Meet your new MCLM junior council
To get the youth involved in local democracy, MCLM has appointed their junior council.
Two months after the concept of a junior youth council was formed, Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) has appointed their new junior council.
The idea was initially launched in June and through an open voting process under the watchful eye of the Speaker of Council, councillor Lucky Sele, 11 learners were elected through a secret ballot process. Non-elected learners acted as observers. The idea was Sele’s brainchild and was established as part of the municipal public partnership programme to get the youth interested in the local democracy.
The Junior Student Council (JSC) is a programme aligned with the municipal partnership initiative with the Falun Municipality through the Swedish International Centre of Local Democracy (ICLD).
Their council comprised 46 learners from schools and Lesego Lehaha of HTS N Diedrichs Technical High School was elected as the Junior Mayor of the Student Council, together with his two deputies Kago Tlholwe and Vhugalahawe Mulaudza, while the position of Speaker went to Lindokhuhle Maxhanti and his deputies Thapelo Mokoena and Liane Wagner. Mathapelo Mokele assumed the position of Chief Whip.
Sele said the programme is based on the United Nations 2030 agenda and Policy for Global Development. He explained the partnership started when the ICLD identified a lack of youth participation in local democracies around the world.
We pride ourselves as Mogale City to have achieved this milestone of establishing the inaugural student council and we are looking forward to seeing young people, more so, learners participating in the democratic process of our city.
“As indicated when we launched the concept in Youth Month, the mission of the JSC is to be the voice of the city’s youth and raise challenges and potential ideas that are unique to high school learners,” Sele said.
Sele together with the Executive Mayor Councillor Danny Thupane, the Chief Whip Tsholofelo Ramaisa and an entourage of municipal officials will be visiting Sweden this September to advance collaboration on youth development initiatives.
Arabile Maphiri, the City of Johannesburg Junior Mayor along with officials from the National Youth Development Agency and officials of the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, also graced the occasion.
