Rhodes University was rejected as a ward during a special municipal council meeting on Wednesday. The provincial Gazette recently published proposed amendments to the Makana Municipality ward delimitation process, which involves Rhodes as a proposed ward.
Rhodes University was rejected as a ward during a special municipal council meeting on Wednesday. The provincial Gazette recently published proposed amendments to the Makana Municipality ward delimitation process, which involves Rhodes as a proposed ward.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and adopt those amendments. As reported earlier in Grocott’s Mail, public participation meetings were organised by the municipality in November 2009, where individuals could voice their views on whether they agree with the fact that Makana should undergo the expansion of the wards.
Issues raised were discussed by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), and the outcomes were reflected in the recent Gazette.
Makana council speaker Rachel Madinda said that a council resolution had to be taken on this matter as the deadline was on the same day as the meeting.
Discussions from the report on ward delimitation presented at the special council meeting said that the municipality is of view that any proposed changes to the ward delimitation process must take into consideration principals of proximity, accountability and local democracy.
“Some of the proposals from the MDB do not promote these democratic principles. Of particular concern is the proposed Ward 12 which covers RU,” the report read.
The council reviewed the proposed amendments to the wards and commented on the proposed Ward 12, indicated in the Gazette to comprise of 3 225 registered voters, a figure that was taken from the 2009 voters roll for national and provincial elections.
“The use of the 2009 voters roll for national and provincial elections to establish the ward does not take into account the fact that during national elections, people can vote anywhere, unlike during local elections.
In this instance, the voters at RU during 2009 were enrolled students who may not necessarily be still residing there,” the report read.
Democratic Alliance councillor Michael Whisson made a submission for the Rhodes ward to be adopted which resulted in a heated debate. “As we discussed, we agree that these [2009 voters roll] statistics are from the national elections.
We agree that they [Rhodes students] are not rate payers. We agree that they can go and vote at St Aiden’s and the Library,” Madinda said.
Executive Makana Mayor Vumile Lwana stepped in and said, “Let’s be realistic, the numbers reflected here do not speak to people who are ratepayers.”
Lwana said that Ward 12 should not exist and if the matter should be argued, then why is this debate not taken up by other universities across the country?
Madinda said that with all the input made, another recommendation must be made to state that the council is fine with 13 wards, that the board should take out Ward 12, and that clear maps are required for the wards that have no clear boundaries.
Whisson requested that his vote against this motion be recorded. “If they [students]are allocated to Ward 4 and 8, that will put up the maximum number of both wards.
I don’t think the council can recommend…,” he said. Before Whisson could finish, Lwana stated that “objections need to be realistic, we don’t have a history of this ward”.
Whisson said that when he was first elected, he was elected as a councillor for Ward 12, which includes RU, and the Rhodes Box Theatre was a demarcated voting station.
“This is a new thing, I don’t want to open this debate, council has agreed to take this ward off. He is a councillor, a PR [proportional]councillor as far as I am concerned, but I am not aware that he was elected as one for Ward 12,” Madinda commented causing the council to rip in laughter, before moving on to the next item.
