EDITOR – With reference to the letters published in a previous edition of the South Coast Sun, in which a writer called Louise and Councillor Andre Beetge briefly alluded to legislation governing various entities which included ward committees, calls for additional explanation.
I am the secretary of the ward 97 committee but submit this letter in my personal capacity.
The ward councillor Andre Beetge correctly quotes the relevant legislations by identification title but does not elaborate sufficiently. I deem it prudent to fill in the missing pieces with particular reference to ward committees. As the ward councillor correctly stated, the ward committees are governed by regulations issued by the eThekwini Municipality. These regulations are issued in terms of Section 73(3) of the Municipal Structures Act of 1998. The mentioned act and Municipal Systems Act of 2000 give fruition to section 152 of the Constitution, which places the participation of communities at the centre of service and other matters of local government.
What is imperative to consider is what regulations expect of ward committees. I noticed citizen Louise wants the ward committee to deal only with municipal affairs and we indeed do so, within the parameters of our portfolios as prescribed by council. One of the portfolios has the designation of safety and security, managed by a committee member who attends meetings of the community police forum and sector police forums. This portfolio holder was not allowed time to present to the ward committee the sectors one and two committees’ intention to defy internal channels of communication and follow the media option.
This safety and security portfolio of the ward committee is a definite indication that the municipality most certainly is interested in the security and protection of its citizens. There is another ward committee portfolio called health, a service which is predominantly in the hands of the provincial and national legislators, yet the ward committees are involved in this as well. Instead of wishing ward committees away – which will not happen – it is time for the community to insist on meeting with this committee or at least know how they can get in touch with the particular committee member who can be of service to them. In the interim, the public is welcome to use the informal channel of the committee, the Facebook group page called “Ward 97 Toti to Illovo eThekwini” and I will put them in touch with the appropriate portfolio holder in the ward committee.
The portfolios dealt with by ward committees are housing, electricity water and sanitation, cleansing and solid waste, transport, roads and storm water, job creation and skills development, food security and land reform, safety and security, health, sport, arts and culture, and youth gender and vulnerable groups.
The ward 97 committee meets on the second Thursday of every month at different venues until council provides a fixed abode for meetings, which will be soon. Minutes of these meetings are recorded and presented monthly to the office of the speaker where the resolutions of committee are disseminated to the relevant departments for action or for presentation to a sub-committee of council and finally to full council if necessary.
Regulation 7.1 stipulates: “A ward committee may make recommendations on ‘any’ matter affecting its ward to the ward councillor, or through the ward councillor to the municipal council, the executive committee or support committee. The committee meets monthly to present the voice of the community to the ward councillor, who chairs the meeting for the purpose. Further, this legal directive to ward committees clearly states in regulation 7.4: “A ward committee may express dissatisfaction in writing to the Speaker on the non-performance of a ward councillor.”
If people desire to know more about this statutory structure of local government or would like an electronic copy of the regulation governing ward committees, they can contact me via the Facebook page designated “Ward 97 Toti to Illovo eThekwini”
