Cooperative Governance on municipalities’ first council meetings

Category A and B Municipalities across the country have held their first council meetings and are ready to deliver services as expected

South Africans across our country have been rooting on the side-lines supporting the 4^th term of the democratic local government. At this stage, about 99% of the municipalities across the country have already held their first council meetings within the stipulated period of 14 days.

South Africa has three different types of municipalities:

1. Metropolitan Municipalities [Category A]
2. Local Municipalities [Category B]
3. District Municipalities [Category C]

In terms of the law, only category A and B municipalities had to be constituted within the 14 days period. To this effect, as government we are delighted that new mayors in this category of municipalities have been elected by councils in their first meetings across country. For the few municipalities that are still to convene their first meeting, we are confident that they will do so in the coming week and we encourage the Municipal Managers to act swiftly in this regard.

Progress thus far is as follows:

1. In the Western Cape all councils were established.
2. In the North West all councils were established.
3. In Mpumalanga all councils were established.
4. In Limpopo all councils were established.
5. In Gauteng all councils were established.
6. In the Free State all councils were established.
7. In KZN majority of councils were established – and we are expecting the two outstanding local municipalities to hold their first meetings.
8. In Eastern Cape all councils were established
9. In Northern Cape the majority of the councils were established – except Kgatelopele and Gamagara local Municipalities. We are expecting to see these two municipalities to have their first meetings soon.

From next week - beginning on 29 Augusts 2016, the District Municipalities will begin the process of convening their first council meetings. The district are made up of a number of local municipalities that fall in one district, hence the local municipalities had to be constituted first.

There are usually between 4 - 6 local municipalities that come together in a district council. The district municipality has to co-ordinate development and delivery in the whole district. As government we are convinced that the district councils will also hold their council meetings in due course.

We believe that the establishment of the new local government system will assist to take governance many steps closer to the governed. The local government sector is an important part of our national economy, employing many citizens and annually spending billions providing services to South Africans as required by our constitutions.

South Africans are awaiting to interact with the municipalities constituted after the 03 August 2016 elections. This eagerness emanates from the fact that municipalities provide a wide range of critical functions, such as planning, waste disposal and infrastructure provision (including roads, parks and sporting fields, sewerage, water and even power).

As we laud municipalities for having convened the first council meetings, it will be amiss of us to forget the strategic role played by municipal managers. We thank them for the role they have played in ensuring that our democracy is strengthened by councils that are being convened across the country. In addition, municipal managers are also handing over reports to the new councillors.

This important legislated process signals the beginning of yet another term of the democratic local government, building on the foundation already laid in the last 15 years of successful local government.

“As government, we believe that municipalities are at the centre of service delivery in our country, hence our continued resolve to continue supporting this important sphere of our government”, said Minister van Rooyen.

It is important to emphasise that the recent reports suggesting that there is an intention to support municipalities less, is not correct and there has never been such a policy decision taken by our government.

As a nation, and all levels of government, functioning within a rapidly changing environment in our country, we pledge to support all our Municipalities to deliver services to our people.

Enquiries:
Legadima Leso
CoGTA
Cell: 083 378 9495