Salga to convene inaugural Council of Mayors in Cape Town
South Africa’s 257 metropolitan, district and local mayors are set to convene at the South African Local Government Association’s (Salga’s) inaugural two-day Council of Mayors convention, in Cape Town, from June 8 to 9.
Among the mayors, speakers and panellists are Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des Van Rooyen, Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel, Statistician General Dr Pali Lehohla, as well as business stakeholders.
The council will address proposed policy positions aimed at strengthening local government to improve service delivery; the impasse between Eskom and municipalities; international relations, partnerships and programmes; councillor welfare and support and its impact on mayors and executive mayors; as well as provide an update on construction bid rigging related to the development of 2010 Soccer World Cup infrastructure.
“The Council of Mayors comes at a critical time when mayors, both at home and all over the world, require full support from their very own communities,” Salga said in a statement on Friday, adding that the protection of mayors’ “sacrosanct functions and powers” requires unconditional support if good governance is to be realised.
“Globally, reports of detentions of mayors continue to dominate headlines. This has prompted local government world leaders to speak-out against this worrisome situation.”
Salga, which plans to host the council at least once a year, added that the move is aimed at strengthening its representatives as a voice of local government and to ensure focused support for its members.
The council follows Salga’s National Conference, held in November 2016, where it resolved to establish the Council of Mayors and Council of Speakers.
“The council will function as a formalised structure for Salga and will focus on addressing challenges experienced by mayors, executive mayors and speakers. It will be a platform used for learning, sharing and reflecting on local government matters,” said the government body.
This will allow for focused discussions on "the realities" of the executive and legislative arms of the municipality.
Further, Salga expects that the structure could also be consulted on an ad hoc basis, should the need arise, with regard to specific aspects affecting municipalities that need to be addressed.
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