THE ROLE OF THE COUNCILLOR Councillors are representatives of their constituents and their immediate needs. They also have the responsibility that the decisions they take must address past imbalances and access to services and opportunities. At the same time, councillors need to be conscious of the impact of these decisions on future generations. This is a large responsibility and needs to be made within a democratic framework that relies on frequent consultation with community members, ward committee members, organised interest groups, and close co-ordination amongst all levels of government from local to provincial to national. In order to achieve these results, councillors are expected to: ◾evaluate the policies and programmes of the municipality ◾take into consideration the needs of the people they represent ◾make recommendations that can improve these policies and programmes in line with the objectives of developmental local government. Councillors serve as representatives of the people Councillors sit in council on behalf of their constituents. Newly-elected councillors represent different political partyies and/or organisations. Councillors need to interact with each other as every councillor is mandated by their respective voters. It can be a challenge for councillors to work together and co-operate in the interests of their municipality as a whole. Councillors are the elected representatives of the people and are mandated as elected representatives to make decisions on behalf of their constituencies. This idea is based on the principles of representative democracy which recognises the need for people to have a voice in their government, but assigns that voice to selected persons chosen through the voting process. As elected representatives councillors need to carry out their duties in a transparent and accountable way. This means that councillors do not act as individuals and do as they wish. Their actions must be visible to the public so that the public (or party to which the councillor belongs) is able to object when it they feel their interests are not being adequately represented. In order to find out what is happening at council level, the public has the right to attend council meetings, and get records and reports provided by council. Councillors serve as facilitators of community/constituency input Councillors are expected to be in close contact with their constituencies ‘on the ground’ and to keep council informed of the real experiences and views of the residents within the municipality. Local government legislation has in several places emphasised the importance of public participation as a means to influence council processes. This means that elements of a participatory democracy are also in place in South Africa. Citizens do not have a vote on council, but are meant to influence their councillors to represent their views on any topic that affects them. Councillors have a duty to be accessible to the public to allow for that input. Councillors serve as a communication link between council and community Every council will be involved in various planning and policy-making processes, and specific programmes or projects that are being implemented. The council will also conduct information campaigns on issues affecting the community. Councillors need to communicate these activities to the public in the interests of increasing transparency and promoting public involvement in these activities. Councillors help monitor the performance of the municipality Councillors act as a key feedback mechanism for monitoring: ◾whether the municipality’s plans and programmes are achieving the intended effect ◾whether services are being provided in a way that is efficient and fair ◾whether capital projects as committed to in the IDP are actually taking place according to plan within a reasonable timeframe. As ward councillors in particular often receive complaints from the public on specific problems they are in a good position to advise the public on how to resolve their issues. They can also assist their constituents in making formal complaints or petitions, as may be appropriate, for submission to the municipality, and can help follow up on the concerns brought to them. The councillor is also given reports on various service delivery issues and the progress of capital projects, and should pass this information on to the community at every opportunity. While a councillor cannot directly instruct an official on how to do his or her job, councillors do have a right to expect officials to meet accepted standards of service and can raise any serious concerns within council for attention by the relevant department. Role of a ward councillor Each ward councillor is elected by a specific geographically-defined ward within the municipality. The ward councillor, therefore, is expected to make sure that concerns related to his or her ward are represented on council. The Municipal Structures Act, 1998 provides for the establishment of ward committees to assist the ward councillor in understanding the needs and the views of the community. A ward committee should consist of up to ten members who serve as volunteers to advise the councillor, and may represent a certain sector, e.g. women’s groups or ratepayers associations or a geographic area or community within the ward. The ward councillor serves as chair of the ward committee and must hold regular meetings. A council may have a detailed policy on a ward councillor’s responsibilities as ward committee chair, specifying the number of meetings, the type of reports to be made to the ward committee, etc. Ward councillors are also expected to hold regular public meetings within the ward, and can interact directly with any interest group even if that group is not represented on the ward committee. Role of PR councillor The PR councillor is elected through the party lists and therefore is primarily accountable to the party. The PR councillor may interact with party structures at local and provincial levels, and can get input relevant to council business through such structures. The PR councillor may in some cases also serve as a substitute chairperson to a ward committee in cases where the ward councillor cannot be present.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 05:18:26 +0000
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