Although ward committees are important role players in a community, most people don’t know much about how they function within each municipal ward.
Although ward committees are important role players in a community, most people don’t know much about how they function within each municipal ward.
Chapter four of the ward committee resource book states that "because of the wide range of municipal functions and powers, many interest groups could claim an interest in municipal matters" so it makes sense that ward commitees are formed with residents at the helm. It further states that each ward committee should have a maximum of 10 members who are selected from a broad range of interest groups that are most relevant to the key performance areas of the municipality. In turn, these key performance areas in a ward are identified through the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) and implementation process. The areas include municipal services such as water, electricity, housing, sanitation, roads, stormwater and drainage. Social services that are of vital importance include health, safety and security.
With regards to Makana Municipality’s ward committees, Council Speaker Rachel Madinda explained that the municipality placed a notice in local print media for the election of new ward committees in March this year. The notice stated that it served to inform the public that the ward committees elected during 2006 had reached the end of their term on 28 February. It further explained that constituency meetings were soon to be called by the ward councillors to elect new committees. Madinda says that the general public did not respond, as she had expected them to submit names of interest groups to her office. Therefore, the municipality opted to go directly to the wards informing members of the community through loud hailing to attend a public meeting where a ward committee consisting of 10 members will be elected. In wards, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12 there are currently no ward committees. According to Madinda this is because of a communication problem in those wards where ward members say they didn’t have knowledge of such meetings.
Section 74(b) of the Municipal Structures Act, 1998 provides that a council may also delegate specific municipal duties and powers to a ward committee. The role of a ward councillor is to serve as the chairperson of the ward commitee and act as a liason between the municipality and the community.
The ward committee reports problems to the ward councillor who then reports on these issues and/or developments at council meetings. According to the act the official viewpoint is that "it is difficult to conceive what functions should be assigned to the ward committees." Therefore South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and its legal advisors have generally advised against delegations to ward committees. The act also states that "a ward committee could be an important mobilising agent for community action and plays an important part in mobilising partnerships for the development of local projects." Apart from the functions and responsibilities already mentioned, a municipality may also use by-laws to further create or define the roles and responsibilities of ward committees within the community.
