Ward committee meets in Bellville

Sub-council 6 ward committee members and ward councillors.

Sub-council 6 welcomed new ward committee members at its first meeting of the year last week.

At the meeting, in the Bellville council chambers on Thursday February 9, sub-council chairwoman Rose Rau, said she was excited by the prospect of forming fresh partnerships with the new committee members, following last year’s local government elections.

The committee members were elected in December through a process run by the sub-council. Organisations registered on the Sub-council Community Organisation Database (COD) were invited to nominate representatives.

“I am passionate about active citizenry and so pleased to see so many people here,” said Ms Rau.

About 20 members from the six ward committees in Sub-council 6 were introduced, while Ms Rau outlined their responsibilities, as described by the Municipal Structures and Municipal Systems acts.

The committees advise councillors about their wards’ issues and needs, while monitoring service delivery and keeping lines of communication open between the sub-council and the community.

The ward committees also help council with public participation on various issues, such as the integrated development plan (IDP), municipal by-laws, the budget and liquor licences – something Sub-council 6 manager Pat Jansen said had been lacking until now.

Ms Rau said the ward committees could hold council and the ward councillors accountable and she encouraged them to liaise with other committees across the wards.

Ward committees are made up of a ward councillor, who chairs the committee, and no more than ten people, who are elected from the ward and who serve for a five-year term.

The members receive no remuneration other than a monthly stipend – in this case R500 – determined by the sub-council to cover out-of-pocket expenses.

Ms Rau said the sub-council and the councillors will try to get more organisations registered on the COD and to get other organisations’ information such as the minutes of their meetings, up to date.

“Sub-council will then call for more nominations and an election process, per sector, will proceed,” she said.

In Ward 2, Oakdale Watch chairman Tommy Milakovic was elected to represent the safety and security sector, while Janine Mongie, from Bellville Community Police Forum; Theo Galloway, from Chrismar Neighbourhood Watch, and Adrian Lawrence, from De la Haye Neighbourhood Watch, will do the same for Ward 3.

Johannes la Cock, from the Old Oak Community Forum, will represent civic-based organisations in Ward 3, while The Haven Night Shelter Bellville’s Hassan Khan and Tygerberg Association for Street People’s Jannie Majied will represent vulnerable groups.

Siyabulela Mamkeli, mayoral committee member for area central, whose office will be based at the Bellville municipal offices, said the roll-out of the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (OTDP) sought
to enhance service delivery and take government closer to the people.

“We have done a lot in the past 20 years but there is still a lot more to be done to reverse the effects of apartheid spatial planning. There are many challenges, but we are making progress,” he said.

Mr Mamkeli said his office would work closely with ward councillors and Sub-council 6 to improve service delivery.