofexecutivecouncillors,becauseofthehighrateof

remuneration.• Themembersareelectedforthetermofofficeofthecouncil.

A vacancy on the executive committee can occur if:• acouncillorresignsasamemberoftheexecutivecommittee• oneormoremembersoftheexecutivecommitteeareremovedfromoffice• amemberceasestobeacouncillor.

1.2.2 Powers and functions of the executive committee

Themayordecideswhenandwheretheexecutivecommitteemeets.Amajorityofthemembersmay,inwriting,requesttheMayortoconveneameeting.Byvoteofamajorityofitsmembers,theexecutivecommitteedeterminesitsownproceduresandforaquorumthemajorityofmembersmustbepresent.Decisionsaretakenbymajorityvoteandthemayorhasacastingvote.

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The functions and powers of the executive committee are to:• receivereportsfromothercommittees,whichareforwardedtothecouncilwith

recommendations, except if the executive committee can deal with the matter• identifytheneedsofthemunicipality• reviewandevaluatethoseneedsinorderofpriority• recommendtothemunicipalcouncilprogrammesandstrategiestoaddressthepriorityneeds

and the estimates of revenue and expenditure for these needs• recommendthebestwaytodeliverthosestrategiesandsatisfytheneedstothemaximumbenefit

of the community• evaluatetheprogressoftheimplementationofstrategiesandprogrammesthataddresstheneeds• reviewmunicipalperformanceinordertoimprove: – the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the municipality; – the efficiency of credit control and revenue and debt collection; – the implementation of municipal by-laws• monitorthemanagementoftheadministrationofthemunicipalityinaccordancewith

municipal council directions• overseetheprovisionofservicestocommunitiesinthemunicipalityinasustainablemanner;• performsuchdutiesandexercisesuchpowersasdelegatedbythecouncil• reportannuallyontheinvolvementofcommunitiesandcommunityorganisationsintheaffairs

of the municipality• ensurethatpublicviewsaretakenintoaccount.

1.2.3 Advantages

• Decisionsaretakenmorequicklybecausethereisonlyonecommitteetoconsidermatters.• Theexecutivecommitteegiveprioritytothebasicneedsofthecommunity.• Itconcentratesondevelopmentallocalgovernment.• Itdealswithfinancialcontrol,personnelmatters,propertymanagementandpolicyformulation.• Itmakesanefforttogetcommunityinvolvement.• Accountabilitycanbepinnedonaspecificpersonbecauseofthesmallnumberofmembers.

1.2.4 Disadvantages

• Othercouncillorsloseinterestinmunicipaladministrationiftheyarenotamemberofthe executive committee.• Councilmeetingstendtobethereasarubberstampfortherecommendationsoftheexecutive committee.• Membersoftheexecutivecommitteetendtodominatecouncilmeetings.• Mostmattersarepresentedinfinalformbeforethecouncilandnon-membersoftheexecutive committee feel that they do not have much say in the matter.• Thetermofofficeforthemembersoftheexecutivecommitteeistoolong.• Theexecutivecommitteesoftendoesnotsucceedinco-ordinatingtheactivitiesofthedifferent departments.

1.3 Committees to assist executive committees or executive mayors (previously known as Multiple Committees)

An executive committee or executive mayor may appoint committees to assist them.The Mayor:• chooses the members of the mayoral committee (the chairperson of the portfolio committees)• appoints the chairperson of the committee• may delegate any vested powers and duties to such a committee.

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The function of these committees is to:• reporttotheexecutivecommitteeormayorinaccordancewiththedirectionordelegationgiven

to them• assisttheexecutivecommitteeormayor.

This committee is not a committee of the council but only assists the executive committee and mayor.

City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee

CapeTownandJohannesburgaswellasNelsonMandelaBayMunicipality(PE)makeuseofthissystem. See below:

Executive Mayoral System: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

TheExecutiveMayorgovernstogetherwiththeSpeaker,whoistheChairpersonoftheMetropolitanCouncil,theDeputyExecutiveMayorandateamofnineChairpersonsofPortfolioCommitteeswithinanExecutiveMayoralCommitteesystem.

OurExecutiveMayoralsystemiscombinedwithavibrantWardParticipatorySystemtoensurecommunity participation on grassroots level.

