Minister Hlabisa Urges Communities to Participate Fully in the Public Consultations for the Ward Delimitation Process
Today, 03 April 2025, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, led the launch of the public consultations for the Ward Delimitation Process.
Minister Hlabisa was joined by the IEC; Mpumalanga MEC of Human Settlements and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr SK Mashilo; Chairperson of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, Kgosi Thabo Seathlolo; MDB Chairperson – Mr Thabo Manyoni, Executive Mayor of Mbombela Local Municipality – Cllr Sibongile Mazibuko, Mayors and other dignitaries.
The Minister reflected on the impact of ward delimitation on the lives of communities as it is also a transformative opportunity for communities. The timeous conclusion of this process is integral to the success of the next Local Government Elections. Minister called for all stakeholders to provide the MDB with maximum support to ensure the success of this process within the agreed timeframe.
Section 154 of the Constitution stipulates that if the electoral system includes ward representation, the delimitation of wards must be conducted by an independent authority appointed in terms of, and operating according to, procedures and criteria prescribed by national legislation. The Municipal Dermacation Board (MDB) is the independent authority tasked with defining municipal boundaries and to oversee community consultations with support from COGTA and other relevant stakeholders.
Today’s event convened under the theme, “Redefining Municipal Wards: the building blocks for inclusive and efficient local governance”, kickstarted public consultations for the nationwide Ward Delimitation Process.
Today’s launch is a clarion call to all citizens, encouraging them to actively participate in the consultations process and make their inputs on how their wards should configured.
The public consultations will take place in all provinces from April 2025 – June 2025. The success of the Ward Delimitation Process depends on the nationwide maximum participation of our communities. To this effect, the MDB Board will by the end of October 2025 hand over the Wards to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in preparation of the 2026 Local Government Elections.
The speakers at the event emphasised that the Ward Delimitation Process is democracy in action as it will see all South Africans given an opportunity to have a say on how their wards will be configured.
The outcome of the Ward Delimitation Process will be the Municipal Ward Boundaries which accurately reflect demographic changes and foster effective local governance.
Perhaps as a starting point, as we look at the ward boundary delimitation process, I urge us all to consider the impact that effective spatial planning and demarcation have on the lives of our citizens and the prosperity of our communities. This is important because while Municipal Wards are the smallest, they are critical units of local governance. They are the foundation upon which we build inclusive and effective systems for local governance.
Delivering a keynote address at the launch of the ward delimitation, Minister Hlabisa – “emphasised the significance of recognising that the delimitation of municipal wards is not merely a technical task; it is a transformative opportunity to strengthen democracy, promote inclusivity, and enhance service delivery. Municipal wards serve as the fundamental building blocks of local government. They are the spaces where citizens directly engage with elected representatives and where community needs are identified and discussed. Wards reflect the diversity of our cities and towns, serving as microcosms of their respective communities. For these reasons, we should strive to ensure that ward delimitations foster improved social cohesion among our communities”. To give effect to the above-mentioned provisions and strengthen the capacity of the MDB to undertake effective and efficient ward delimitation processes, the Department introduced the Independent Municipal Demarcation (IMD) Bill.
This Bill which a major part of the 2025 ward delimitation process, seeks to repeal and replace the Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 1998 (Act No. 25 of 1998), upon the President’s assent. It is essential to note that the IMDA Bill represents the culmination of extensive engagement with all local government stakeholders over many years. The amendments have been sponsored, in the main, by the Board and are informed by Inputs from previous Boards, lessons learned from previous redetermination and ward delimitation processes, litigation, and Inputs from various stakeholders in various forums. The Bill encompasses several interventions that will bring about much-needed improvements in demarcation and delimitation processes. To mention but a few:
- Improved public participation
- Splitting of farms and communities
- Establishment of the demarcations appeals authority
- Alignment of the term of the board to the term of council
- Demarcation timeframes
- Frequency of major boundary determination
Minister Hlabisa emphasised the importance of Ward Committees in this process of mobilising communities around the common objective to ensure that our democracy works.
In support of the launch and the process to that will unfold from now until the end of October 2015, the National House of Traditional and KhoiSan Leaders (NHTKL) and The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) have the messages of support:
- The Chairperson of (NHTKL) emphasised the importance of the traditional leadership in the Ward delimitation process.
- The IEC’s message of support placed emphasis on the need to mobilise communities across all our wards to register. The IEC emphasised that functional wards are determined by how many people will register and vote in a particular ward.
We should all go out to mobilise everyone, including the youth, people in traditional areas and other community structures across the country to become active participants in the process set to finalise the Wards ahead of the Local Government Elections. The delimitation process is also expected to encourage social cohesion. The Social cohesion will result from the connectedness, solidarity, and shared goal of ensuring democracy in action through the ward delimitation process. This will result in community feeling empowered and included in deciding and finalising the wards. This will foster trust emanating from the engagements with communities through the public consultation process.
“Zawakala Asakhe Amawadi”
Enquiries:
Ms. Pearl Maseko-Binqose
Media Liaison Officer for the Minister of COGTA
+27 (82) 772 1709
Mr. Legadima Leso
COGTA Head of Communications
+27 (66) 479 9904
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