Africa-Press – South-Africa. Western Cape Local Government MEC Minister Anton Bredell says his department stood ready and willing to assist all councils with constituting their first council meetings.
Bredell said senior departmental officials were being deployed to each council to support municipal managers in their duties.
“Municipal managers will be presiding over the initial election processes to elect new council speakers. Once that has been done, the speakers will lead the process,” he said.
Local councils will be constituted within 14 days after the declaration of the election results and the district councils will do this in the next 14 days.
Bredell said he noted that there were 16 hung councils.
“We urge all parties to come together and finalise their council representatives, including speakers and mayors, and we wish the newly-elected councillors and future leaders all the very best for the five years that lie ahead.
“They can count on my support and my door is open to any councillor or municipal representative who needs support or advice.”
Bredell said all the municipalities would take a number of important decisions, including the election of office-bearers such as the speaker and executive mayor during their first council meeting.
“The members of the mayoral committees, who will assist the executive mayor in his/her duties, will also be announced at the first council meeting.
“The Department of Local Government has established a help desk facility to assist with any advice or legal concerns and will continue to provide ongoing support to all municipal councils throughout this transitional process,” he said.
Bredell said the provincial cabinet would soon be engaging with newly-appointed mayors in the first formal engagement between the provincial government, the metro and municipalities on November 22.
Meanwhile, Premier Alan Winde and Bredell congratulated candidate councillors on their election.
“While we wait for the final votes to be declared in the province, we want to commend each candidate for helping ensure a peaceful election in the Western Cape, and we congratulate you on your election.
“For those who were unsuccessful, thank you for being part of this important democratic process and ensuring that we continue to have a vibrant constitutional democracy,” Winde said.
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