ThePortfolioCommitteesareoutlinedbelow:1.BudgetandTreasury2. Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture3.PublicHealth4.HumanSettlements5.CorporateServices6.InfrastructureandEngineering7.Sport,Recreation,ArtsandCulture8. Safety and Security9.ConstituencyServices10.SpecialProjects

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1.3.1 Advantages of the multiple committee system (portfolio committees)

• Thereisawiderandmorecorporatedecision-makingprocesswithmoremindsappliedtomaking a decision.

• Councillorsaremoreawareoftheneedsintheareawheretheylive.• Councillorsaremoreinvolvedintheaffairsoftheareawheretheylive,andgetabetterviewof

the services that are provided.• Committeesareabletoensurethattheinterestsofawidevarietyofpeoplearerepresented.• Thissystemkeepsinclosertouchwiththelocalpublic.

1.3.2 Disadvantages of the multiple committee system

• Ifcommitteesmeetinsecretandthepublicarenotallowedin,itisnothonestgovernance.• Councillorsarenotelectedtomanagetheadministrationandneedtooperateinthefieldof

politics and not interfere in the administration of the municipality.• Corporatedecision-makingdoesnotguaranteegooddecisions.• Thesystemcanhamperco-ordinationandforward-thinkingifcommitteesarenotkeptontrack

by the chairperson.• Itcanleadtoattemptstointerfereintheadministration.• Becausetherearequiteanumberofmembersinvolved,itisdifficultforthepublictopin

accountability on a person.

Activity 4Find out what type of committee system the municipality in your area uses. Identifythefollowing:• Mayor/executivemayor• Executive/mayoralcommitteemembers• Iftherearemetropolitansub-councilsandhowmanythereare• Iftherearewardcommitteesandwhichcommitteerepresentstheareayoulivein• Iftherearecommitteesthatassisttheexecutivecommitteeormayor

1.4 Metropolitan sub-councils

Onlymetropolitanmunicipalitiesestablishedasatypeofmunicipalitywithsub-councilsmayestablish sub-councils.

1.4.1 Composition of metropolitan sub-councils

The municipal council must:• Establishasub-councilbymeansofaby-law,afteraprocessofpublicconsultation• Determine,throughtheby-law,thenumberofsub-councilstobeestablished and which wards will form a sub-council• provideafinancialframeworkwithinwhichthesub-councilmustfunction(fundsfromthemain

budget must cover operating costs of the sub-council) • giveeachsub-councilaname.

Otherfeaturesofsub-councilsare:• Onlycouncillorsmaybemembersofasub-council.• Allthecouncillorsrepresentingthewardsinthesub-councilareaareautomaticallymembersof

the sub-council.

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• AdditionalPRcouncillorsbecomemembersinproportiontothenumberofregisteredvotersinthe area.

• Oneofthemembersiselectedaschairpersonbythesub-council.• Membersserveforthetermofofficeofthecouncil.• Thechairmandecideswhenandwherethesub-councilwillmeet.• Ameetingmustbeheldifthemajorityofmembersrequestitinwriting.• Asub-council,bymeansofmajorityvote,maydetermineitsownprocedures,subjectto

directions by the council.• Aquorumisneededforsub-councildecisionswhicharemadebymajorityvote.• Asub-councilmayappointcommittees,includingamanagementcommittee,toassistitin

exercising its duties.• Asub-councilhasthestatutorypowertomakerecommendationstothecouncilonanymatter

affecting its area.• Asub-councilmayadvisethecouncilonwhatdutiesandpowersshouldbeallocatedtoit.

1.4.2 Functions and powers of sub-councils

Sub-councils have the following functions:• PromotingcommunityparticipationintheIDP• Performancemanagement• Thechoiceofserviceproviders• Theestablishmentofmunicipalservicedistricts• Themonitoringofcustomercareandmanagement

The following delegated powers are given to sub-councils: • Localrezoning,andtownplanning • Abatementofpublicnuisances • Controloverundertakingsthatsellintoxicatingliquortothepublic – licensing and control over undertakings that sell food to the public.

What are sub-councils and why do we need them?TheCityofCapeTownprovidesresidentswithavarietyofmunicipalservicessuchashealth,water, wastewater and sewerage systems, roads and traffic safety services, and housing sites and services.Tojudgewhetheritisdoingthiseffectively,itneedstolistentowhatresidentshavetosay.Itdoesthisviaitssub-councils-specialiseddecentralisedgovernmentalstructuresthatgiveresidents a say in local government.

