DEAR Editor,-
I read that the Cogta MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube is concerned about the lack of qualifications among councillors at municipal level in KZN.
As a rule of thumb, councillors do not need tertiary qualifications – but it is probably desirable at executive committee or finance committee level.
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What councillors need (besides being South African citizens and not being certified idiots) is both literacy and numeracy.
Municipal councils are by law divided into those whose annual budgets are under R500 million or over R500 million. Metros and some district councils have budgets of over a billion rand.
Councillors must have literacy to be able to read and understand an agenda before a meeting. Councillors must have numeracy to study and understand the municipal budget.
Unlike ex President Zuma, they must be able to count the naughts after a number.
From personal observation over the years, in most cases the party caucus goes through the agenda before the meeting, although most councillors do not actually participate actively in debates.
However, when it comes to the vitally important portfolio committees where matters are studied and recommendations are made to full council, some councillors open their agenda envelopes for the first time at the meeting.
The primary activity of councillors is to oversee the work of the executive committee. Without literacy and numeracy they are simply voting cattle.
DAVE SNASHALL
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