Theme: Mayors Moving South Africa Forward
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) will convene the 1st inaugural Council of Mayors in Cape Town, Civic Centre, on 8 – 9 June 2017. The Council of Mayors is intended for the 257 Mayors of South Africa, consisting of Metropolitan, District and Local Mayors.
Among the key speakers and high profile panellists for the Council of Mayors include Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Des Van Rooyen, Minister of Public Enterprise, Lynne Brown, Minister International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and Minister of Economic Development, Patel Embrahim.
The Statistician General, Dr. Pali Lehohla, Minister of Finance and business stakeholders will share a platform in a panel debate focussing on the “Financial Sustainability of Local Government and Fiscal Equity”. SALGA and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) President, Cllr Parks Tau, is expected to give a key note address with a particular focus on emerging issues confronting Mayors/Executive Mayors and Local Government at large.
Albeit the programme is tight, which is a true reflection of what the sector has to grapple with on daily basis, the Municipal Demarcation and its impact on Good Governance, Energy and Sustainable Solutions for Local Government; a policy debate for “Today and the Future”, as well as the welfare and support for local government public office bearers, all feature prominently in the two-day programme of the Council Mayors.
The Council of Mayors will, among others, engage on the following:
- Proposed Policy Positions in strengthening local government to improve service delivery;
- Update on the Construction Bid Rigging related to the development of 2010 Soccer World Cup infrastructure;
- The impasse between ESKOM and Municipalities (inclusive of areas such as broader municipal debts and moneys owed to ESKOM and other service providers, structural and constitutional issues related to the Electricity Reticulation function);
- International Relations, Partnerships and Programmes;
- Councillor Welfare and Support and its impact on Mayors/Executive Mayors.
The Council of Mayors comes at a critical time when Mayors, both at home and all over the world, require full support, from their very own communities, and further, the protection of their sacrosanct functions and powers requires unconditional support if good governance is to be realised. Globally, reports of detentions of Mayors continue to dominate headlines, this has prompted local government world leaders to speak-out against this “worrisome situation” - United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Metropolis & International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) Communique: https://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/en_statement_khalifa_sall_080317_1.pdf
Domestically, the North West Mayor of Ditsobotla local municipality, Daniel Buthelezi, was held hostage for eight hours on Wednesday, 28 May 2017, following a series of violent protests. In the mayhem, a block of municipal buildings were torched.
While the Council of Mayors is not directly inspired by the above-mentioned events, these and other incidents, cannot be ignored, Mayors confront a number of challenges being the First Citizens of their cities. Being a Mayor is arguably one of the toughest jobs in world.
The Council of Mayors is aimed at strengthening SALGA’s representatives as a voice of local government, as well as to ensure focused support to its members. It follows the SALGA National Conference held in November 2016, which resolved to establish the Council of Mayors and Council of Speakers.
The Council will function as a formalised structure for SALGA and will meet at least annually and will focus on addressing challenges experienced by Mayors, Executive Mayors and Speakers respectively. It will be a platform used for learning, sharing and reflecting on local government matters.
This will allow an opportunity for focused discussions on the realities of the executive and legislative arms of the municipality. Furthermore, the structure can also be consulted on an ad hoc basis should the need arise with regards to specific aspects to be addressed affecting municipalities.
The functions of the Mayor are set out in the Municipal Structures Act and include presiding meetings of the executive committee; performing ceremonial functions and exercising the powers delegated to the mayor by the municipal council or the executive.
The mayor is elected by the Municipal council to co-ordinate the work of the Municipality and appoints the Mayoral Committee. The municipal manager is directly accountable to the mayor. The mayor appoints the municipal manager and heads of departments upon resolution of the Council.
Members of the Media who wish to cover the event should forward accreditation details by Monday, 5 June to SALGA: Refilwe Esau; email, resau@salga.org.za
Please follow the hashtag #MayorsMoveSA & http://www.salga.org.za for more information.
For media enquiries and interviews, please contact:
Tahir Sema
Cell: 082 940 3403
E-mail: tsema@salga.org.za
Sivuyile Mbambato
Cell: 073 897 8519
E-mail: smbambato@salga.org.za
