City of Tshwane speaker Mncedi Nddzwanana with some of the new wards committee photo by Dimakatso Modipa
SPEAKING NOTES FOR SPEAKER OF COUNCIL, CLLR. MNCEDI NZWANANA: COMPLETION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CITY OF TSHWANE WARD COMMITTEES IN ALL 107 WARDS
Let me start by acknowledging the hard work of everyone who made today possible.
The past months have been challenging yet productive.
I would like to thank you all for going beyond the call of duty.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are gathered here today to officially announce the completion of the establishment of the City of Tshwane Ward Committees in all 107 Wards.
The establishment of Ward Committees plays a crucial role in promoting participatory democracy at the local level and as such are, amongst others, the cornerstone in terms of cornerstones in terms of section 2(b)(ii) of the Systems Act and validated in terms of section 72 and 73 of the Structures Act.
citizens to actively contribute to decision-making processes that directly impact their communities.
Section 152(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, read together with Section 72(1) and (2) of the Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998), give a direct mandate to municipalities to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in matters of local government and to establish community participation systems.
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.
Ward Committees, as an integral part of the City’s strategy, provide a formal framework for local citizens and community organizations to actively participate in the decision-making process processes that pertain to their specific geographic areas.
By doing so, they empower residents to voice their concerns, contribute to the development of their wards, and influence the allocation of resources to meet local needs.
Furthermore, the establishment of Ward Committees aligns with the City’s commitment to promoting participatory democracy, which is a cornerstone of its governance model. It enables the City of Tshwane to harness local knowledge, leverage community expertise, and build partnerships to address the unique challenges and opportunities within each Ward.
The committee serves as a platform for community engagement and enable citizens to actively
In turn, this approach not only enhances the quality of local governance but also reinforces the principles of inclusivity and transparency in the administration’s decision-making processes.
In essence, the City of Tshwane’s Ward Committee system signifies a substantial step towards fostering community involvement, strengthening the relationship between the local government and its residents, and ultimately driving positive change at the grassroots level.
Once again, thanks to all of you for working together with the community to complete this process. Now, the real work starts.
Some of the new ward committee
I wish you all the best and always know that my door is always open.
Let’s service our people.
At a media briefing after his address to the City of Tshwane Council meeting, Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana said the delay in the formation and announcement of Ward Committees caused by the lack of cooperation from sone wards which were not doing what was expected of them.
“We should have established Ward Committees last October if everybody has come on board back then to work with us,” said Ndzwanana.
Regarding the issue of some ward Committee members who have not received their salaries Ndzwanana said the following:
“Some Ward Committee members who are complaining about non-payment have not submitted their bank accounts while others are refusing to give us their IDs and if we don’t have such information we won’t be able to pay them and to those who have submitted all the required documents and have still not been paid we would like to apologise and assure them that payment is on its way.”
Ndzwanana added that the Department of Finance is the one that deals with payment of City of Tshwane employees including Ward Committee members.
He said there must be transparency in the work done by Ward Committees; that they must hold the Executive accountable and if there are glitches between them and Councillors then such issues must be addressed speedily so that they won’t affect service delivery in their wards.
He stressed that Ward Committee members have been deployed to ensure that there is service delivery in their respective wards.
City of Tshwane speaker Mncedi Nddzwanana
He made it clear that Ward Committees don’t belong to any political party but that they are structures of the people as mandated by the country’s Constitution, that they must not politicise Ward Committees and must not wear political party T-shirts when addressing residents and that those found wearing political party T-shirts will be disciplined harshly.
He added that Ward Committee members will be given name tags by the Speaker’s office so that people can know who they are.
He said there won’t be so-called ghost workers among Ward Committee members because he has a team that he trusts very much to monitor Ward Committees.
He said in the first week of April workshops will be conducted for Ward Committee members and all of them must make sure that they attend such workshops.
One Ward Committee member from Ward 101 Malesela Bambo told Tshwane Talks that he is prepared to work for his ward and expressed thanks for the workshops that will be offered to them by the Speaker’s office to help them do their jobs properly.
Bishop Ike Mabena from Ward 60 said he was satisfied about the establishment of Ward Committees and that he was prepared to work for the community and promised not to be biased in his duties.
Paulina Letlhaka from Ward 46 expressed joy about the establishment of Ward Committees because they have been waiting for their establishment for a long time now and that the workshops that will be conducted for them by the Speaker’s office will help them a great deal in their duties.
She said she has long been working with her community on an informal basis and was happy that her duties have now being formalised and recognised by the Speaker’s office.