The conclusion of a long-overdue process to establish ward committees in the City of Tshwane has been hailed as a milestone for the metro which operated without such committees for a decade.
This was the sentiment of council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana, who yesterday announced the results of ward committees’ elections conducted in July.
He said: “The implementation of ward committees is a critical component of the City of Tshwane’s efforts to fulfil its mandate of fostering robust engagement with its diverse range of stakeholders. These ward committees represent a structured and inclusive approach designed to facilitate dialogue and collaboration between the City’s administration and its communities.”
For years the City has been operating without ward committees after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in 2014 nullified the 2012 ward committee elections under the then ANC Tshwane administration.
The ruling followed a legal challenge by the DA questioning the constitutionality of the committee elections on the grounds that they excluded the participation of public members.
The process for correcting the unconstitutionality of the by-law was set in motion some years back, but it was delayed on several occasions.
While the process was marred by logistical problems which led to election reruns in at least three wards, Ndzwanana was elated that 98 wards had eventually been formed with 933 members.
“Despite some challenges noted by the office of the speaker, measures were implemented to ensure that the voting proceeded smoothly, maintaining the integrity of the process,” he said.
A total number of 19 981 voters flocked to various polling stations to cast their ballots.
Ndzwanana said concerns about the selection of venues and complaints against councillors were among at least 77 objections received by his office.
People also griped about late arrival of election materials, a shortage of ballot papers and candidates using the City of Tshwane logo for campaigning.
Ndzwanana said all objections had subsequently been presented to a nine-member independent electoral management bod charged with conducting the ward committee elections.
Most objections, he said, were dismissed because none of them “would have a material impact on the election results”.
“However, six objections were upheld, specifically from wards 21, 22, and 99, where it was recommended that a re-run should take place due to the collapse of the voting process caused by logistical and administrative failures from the office of the speaker,” he said.
A consolidated report with election results is expected to be submitted to council next Wednesday for consideration.
Ndzwanana said there were nine wards that did not qualify to constitute ward committees.
“In accordance with Section 3(6) of the ward committee by-law, it is stated that if fewer than six members are elected to a ward committee, the speaker must call for a special election meeting to fill the gap between the six required seats and those filled by the duly elected ward committee members,” he said.
Ndzwanana said preparations for the special ward committee nominations and elections for wards that did not meet the minimum requirements would commence immediately once the current process had been concluded.
“It must be noted that qualifying nominees in these nine wards will not need to be re-nominated as their names will be carried over to the special nomination and election phase,” he said.
Ward committees consisted of a ward councillor and no more than 10 people from the ward, who could voluntarily serve for a five-year term.
Pretoria News