ALDERMAN ALLAN SAULS writes:
Over the past days political change has become evident in South Africa.
Many local councils are under the control of various political parties, an achievement for citizens who voted for their political parties of choice.
These political changes should and will benefit citizens, because political parties would want to be re-elected at the 2021 local government elections. These swooping changes will make local governments more approachable and eager to listen to citizens’ issues.
With this in mind, citizens would do well in bringing their community issues before legislative portfolio or oversight committees. Such action would ensure their community’s issues are heard and debated, which would allow submissions to council sittings for approval and implementation.
Portfolio or oversight committees are legislative committees accountable to deal with community issues, by having oversight responsibility and making recommendations to council, which become resolutions of council and must be implemented by the executive supported by the municipal administration.
Citizens have the right to present community issues to legislative bodies and expect action from such citizen participation processes. Such citizen participation is an official engagement and, therefore, must be recorded and managed subject to official protocols of the legislative body.
Citizens would do well to carefully consider citizen participation to highlight their community issues and to drive such community issues for positive and sustainable solution implementation within the various legislative bodies.