Thereare24subcouncilsinCapeTown.Collectively,theseexerciseover90functionsandpowersdelegateddirectlytothembytheCity’sCouncil.Someoftheseinclude:• encouragingresidentstogetinvolvedindecisionsontheCity’spoliciesandlegislation,such

asdraftby-laws,proposedpolicies,itsannualbudgetandits5yearplan• monitoringCityservicedelivery,resolvingresidents’complaintsandenquiries• supervisingthespendingofwardallocations(moneythattheCitygivestosub-councils)on

service delivery issues • dealingwithreferencesfromtheCity’sportfoliocommitteesaboutpolicies,by-lawsand

regulations • makingrecommendationstoCouncilonmattersaffectingtheirareas• authorisingbusinesslicences• adoptingrulesoforder• Inthisway,theyhelptheCitytobettermeettheneedsofCapeTown’sresidents.

Sub-council meetings Sub-council meetings are open to the public. They are held at least once a month except duringrecess, which is usually in the school holidays.

(www.capetown.gov.za)

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1.5 Ward committees

Ward committees are an option allowed in the Municipal Structures Act for metropolitan and local municipalities established as a type with ward committees.Insomemunicipalitiestherecanbesub-councilsandwardcommittees.Wardcommitteesareestablished to enhance participation by the community.

Ward committees are established by rules made by the council and consist of:• Thewardcouncilloristhechairperson• Notmorethantenpersonswhoareelectedbythecommunitytheyserve• Womenshouldbewellrepresented.

The purposes of the ward committees are:• togetbetterparticipationfromthecommunitytoinformcouncildecisions• tomakesurethatthereismoreeffectivecommunicationbetweenthecouncilandthe

community• toassistthewardcouncillorwithconsultationandreport-backstothecommunity.

Ward committees cannot directly communicate with the administration of the municipality and have to communicate through the councillor to the council or mayor.

Ward committees

Eachwardmayhaveawardcommitteeofupto10personswhichmustaccuratelyreflecttheregisteredCBOsinthewardintherelevantsectorsincludingratepayers’andcivicorganisations,faith-based organisations, safety and security groups, environmental groups, early education, youth organisations, arts and culture, sport, the business community and designated vulnerable groups such as the aged, gender and the disabled.

TheWardCouncilloristhechairpersonofthewardcommittee.Aproportionalrepresentation(PR)councillorallocatedtotheWardCommittee,andtheJuniorCityCouncillor,areexofficionon-voting members. All committee members must regularly consult their sectors and advise the ward councillor on needs and priorities, including the budget, and make recommendations to the sub-council or other committees of council.

Although ward committees have no powers, they are the most direct link between a community and the structures of council. They must meet at least quarterly and members receive an allowanceforoutofpocketexpensestocarryouttheirduties.Clickonthefollowingdocumentsfor more information:

(www.capetown.gov.za)

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The City of Cape Town’s schematic representation of the committee system which helps the residents understand how they fit into local government.

1.6 Conclusion

All types and forms of government have committees. No democratic system can function without a committee system. The Municipal Structures Act makes provision for the establishment of compulsory committees, such as the executive committee or the mayoral committee for executive mayors, who can establish other committees to assist them. Sub-council and ward committees can also be established, which bring municipal government to the voters.

Module 10

Meeting procedures of municipal councils


• Understandtherules/proceduresofmeetings• Knowthevalueofreports• Explainthefunctionofanagenda• Knowhowtocompileanagenda• Understandthefunctionoftheminutesofameeting• Explainthedutiesofthechairpersonofameeting

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1. Meeting procedures of municipal councils

1.1 Introduction

All types and forms of government have committees. Committees are a fact of life and it is impossible to govern democratically without meetings where issues are discussed and decisions are made. The Municipal Structures Act makes provision for compulsory committees but a municipal council must guard against forming too many committees.

Meetings are a formal procedure, laid down by statutory provisions, to discuss and decide on matters that affect the municipal authority, thus it is important to keep records of agendas, minutes, reports and all relevant documentation related to the meeting. These documents are the memory of the council and committees and record must be kept of all documents.

• Achairpersonorganizesameetingthroughanagenda(listofitemstobediscussed)whichisdistributed in advance.

