THE City of Tshwane concluded a process for nominating ward committee candidates on Friday, paving the way for the committees elections scheduled to take place in all seven regions in June.
Tshwane speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana expressed confidence that the process has been successfully running from April 9 to afford residents and interested stakeholders a chance to nominate their preferred candidates.
He hoped that those likely to make the cut into the committees will make a meaningful contribution in improving the lives of the communities in their wards.
“Municipalities are required by law to establish ward committees as a way of encouraging community participation in municipal matters. Part of the role of ward committees is to identify and address the needs as well as challenges of the communities, disseminate information about municipal affairs, and ensure a harmonious interaction between the community and the local municipality,” Ndzwanana said.
He said in line with the by-law his office in conjunction with an independent electoral management body would embark on a verification process of all nominations received.
The electoral management body is made up of nine members charged with conducting ward committee elections.
Ndzwanana said: “The final list of candidates will be communicated on May 24, 2024, and then a period for appeals will be open until May 31, 2024.”
It is expected that the ward committee elections will run for two weekends, starting from June 22 in region 5 and June 23, 2024 in regions 2 and 4.
The second round of elections will take place on June 29 in regions 3 and 7, and June 30 in regions 1 and 6.
“It is the responsibility of the residents to elect people who will work towards the attainment of the desired purpose. We also appeal for co-operation between the communities and the candidates for a successful process,” Ndzwanana said.
The much-anticipated elections in Tshwane are long overdue, especially after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in 2014 nullified the ward committee elections that took place in 2012.
This was after a court challenge by the DA questioning the constitutionality of the elections on the basis that they excluded the participation of public members.
The City’s process for correcting the unconstitutionality of the by-law have been delayed on several occasions.
The nomination process was initially scheduled to be concluded on April 23, but it was extended to May 3.
Pretoria News