The past weekend saw the Johannesburg ward committee elections finally get underway after they were postponed in March due to the high number of objections after nominations were made public.
According to Councillor Vasco Da Gama, the Speaker of Council, the first of the eight scheduled ward committee elections took place in Region F on Saturday, May 7 and over 4 500 votes were cast.
“The number is a good indication of the interest in ward committees. Residents are encouraged to cast their votes for the candidates they think will best represent their community in support of the ward councillors,” said Da Gama.
Voting stations open at 09:00 and close at 16:00 on voting days, and those who produce their SA Identity Document will be able to vote within the ward they are registered in, but not across wards.
Da Gama said the elections are being run by the Office of the Speaker, with technical support and training from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) which satisfies him that elections will be free, fair and transparent, especially since residents have had to wait a while due to the postponement.
Residents will be notified of their ward committee election dates via specific WhatsApp groups, Facebook, Twitter and community media.
Ward committees comprise of the ward councillor as the chairperson and ten members of the community nominated to represent the sectors of Housing, Environment, Health, Safety, Transportation, Development Planning and Urban Management, Infrastructure and Services, Finance and Economic Development, Community Development 1 (youth, sports and culture) and Community Development 2 (women, CBOs and NGOs, and religious groupings).
“They are democratically elected to serve for a period of five years, and are required to attend monthly meetings and advise the councillor on community needs, mood and perceptions as well as inform the community of municipal developments and resolutions,” said Da Gama.
For more information on ward committee elections, contact: pinkyt@joburg.org.za on 083 375 2719 or lijengm@joburg.org.za on 083 763 0235.
Log onto www.joburg.org.za and click on
https://www.joburg.org.za/Pages/2022%20Notices/May/May.aspx for a complete list of venues and wards.