• Thechairpersonisresponsibleforrunningmeetings:keepingthediscussionontheappropriatesubject,recognisingmembers(callingonthemtospeak),andcallingforvotesafteradebatehastakenplace.(Formalvotingisnormallyonlydoneincommitteesinvolvedingovernanceasgovernancecommitteesoftenhaveformalprocesses.)

• Minutesarearecordofthediscussionanddecisionsofthemeeting,takenbyapersondesignated as the secretary of the meeting. Typically for government committees, the minutes are legally binding.

• Forcommitteesthatmeetregularly,theminutesofthemostrecentmeetingareoftencirculated to committee members before the next meeting.

• Committeesmaymeetonaregularbasis,oftenweeklyoryearly,ormeetingsmaybecalledirregularly as the need arises.

1.2 Rules of meeting procedures / standing orders

When functions and powers are delegated, formal written documents and procedures explaining the delegated powers must also be given to the official/s.

Various provincial ordinances make provision for the establishment of committees and the procedures that must be followed.

Below is an example of a provincial ordinance of the Eastern Cape in this regard.


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Each municipal authority should have its own set of standard rules and procedures for meetings to ensure that meetings are held in an orderly manner. These procedures must prescribe the order of business, notice of meeting, agenda, minutes, motions, etc.

1.3 Reports

Most of the items discussed at council and commitee meetings are submitted for discussion in the form of reports. These reports are submitted under the signature of the head of department or delegate, in a prescribed format. Reports are numbered on the first page and must be traceable immediately.

Councillors receive a lot of reports and deal with a large volume of literature received. The following tipscanhelptomakethetasksofthecounicillorseasier:• Councilmustclearlyspecifywhomaysignreportstoeliminateuncontrolledreports.• Reportsthataffectmorethanonedepartment(organisationalunit)canonlybesubmittedtothe council if comments of all departments concerned have been obtained and included in the report.

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• Reportsmustbesubmittedinaprescribedformatandshouldinclude: – A systematic representation of particulars and arguments; – A summary of the report – A recommendation • Reportssubmittedmustbecorrectandwritteninunambiguouslanguagetobesuitablefor discussion without requiring explanations from the author of the report.

A notice of a meeting states the date, time and place of a meeting, and is usually at the top of the same page as the agenda. Notice must normally be given at least 7 days in advance.

An agendaisalistofitems(issues)tobediscussedatameeting.Allreports/financialstatements to be discussed should be attached to the agenda.

1.4 Notice of Meeting

Provincial ordinances prescribe that members of Council and commitee members should be informed of the meeting in time for them to prepare for the meeting.

Article16(4&5)ofLocalAuthorityNotice82below,prescribestheprocedureforgivingnoticeofameeting to councillors.

1.5 Agenda

No meeting can be productive without an agenda which is to a meeting like a map to a tourist.

Theagendacontainsthefollowinginformation:• Typeofmeeting,date,timeandvenueofthemeeting(noticeofmeeting)• Listofitemstobediscussedatthemeeting• Reportsthatneedtobediscussed.Theseshouldbeattachedtoenablethememberstoprepare themselves for the meeting.


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1.5.1 Format of agenda

Generallytheformatbelowisadoptedatmeetings:• Atthefirstmeetingofthenewcouncilorcommittee,orifachairmanresigned,achairperson

must be elected.• Ifitisanextra-ordinaryorspecialmeeting,thenoticeconveningthemeetingmustbereadas

members are notified without an agenda.

All normal council and committee meetings’ format is as follows:• Welcome• Appologiesofabsenceandleavenoted• Confirmationofminutesofpreviousmeeting• Declarationsandannouncements• Interviewsorconsultationwithdelegatesorpersonsinvitedtoattendthemeeting-thesepeople

must leave the meeting after they have given their input and are not allowed to vote at council meetings.

• Statutorymatters,e.g.motionsregardingclosureofroadsormotionsonby-lawamendments,etc.

• Prioritymattersintermsofaresolutionofapreviousmeeting• Mattersreferredfrompreviousmeetings• Reportsofcommittees,delegatesorofficialsofthemunicpalauthority-thesedocumentsdeal

with the matters to be discussed at the meeting.• Considerationofreports,announcements,petitionsandapplicationssubmittedbythemunicipal

manager and requiring urgent attention;• Noticesormotionsandquestionswhichshouldappearontheagendaintheorderinwhichthey

were received by the municipal manager.• General/anyotherbusiness• Dateofnextmeeting.• Undergeneral/otherbusinessnewitemscanbeincludedontheagenda.

