Ward stipend is ridiculous!

The Drakenstein Municipality is making a mockery of its ward committees by giving them a quarterly stipend of R750.

The municipality, the second largest in the province, collects more revenue compared to other smaller municipalities in the region. It is alleged that other small municipalities are paying a monthly allowance of R1 000 to their ward committees.

The matter was raised by ward committees through the Office of the Speaker, but nothing has been done. This R750 stipend is deducted from the budget of ward projects. These projects are allocated an amount of R200 000 annually, then an amount of R30 000 is deducted to pay the stipend.

The deduction further limits the money of ward projects. The ward committees are expected to improve the conditions of service delivery at their respective wards for a meagre R750 stipend a quarter. This is really ridiculous! This is tantamount to human abuse of the highest degree. The municipality is in violation of the Municipal Structure Act 117 of 1998, which states that “out-of-pocket expenses that may be paid as monthly allowance is R1 000 per ward committee member”. These include the following :

1. Transport = R300

2. Mobile phone = R500

3. Refreshment/meals = R200

The financial support for ward committees comes from two important sources:

(a) Local Government Equitable Share (LGES)

Municipalities receive allocations from local government equitable share on an annual basis. They should use a portion of this allocation to support the ward committees.

(b) Municipal Systems Improvement Grant (MSIG)

It is disturbing to discover the municipality is not using these important sources to support the ward committees. Where is the money from the two sources going to? Why is the municipality deducting the stipend from the allocation of the ward projects?

Concerned ward committee members,

Drakenstein Speaker, Koos le Roux, reacts:
Ward committees were elected and approved by Council during the first quarter of 2022. The office of the Speaker is responsible for monitoring the effective functionality of ward committees and to facilitate training for ward committee members. Further monitoring is affected by monitoring the ward committee meeting reports, as all ward committee members who have received the responsibility of a specific portfolio. A finding on effective functionality of ward committees will be made after 12 months to enable the Office of the Speaker to propose increases to the stipend payable to ward committee members. Proposed increases will have to be incorporated in the municipal budget and are subjected to a public participation process. The municipal budget for the 2023 / 2024 financial year will serve before Council during May 2023.