Residents urged to take part in public participation
From by-laws to planning issues, residents are urged to join civic meetings to ensure their unique needs and ideas are considered.
The presiding officer of the committee of chairpersons has encouraged residents and stakeholders to participate in Tshwane’s Public Participation and Civic Awareness processes.
Oupa Matshiane explained that public participation benefits community members by giving them a voice in decisions that affect their lives.
He said if residents are participants, they can look forward to better services and a more resilient community. This is because their unique needs, knowledge, and values are then considered, resulting in more effective and sustainable solutions.
Matshiane stressed that when local governments engage with communities, they can better understand specific needs and tailor public services to improve the quality of life for residents.
“It also allows for diverse voices, especially those from marginalised or under-represented groups, [to be] heard. This leads to fairer outcomes and policies that address social inequalities,” he stated.
“We need better civic education, which is the process of equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to be active and informed participants in a democratic society.”
He said that it goes beyond a simple understanding of governmental structures; critical thinking and a commitment to civic engagement also need to be fostered.
“It is important for residents to note that public participation meetings and civic awareness programmes are topic-specific relating to by-laws, policies and planning issues.
“[These are] platforms where community members are called to seek their inputs relating to a specific topic,” Matshiane added.
He further stressed that these processes are important because when citizens understand their rights and responsibilities, they can hold elected officials and government institutions accountable. This encourages transparency and responsive governance.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ON THE PROPOSED DRAFT BY-LAW FOR PETITIONS@CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/uNyB6kNOag
— Cllr Mncedi Ndzwanana, Speaker of City of Tshwane (@TshwaneSpeaker) September 9, 2025
Matshiane said he wants to encourage residents and other interested people and institutions to engage meaningfully with the public participation processes.
This will not only allow for meetings to run smoothly, but it also allows the respective departments to receive informed comments on the by-laws and policies being presented.
He stated that he will be engaging with the Speaker of Council, Mncedi Ndzwanana, to encourage him to embark on a series of service delivery oversight imbizos.
Chair the public participation for the draft city of Tshwane Telecommunication mast infrastructure policy at Temba council chamber in region 2. More residents wanted to attend but due to water challenges that is in process of upgrading, They reserved their rights to stay away pic.twitter.com/mLvTnPzOGp
— mmc Community Safety ( Rambohannes (@Rambohannes) August 23, 2025
“These imbizos will be centred around the Speaker of Council, myself, and the Section 79 chairpersons visiting all seven regions of the city and engaging with our residents and stakeholders on their service delivery issues.
[This is so we can] take their concerns back to our committees and ensure that we find ways to address them fruitfully,” said Matshiane.Public Participation on the @CityTshwane Draft Informal Settlements Management Policy at KT Motubatse Community Hall pic.twitter.com/6VSDxk9P3a
— Cllr Mncedi Ndzwanana, Speaker of City of Tshwane (@TshwaneSpeaker) August 30, 2025
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