Over 900 residents to serve on city ward committees

The Office of the Speaker recently announced that 98 wards have selected 933 residents to serve as ward committee members.

Council Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana announced that 19 981 audited voters had cast their ballots by the end of July.

These committees serve as a platform for community engagement and enable citizens to actively contribute to decision-making processes that directly impact their communities.

During the announcement on September 5, Ndzwanana said he was pleased with the outcome.

“Despite some challenges noted by the Office of the Speaker, measures were implemented to ensure that the voting proceeded smoothly, maintaining the integrity of the process,” Ndzwanana said.

“The election phase of the ward committee process in the City of Tshwane was a pivotal moment in establishing local democratic representation. This phase follows the nomination process, where candidates were identified to serve on ward committees, which play a crucial role in advocating for community interests and enhancing local governance,” he said.

The elections were conducted over 66 wards across all seven regions of the metro during the last two weekends of July.

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The Office of the Speaker received 77 objections during these elections.

The objections ranged from complaints about the selection of venues and against councillors, the late arrival of election materials, shortage of ballot papers and candidates using the metro’s logo for campaigning.

Ndzwanana said his office consolidated all objections, and submitted and presented a comprehensive report to the Independent Electoral Management Body (IEMB).

According to the law, such objections must be resolved within 72 hours of being received.

“Most of the objections received were dismissed, as none of them, according to the IEMB’s assessment, would have a material impact on the election results. However, six objections were upheld, specifically from wards 21, 22, and 99, where it was recommended that a re-run should take place due to the collapse of the voting process, caused by logistical and administrative failures from the Office of the Speaker,” said Ndzwanana.

The election re-runs for wards 21, 22 and 99 took place on August 25, as approved by the IEMB.

Ward committees are not permitted to have less than six members and no more than 10 under Ward Committee By-Law.

The Speaker’s Office must call a special election if there are too few members.

Nine wards were identified where such elections had to be carried out by the Speaker’s Office and the IEMB.

These special elections must take place immediately and the current process has been concluded.

“It must be noted that qualifying nominees in these nine wards will not need to be re-nominated, as their names will be carried over to the special nomination and election phase,” said Ndzwanana.

According to a study done by the Speaker’s office, 32 wards received between 6 and 10 nominees.

The Ward Committee By-law States that the Speaker has the discretion to convene public affirmation meetings to declare the nominated individuals duly elected. The Speaker exercised this discretion to convene public affirmation meetings, scheduled from August 12-18, across Regions 1 to 6.

“We noted that a total of 51 members, in these 32 wards from Regions 1-6 need to be co-opted per Section 3 of the Ward Committee Bylaw, which indicates that if 10 seats are not filled, the Speaker may, after consulting with the respective ward councillor, co-opt persons who meet the requirements of Section 5(1) of the Ward Committee Bylaw and who are eligible as ward committee members to fill the vacant seats, provided that the ward committee has secured a minimum of six members as stipulated in Section 3(1)(b),” said Ndzwanana.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank all those who have shown interest in being part of the City of Tshwane ward committees and who have gone out in their numbers to vote. Today marks a significant milestone for the City of Tshwane, as we have finally established ward committees, after the city was without any for over a decade,” said Ndzwanana.

A consolidated report containing the results of the ward committee elections was due to be considered by the council on September 11.

Residents can view their ward committees here: https://www.tshwane.gov.za/?page_id=74640

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