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FUNDING OF WARD COMMITTEES. PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE & TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS ( CoGTA ) Tuesday, 21 August 2012. OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION. Background Object of the National Framework The role of municipalities in supporting ward committees
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FUNDING OF WARD COMMITTEES PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE & TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS (CoGTA) Tuesday, 21 August 2012
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION • Background • Object of the National Framework • The role of municipalities in supporting ward committees • Criteria for determining out of pocket expenses • Ward committee functionality indicators • Payments and budgeting • Training of ward committee members
BACKGROUND National Framework: Criteria for Determining Out of Pocket Expenses for Ward Committee Members, 2009. The framework determines the indicators for: • Ward committee functionality • Criteria for calculating “out of pocket expenses” • Budgeting guidelines and • Funding mechanisms for ward development and ward committee operations.
OBJECT OF THE NATIONAL FRAMEWORK The objects of the framework are to: • Improve ward committee functionality by ensuring that ward committee members are more active and able to effectively support their elected ward councillors to serve the community • Reimburse ward committee members with any 'out of pocket' expenses that they may have reasonably incurred in undertaking their duties • Provide guidelines for provinces to develop provincial specific frameworks
THE ROLE OF MUNICIPALITIES Municipalities must ensure that ward committees are effectively supported. This support includes: • Access to office space and equipment • Technical and administrative assistance through dedicated municipal staff • Communication material and community interaction systems and campaigns and • Out of pocket expenses for ward committee members.
CRITERIA FOR CALCULATING OUT OF OFFICE EXPENSES The following criteria must be taken into consideration when determining out of pocket expenses for a member of a ward committee: • Ward size: is a factor that influences democratic representation and participation as well as transport costs • Population density: correlates with the ward committee's ability to manage social dynamics presented by different population groups as they relate to service delivery and social cohesion. • Financial viability: community participation is integral to service delivery and must be budgeted for as part of the core business of municipalities and • Ward committee functionality
WARD COMMITTEE FUNCTIONALITY INDICATORS Key indicators of ward committee functionality are: • Ward committee management meetings held and attendance • Community meetings held and attendance • Tabling of ward reports and plans to the council and feedback on the performance of the Councils to communities • Door-to-door campaigns and/or interactions with sub structures including street committees • Complaints, queries, and requests registered from the community and attended to • Information brochures, flyers, newsletters, emails, sms, etc distributed • Management and updating of ward profiles and database of indigent households • Participation in plans and programmes of municipalities and other spheres of government
PAYMENTS AND BUDGETING • An amount of R428 760 million (MTEF) has been made available to municipalities to provide stipends for ward committees to assist municipalities classified as grades 1, 2 and 3 • As part of this allocation, each municipality in grades 1, 2 and 3 is subsidized by a stipend of R500 per month to cater for 10 members of each ward committee • These funds are transferred as part of an Equitable Share for these municipalities
TRAINING OF WARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS • An 8 module LGSETA accredited skills programme for ward committees at NQF level 2 has been developed • The department has updated, translated (into all SA official languages), printed and distributed 40 000 copies of each 11 ward committee capacity building material (i.e. 8 x LGSETA accredited modules; Ward Committee Handbook; Ward Committee Resource Book and Community-based Planning Guide). • Phase 1 of accredited training completed in 4 provinces, i.e, NW; NC; EC and MP