This is according to Chris Swanepoel, Shadow MMC for Corporate Services.
“The municipal courts are the basis on which by-laws can be implemented and enforced, but the future looks bleak on this front under the current government,” he said.
“The lack of legal enforcement, which contributes to a lawless situation and has a serious detrimental effect on order and quality services, has meant the metro is suffering from social degradation.
“A Municipal Court will bring immediate relief to law-abiding residents and penalties to those who ignore the laws.
“This would have a visible and immediate effect on the appearance of the metro, amongst other benefits.
“An urgent engagement between the MMCs, all heads of department, as well as the Corporate and Shared Oversight Committee needs to be arranged to strategise on Provincial Ordinances compliance, by-law reviews and rescinding of outdated by-laws.
“All council policies should be regularly analysed to ensure their alignment with by-laws, Provincial Ordinances and, indeed, national legislation and the Constitution.”
Swanepoel said that, in general, municipal courts can be implemented only by a law passed in Parliament, so that the NPA and Department of Justice can assist with the implementation of such courts in metros.
“This is required because by-laws are not up-to-date and can, therefore, not support policies.”