1.5.2 Compilation of the agenda

BindingThe ideal is that the agenda with all the reports and annexures should be bounded into one document.Looseagendadocumentscouldcauseproblemssuchas:• Pagesbeinglost• Difficultyinfindingdocuments• Difficultyinhandlingdocuments• Disturbanceofthesequenceofdocuments

NumberingDifferentmethodscanbeusedtobutthemostconvenientmethodistousethenumberoftheagenda item and then identify the page number e.g.Listofitems pagenumberItem1: p1Item2: p1

Sub-items can be numbered as follows:Item9: Sub-item9.1 p13–15

Thesub-itemsrepresentissuesofthedifferentcommitteesordepartments.

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1.5.3 Rules for submission of agenda items

Each municipal council should have rules to enable the compiler of the agenda to receive the items in time to allow sufficient time for the typing, duplicating, binding and sending out of agenda.

Theserulesshouldincludethefollowing:• forminwhichitemsforagendamustbesubmitted;• manner,e.g.typed,emailed,etc.• timeofsubmissiontobeincludedinthenextagenda.

1.5.4 Different agendas for the same meeting

Some municipal authorities make provision for a supplementary agenda. Extremely urgent matters can be placed on a separate agenda during the meeting itself. Councillors, however, have to guard againstmisuse of this practice as it can destroy the systematic procedure of a meeting.

Insomecasesaconfidentialandpublicagendaisdrawnupforthesamemeeting.Thisisnecessarywhere certain matters have to be kept confidential for particular reasons. This happens because council meetings are open to the public and anybody can attend the meetings.

1.5.5 Statutory provisions

There are statutory provisions for agendas for each municipal authority and councillors must be aware of the statutory provisions for their municipality. General provisions found in most municipalauthoritiesare:• Allitemsontheagendamustbeconsidered.Ifallrelevantinformationisnotavailableforthe

discussion of an item, it can be referred to the next meeting.• Thechairmanmustensurethatitemsarediscussedastheyappearontheagendaexceptifithas

beendecided to change the order through majority vote by the councillors.• Anitemnotontheagendacanonlybediscussedifthecouncillorspresentareinfavourthereof.• Resolutionspassedaftersomecouncillorshavelefttheroomundertheimpressionthatthe

meeting has adjourned, are invalid.

Minutes are the written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting, starting with a list of the attendees and absentees, a statement of the issues considered by the participants, and the related decisions of these issues.

1.6 Minutes

Asecretaryisresponsibletotakenoteofalldecisions(resolutions)takenbythemembersduringthe meeting. After the meeting the items discussed and the resolutions must be recorded in the minutes.

IfminutesarewritteninEnglish,theymustbewritteninthepasttensewhilstiftheyarewritteninAfrikaans, the present tense is used.


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Theminutesmustbeclear,conciseandanobjectivedescriptionof:• Thememberspresent/absent;• Mattersdiscussed• Decisionstaken• Whoisresponsibleforactionstobetaken.

Thereasonswhyminutesareimportant:• Minutesaretheofficialrecordofthedecisionstakenatameetingandallmembershavearight

to access to the minutes. • Decisionstakenatmeetingsmustbeputintoaction,andwithoutformalwrittenminutes

disagreements on the decisions taken might occur. • Report-backisgivenatthenextmeetingontheresultofactionstakenduetothedecisionsofthe

previous meeting. • Minutesofthepreviousmeetingarealsoapprovedatthefollow-upmeetingifallmembersagree

with the content. • Minutes,togetherwiththebudgetdocumentsofmunicipalauthorities,areseenasadeclaration

of policy that needs to be executed.• Minutesarelegallybindingandmustbekeptonrecordforfutureuse.

Certain aspects need to be kept in mind when drawing up minutes.

1.6.1 Order of items

• Itemsinminutesmustappearinthesamesequenceasontheagendaevenifthecouncillorsdecided to change the sequence of items for discussion.

• Correlationofitemsontheagendaandminutesmakesiteasierforcouncillorstorefertoanitemas item numbers remain the same.

