Pretoria - The City of Ekurhuleni is putting measures in place for the election of ward committees and it is hoping to get council approval by the end of September.
This is according to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Legislature spokesperson, Sphelele Nxele, who told SAnews on Thursday that a process for the election of ward committees has been drafted for submission and its validity is subject to council approval.
Ekurhuleni Metro has just elected its new Executive Mayor, Mzwandile Masina, this week, who will soon be expected to ensure that Ekurhuleni residents receive municipal services.
For the metropolitan municipality to successfully render services to residents, ward committees need to be formed as they are the link between the councillor and the community.
This enables the community and the municipality to collaborate in developmental programmes.
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA), which is the sole representative of all municipalities, states that ward committees are also important in fostering relations between ward councillors and key stakeholders at ward level, such as traditional councils and community development workers.
SALGA has developed a Code of Conduct for ward committee members, which is available at all municipalities. However, municipal councils must make the rules regarding the election of ward committee members, including how often meetings take place and the dissolution of ward committees.
Nxele said the process of forming ward committees targets communities and all relevant stakeholders, including sectors that need to be represented in the ward committees such as health, community safety, economic development, youth and women, among others.
“Nominations are then taken from the relevant sectors. Once nominations are complete, the said nominees then contest for representation through an election process,” said Nxele.
She said it might be necessary to task the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to oversee the ward committee elections to ensure transparency and adherence to standardised processes, but this is also subject to the council’s confirmation.
Once a ward committee has been set up, according to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, it may make recommendations on any matter affecting its ward to the ward councillor or through the ward councillor to the municipal council, the executive committee or support committee. - SAnews.gov.za
