Chapter 11 - Sedibeng District Municipality

Council w ith Wards or a Metropolitan Council w ith a combination of Sub-councils and
Wards.
The Municipal Council must strive w ithin its capacity to achieve its constitutional
obligations, namely:
• to provide democratic and accountable local government;
• to ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner;
• to promote social and economic development;
• to promote a safe and healthy environment; and
• to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in
matters of local government.
A Municipal Council must review annually:
• the needs of the community;
• its priorities to meet these needs;
• its process for involving the community;
• the organisational and delivery mechanisms necessary to meet the needs of
the community; and
• its overall performance in meeting its objectives.
(i) Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32 of 2000)
The Municipal Systems Act provides core principles, mechanis ms and processes that
are necessary to enable municipalities to become developmental institutions.
Development, as defined in the Act, includes integrated social, economic,
environmental, spatial, infrastructural, institutional, organisational and human
resources upliftment of a community. This upliftment is to be aimed at improving the
quality of life of its members w ith specific reference to the poor and other
disadvantaged sections of the community.
The Act defines co-operative government and describes the rights and duties of
structures. The Act also describes the rights of communities, residents and
ratepayers who can participate in the local affairs of the municipality, as w ell as
receive training and capacity building. Stakeholders may also w ork in partnership
with the municipality’s political and administrative structures. This Act establishes a
simple and enabling framew ork for the core processes of planning, performance
management, resource mobilisation and organisational change that underpin the
notion of developmental local government. The Act also rationalises process of
municipal planning into a five year planning cycle.
The Act establishes a performance management system for local government and
requires annual reporting to its citizens and other spheres of government. This
management system w ill enable progress in the implementation of the IDP to be
measured. The results of the performance management system w ill enable other
spheres of government to assist in capacity building and, if required, intervention.
The Act also provides a clear regulatory framew ork for municipal service partnerships
and implementation of credit control measures. A framew ork is also provided for
national and provincial monitoring, capacity building and the setting of standards.
SDM DITP, 2008 to 2013 14 31 Aug 2010