What is the Role of a Municipal Councillor?

The video unpacks the role of a Municipal Councillor. There is a summary of the video below. Klik hier vir die Arfikaanse video en opsomming.

Introduction to Municipal Counselors

• The role of a municipal counselor is to represent the people in a municipality and govern on their behalf, with municipal counselors being elected to the municipal council through the first past the post-electoral system or the system of proportional representation 00:00.

• There are three different kinds of municipalities, namely metropolitan, district, and local municipalities, with all municipalities except district municipalities being divided into wards, each represented by a ward counselor 00:41.

• A ward counselor represents a specific ward on the municipal council and can represent a political party, be an independent candidate, or represent a local association, such as a ratepayers association, and is elected through the first past the post-electoral system 00:58.

• A proportional representative counselor, also called a PR counselor, represents a political party on the municipal council and is elected through the system of proportional representation, with the number of candidates a political party has as representatives based on the number of votes the party received in the election 01:30.

Duties of Municipal Counselors

• The general duties of a municipal counselor include representing the people, communicating the community’s needs to the council, and communicating council processes to the community, as well as running information campaigns on planning and policymaking processes 02:12.

• Municipal counselors must prepare for and attend every meeting of the municipal council and relevant committees, monitor the performance of the municipality, and monitor that public service officials meet accepted service standards 03:11.

• Counselors must follow the code of conduct, which requires them to perform their duties in good faith and fairness, honestly, transparently, and in the best interest of the municipal community, and prohibits them from receiving rewards, gifts, or favors to vote in a specific manner 03:48.

Role of Ward Counselors

• Ward counselors play a special role, being elected directly by the people in their wards, and are the chairperson of their ward committee, a forum that provides opportunities for the people to participate in local governance, and must give special attention to their own ward 04:30.

• Municipal counselors are responsible for taking note of matters needing attention in their ward, such as potholes, water leakages, illegal electrical connections, and sewage overflows, and can be held accountable through various means 04:58.

Holding Municipal Counselors Accountable

• Elections provide an opportunity to hold municipal counselors accountable, as voters can choose to vote for a different person or party if the current counselor does not perform or fulfill election promises 05:16.

• Party political meetings, whether public or designated for party members, offer a platform for voicing concerns and expressing dissatisfaction with municipal counselors 05:39.

• Public participation meetings allow citizens to voice their concerns and express dissatisfaction, providing another means of holding municipal counselors accountable 05:55.

• Personal contact with municipal counselors can be made through various means, including SMS, phone calls, email, or letters, or by making an appointment to discuss matters of concern 06:11.

• The code of conduct for counselors is enforced by the speaker of the municipal council, who can initiate an investigation process if a breach is reported, and the council can issue warnings, reprimands, fines, or request the minister to suspend or remove the counselor 06:19.

• Citizens can also use letters, petitions, media, and social media to make their complaints known and gain wider public support, or start a petition to address their concerns 06:54.

• Peaceful protests are a constitutional right, but must be conducted without violence or destruction of public property, and citizens can also approach the public protector’s office or contact civic organizations such as Corruption Watch in cases of corruption or maladministration 07:10.

Conclusion

• Ultimately, municipal counselors must represent the people who elected them, and ward counselors must give special attention to their wards, ensuring effective communication between the municipal council and the community 07:50.

Inleiding tot Munisipale Raadslid se Rol

• ‘n Munisipale raadslid se rol is om die mense te verteenwoordig en die gemeenskap se behoeftes aan die raad oor te dra, en hulle moet in noue voeling met die gemeenskap bly 00:00.

• Daar is drie soort munisipaliteite in Suid-Afrika, naamlik metropolitaanse, distriks en plaaslike munisipaliteite, en wyksraadslede verteenwoordig ‘n bepaalde wyk 00:41.

• ‘n Wyksraadslid word as die kandidaat met die meeste stemme in daardie wyk tydens die munisipale verkiesing verkies, en hulle kan ‘n politieke party verteenwoordig, ‘n onafhanklike kandidaat wees of ‘n plaaslike vereniging soos die belastingbetalersvereniging verteenwoordig 00:56.

• ‘n Propsionele verteenwoordigende raadslid, of proporsionele raadslid, verteenwoordig ‘n politieke party in die munisipale raad en word deur ‘n stelsel van proporsionele verteenwoordiging verkies 01:34.

Algemene Pligte van Munisipale Raadslede

• Munisipale raadslede se algemene pligte sluit in om die mense te verteenwoordig, die gemeenskap se behoeftes aan die raad oor te dra, en om die munisipale prosesse aan die gemeenskap bekend te stel 02:19.

• Raadslede moet inligtingsveldtogte loods om alle beplannings- en beleidmakende prosesse, programme en projekte van die munisipaliteit bekend te stel, en hulle moet vir vergaderings voorberei en dit ook bywoon 03:06.

• Raadslede moet die prestasie van die munisipaliteit moniteer en die werk van die amptenare moniteer sodat aanvaarde diensstandaarde handhaaf word 03:39.

• Raadslede moet die gedragskode uitleef en hulle mag nie belonings, geskenke of gunste ontvang om oor sake op ‘n bepaalde wyse te stem nie 04:11.

Spesiale Rol van Wyksraadslede

• Wyksraadslede het ‘n spesiale rol as voorsitter van die wykskomitee, wat ‘n vorm bied waar die mense aan plaaslike regeringssake kan deelneem, en hulle moet spesiale aandag aan hulle wyk gee en kennis neem van alle sake wat aandag verg 04:48.

Verantwoordelikheid en Toesighouding

• Die munisipale raadslede kan verantwoordelik gehou word deur middel van verkiesings, waar indien hulle nie presteer of hul verkiesingsbeloftes nakom nie, die publiek tydens die volgende munisipale verkiesing vir ‘n ander persoon of party kan stem 05:39.

• Partypolitieke vergaderings is ‘n ander manier waarop die publiek hul kommer kan uitspreek, of as lid van die betrokke party tydens ‘n aangewese partyvergadering 05:53.

• Persoonlike kontak met die munisipale raadslid is ook moontlik, byvoorbeeld per SMS, ‘n telefoonoproep, ‘n e-pos of ‘n brief, of selfs deur ‘n afspraak te maak om besorgdhede oor sake te bespreek 06:28.

• Die toepassing van die gedragskode vir raadslede is die verantwoordelikheid van die speaker van die munisipale raad, en indien die publiek van mening is dat die raadslid nie die gedragskode nakom nie, kan hulle die speaker inlig 06:44.

• Briewe, petisies, die media en sosiale media kan ook gebruik word om klagtes en ontevredenheid uit te spreek, asook vreedsame protesoptogte, solank dit nie gewelddadig raak of openbare eiendom vernietig nie 07:22.

• In gevalle van korrupsie of wanadministrasie kan die openbare beskermer of burgerlike instellings soos Corruption Watch genader word 07:58.

Kommunikasie en Deelname

• Die wyksraadslede moet spesiale aandag aan hul wyke gee en as voorsitters van die wykskomitee verseker dat daar doeltreffende kommunikasie tussen die munisipale raad en die gemeenskap is 08:22.

• Die publiek moet as inwoners aan die munisipale besluitningsnemingsprosesse deelneem om goeie regering te verseker 08:47.