CONTENTS

Introduction
The importance of local government boundaries
Wall-to-wall: local government everywhere
Why are we demarcating again?
What will be re-demarcated?

The demarcation process
- Legislation governing the process
- The role-players
- When will it all happen?

How will boundaries be decided?
The objectives and criteria
Three broad principles
The delimitation of internal boundaries (wards)

Special cases
How can you participate?
Conclusion

About this book

This book is about one of the most important aspects of the transformation of local government – the redrawing of municipal boundaries, or demarcation.

The book explains the importance of demarcation, why we are re-demarcating now, how demarcation will happen, the part of various role-players in the process, and what some of the results of re-demarcation might be. It also explains how you can be a part of the demarcation process and have a say in the outcome.

Full details of the demarcation process are found in the Municipal Demarcation Act (1998)

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO READERS

On 15 October 1999 the Constitutional Court found sections 4, 5, 6(2) and 24(1) of the Municipal Structures Act, 1998 to be unconstitutional.

This judgement was delivered after preparation of the booklets in this publication series, and affects some of the content of the booklets.

When reading about the designation of categories A, B or C municipalities; district management areas; guidelines for deciding the type of municipality that is to be established in a province; and the term of office of a municipality, please note that the court's decision means that:

  • The Municipal Demarcation Board and not the Minister of Provincial and Local Government must decide which areas must have category A municipalities and which must have municipalities of both categories B and C.
  • The Municipal Demarcation Board and not the minister must decide which areas must have a district management area.
  • It will no longer be possible for the minister to determine guidelines to assist MECs for local government to decide which type of municipality will be appropriate for a particular area.
  • The terms of municipal councils will be determined by Parliament and not by the minister.