The municipal elections are about 18 months away. In Johannesburg, there are 135 wards – meaning 135 ward councillors will need to be elected.
Ward 117 councillor, Tim Truluck gave a summary of how the election of councillors during the municipal election works. He explained that there are two ways of becoming a ward councillor – either standing as an independent or being selected by a political party as their candidate in the ward.
If you want to stand as an independent, these are the requirements:
- Registration fee is R1 000 and you must live in the ward you are contesting
- 50 registered voters in the ward must also nominate you
- Your campaign will be self-run and funded, which includes recruiting your own volunteers.
Councillor nominated by party:
- The candidate must be involved in the party, be a card-carrying member and active in the party
- Have experience in the branch constituency committee or other groups in the party
- Be active in your community, such as being a member of a local residents association, local NGO or church outreach
- Your application should be submitted through the party, pay the registration fee (R1 000) and go through the interview selection process.
If you are elected through the party option, you are then expected to campaign with your fellow party candidates, branch members and supporters in the run-up to the election.
Truluck concluded that if you are interested in becoming a ward councillor now is the time to act, depending on the party you want to run with. Visit their website for more details, for independent candidates visit the IEC website.
For more details check out the election guide here.
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