1.6.2 Content

The heading should include:• Nameofmunicipalauthority• Natureofmeeting(ordinary,committeeorspecialmeeting)• Date,placeandtimeofmeeting• Thenamesofthoseconcernedasfollows: – Councillors present – Councillors absent with and without apology – Serving officials – Special delegates with an indication of when they joined and left

Previous minutes• Word“approved”withplaceforsignatureofchairman,anddate.

Body of minutes should include:• Headingsofitems• Descriptionsofitemsdiscussed• Decisionstaken• Namesofcouncillors/personsresponsibleforactions• Duedatesforactionstobetaken

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Closure• Timethemeetingadjournedanddateofnextmeeting.

1.6.3 Types of minutes

The body of the minutes will depend on the type of minutes required. There are three types of minutes:• Verbatimminutes:(unusualforcouncilmeetings) Word by word reports of the discussions and resolutions during a meeting which are usually kept

for proceedings of commissions of enquiry.

• Narrativeminutes:(unusualforcouncilmeetings) Customary minutes for private clubs which reflect a brief summary of discussions and

resolutions.

• Minutescontainingitemsandresolutions:(usedbymunicipalcouncils) These are used for council meetings.

A typical example is as follows:

Transport services

a) ExtendMy-CitybusservicetoXb) Purchase4busesforthisservice

A municipal council can decide which type of minutes to use and has to look at the advantages and disadvantages of all systems before deciding.

Activity 5Get a copy of an agenda and minutes of a council meeting of your local authority. Bring it to classanddiscussit.(Youcangotothewebsiteofyourmunicipalityandfinditthere).

1.6.4 Compilation

To compile minutes is a simple task because they are compiled as a unit. Where more than one agenda have been dealt with at the same meeting, it is possible to compile one set of minutes for both agendas. A confidental agenda item does not necessarily result in a confidential resolution. Ifcertaindiscussionsinacouncilmeetingwereheldconfidentiallyandtheresolutionswereconfirmed by the council as a whole, such resolutions are no longer regarded as confidential and can be included in the agenda.

Themostcommonwaytonumberminutesisaccordingtothenumbersontheagenda.Itisalsoconvenient if the minutes are bound together with the annexures in one volume.


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1.6.5 Indexing

Indexingisthecompilationofacatalogueofthesubjectsonwhichcouncilresolutionshavebeenpassed. This helps with the tracing of information, especially to determine if a resolution on a specific item has been passed.Indexingisdonealphabeticallyaccordingtotheitem(e.g.transport)withtherespectivedatesandrelevant file numbers. Nowadays it is very easy to trace an resolution by using the ‘search engine’ on the website of the municipal authority.

1.6.6 Statutory provisions

Thereareafewstatutoryprovisionsrelatingtomeetings:• Counicillorsmaynotvoteortakepartindiscussionsonminutesofmeetingswhichtheydidnot

attend.• Afterminuteshavebeenapprovedandsignedbythechairperson,noamendmentsordeletions

may be made.• Acouncillormayrequestthatthedivisionofvotersmustberecordedintheminutes.• Acouncillorarequestthathisobjectionagainstaresolutionbenoted.

1.7 Chairperson

The mayor of the city or town acts as chairperson of the council meetings and, if he/she is absent, the deputy mayordoes.Ifbothareabsent,thecouncillorspresentelect one of the members to chair the meeting.

Forsuccessfuldiscussionanddebatingatameeting,thechairman:• shouldshouldnotdominateandenforcehis/her views on the other members• mustgiveguidanceatthemeetings• mustbefullyknowledgeableaboutthecontentandmeaningofallitemsontheagenda• shouldensurethatdiscussiondoesnotdevelopintopersonalvendettas• shouleperservetheunityofthecouncilandnotallowittosplitintogroups.

1.7.1 Functions of the chairperson

The chairperson must consult the relevant Rules of Order or Standing Orders to familiarise himself with the duties and powers of the chairperson.

