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COMBINING THE SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT In the previous sections of this document, we described the five different systems of municipal government. The first three systems of government, namely, the plenary executive system, the collective executive system and the mayoral executive system are executive systems. They describe the structures through which the municipal council exercises its executive powers and performs its executive duties. The last two systems of government, namely, the ward participatory system and the subcouncil participatory system are participatory systems. They describe structures to which the municipal council may delegate powers, to be exercised in part of the municipal area. The five systems of municipal government are the building blocks for municipal types Municipal types are all made up from combinations of the five systems of government.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CATEGORIES AND TYPES The way in which executive systems can be combined with participatory systems to form municipal types is different for each category of municipality. Category A municipalities Category A, or metropolitan municipalities, may have either the collective
executive or mayoral executive system, combined with either or both of the participatory
systems.
Metropolitan municipalities are the largest municipalities, and may have up to 270 councillors sitting on the municipal council. (Other municipalities may have up to 90 councillors.) Because the metropolitan municipal council is large, the plenary executive system is not appropriate, and is therefore not an option in metropolitan areas. Metropolitan municipalities may have either or both of the participatory systems. The subcouncil participatory system is specifically designed for metropolitan areas. It will allow metropolitan councils with a large area of jurisdiction to delegate powers and duties to subcouncils for part of the metropolitan area. If a metropolitan municipality has both a ward participatory and subcouncil participatory system, the metropolitan council may wish to consider ways in which the ward committees can interact with the subcouncils. Category B municipalities Category B, or local municipalities, may have one of the executive systems, which may be combined with the ward participatory system.
Category C municipalities Category C municipalities, or district municipalities, may have one of the
three executive systems.
Category C municipalities may not combine their executive system with either of the participatory systems (ward or subcouncil), because they do not have wards, and local input is already ensured through representation from local municipalities. All Category C municipalities should ensure that they have mechanisms to enable public participation in their affairs. However, the ward participatory system is not suited to the district level, and will operate better at the local level where some municipal councillors are elected on a ward basis. This does not mean that category C municipalities are not responsible for providing services in a democratic and consultative manner. It is particularly important for them to do so as they govern rural areas, where the most marginalised social groups, like poor women, youth and the aged require supportive measures to enable them to have a say in local government. Introduction | Responsibilities of municipal councils | Delegation of powers and duties | Community participation and accountability | Municipal types | Systems of municipal government | Plenary executive system | Collective executive system | Mayoral executive system | Executive powers, duties and committees | The ward participatory system | The subcouncil participatory system | Combining the systems of government to form municipal types | Applying types to individual municipalities | Conclusion | Annexure A | Annexure B Back to Types Of Municipalities Table of Contents | Back to booklets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