Functions of the chairperson:• Toorganisethemeeting,throughanagenda,whichisdistributedinadvance• ToensurethatthemeetingproceedsinaccordancewithanyStandingOrdersorRulesof

Procedure• Toconvenethemeetingandensurethatitstartsontime• Tosignminutesofthepreviousmeetingafteradoption• Todealwithitemsastheyappearontheagenda• Tokeepthediscussionsontheappropriatesubject,anddeterminetheorderinwhichmembers

speak• Toreceivemotionsandsubmitthemtothemeetingfordiscussion• Toallowpointsofordertoberaisedandverifythem• Tobeimpartialatalltimes• Toensurethatthedebatedoesnotbecomeirrelevant

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1.7.2 Powers of the chairperson

Thechairperson:• keepsorderbyaskingmemberstowithdraw remarks or apologise• canrequestmemberstoleavetheroomifthey

disturb the order• maygiverulingsonpointsoforderand

procedures and can insist that members obey his/her rulings

• mayexerciseacastingvoteifthevoteisequal• mayadjournthemeetingifaquorumisnot

present or if the meeting becomes disorderly• he/shemayintroduceurgentitems

1.7.3 Cycle of events during a meeting

1. Agenda(information)2. Meeting(conductedinaccordancewithStandingOrders)3. Decisions4. Minutes(officialrecordofdecisions/resolutions)5. Action(executionofdecisions)6. Reportback(onresultsatnextmeeting)

Below a schemtic representation of the meeting procedure

A motion is a formal proposal by a member of a council meeting that the meeting take certain action.Itcanbringnewbusinessbeforetheassemblyorconsistofnumerousotherproposalstotake procedural steps or carry out other actions relating either to a pending motion or the body itself.

1.Agenda

2.Meetings

3.Decisions

4.Minutes

5.Action

6.Reporting


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1.8 Conclusion

Meetings are necessary to make binding decisions, therefore the Standing Orders must be followed when conducting meetings. Meetings take time and must be conducted in an orderly way to eliminate waste of time, therefore agendas are distributed beforehand for members to familiarise themselves with the items to be discussed.

Decisions/resolutionsmadeatmeetingsarebinding and must be recorded and written in such a way that they are easy to understand and are a true reflection of the decisions of the meeting. Minutes are important documents in which the policy of the municipal authority is set out, and must be kept for future reference.

The chairperson is the person who must ensure that meetings are orderly; the items on the agenda are discussed in the order they appear, and decisions are made.

Meetings are a fact of life and it is impossible to govern democratically without meetings where issues are discussed and decisions are made.

Review questions

1. Councillors receive a lot of reports and deal with a large volume of literature received. What practical hints can help to make their task easier?

2.Whichformatshouldbeusedwhensubmittingreports?

3. Therearestatutoryprovisionsforagendasforeachmunicipalauthorityandcouncillorsmustbeawareofthestatutoryprovisionsfortheirmunicipality.Discussthegeneralprovisions found in most municipal authorities.

4. Explainthereasonswhyminutesareimportant.

5. Whichaspectsshouldbekeptinmindwhendrawingupminutes?

6. Listandbrieflyexplainthedifferenttypesofminutesthatcanbeused.

7. Discussthestatutoryprovisionsthatcouncillorsmustadheretoregardingmeetings.

8. Forsuccessfuldiscussionsanddebatingatmeetingstherearecertainthingsthechairpersonmustadhereto.Discuss.

9. ThechairmanmustconsulttherelevantRulesofOrdertofamiliarisehimselfwithhisdutiesandpowers.Discuss:

9.1Thefunctionsofthechairman 9.2Thedutiesofthechairman

10. Explain the cycle of a meeting either with a description or a schematic representation.

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Municipal Administration

Bibliography

Bibliography

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Official publications

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996

Electoral Act 73 of 1998

Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998.

Municipal Structures Amendment Act 20 of 2002

Municipal Electoral Act 27 of 2000.

Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003

The White Paper on Local Government, March 1998

A Guideline to Municipal Finance Management for Councillors.

Web searches

www.capetown.gov.za

www.joburg.org.za

www.durban.gov.za

www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za

www.parliament.gov.za

www.sadelivery.co.za

Magazines and ebooks

Delivery, the magazine for local government

Insession – parliamentary magazine

Spark – a newsletter for civil society and local government.

Inside CoGTA published by the Chief Directorate: Communications and Marketing

Reference books

Craythorne, DL, Municipal Administration. The Handbook, 6th edition, Juta, 2006.

Botes, PS, et al, Public Administration and Management, Kagiso Tertiary, 1992.

Cloete, JNN, Public Administration and Management, New Constitutional dispensation, JL van Schaik, 1996.

Du Toit, D et al, Public Administration and Management – The Grassroots, 2nd ed, Juta, 1998.

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Documents

MunN5E Text