Bill provides for civil servants stand in local government poll

Sapa 15 Aug

Draft legislation to allow civil servants to be able to stand
for election in the forthcoming local government elections is being
circulated among MPs and Senators for study and informal
discussion.

It gives effect to a June 21 Cabinet decision, a memorandum
attached to the preliminary draft of the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Bill says.

Provincial premiers, in consultation with elected local
government members, will be enabled to determine which traditional
leaders should be allowed to be ex officio members of a particular
local government body.

Anyone dissatisfied with a determination will be able to
approach the courts for relief, the memorandum says.

There had been problems with the interim constitution's Section
182 provision for traditional leaders observing indigenous law and
on land in the jurisdiction of an elected local government should
be ex officio members of it.

The Bill also provides for the appointment of a Secretary for
Defence.

Because the local government elections are now likely to take
place over five months and not on one day (November 1) as
originally envisaged the Constitution is to be amended accordingly.

A draft Local Government Transition Amendment Bill, also being
circulated among Parliamentarians for study and informal
discussion, provides for amendments because of problems with the
local government elections.

The Local Government Transition Act is the main regulator of
the local government restructuring.

Both draft Bills are to be discussed at a joint meeting of the
National Assembly and Senate Constitutional Affairs' committees on
Thursday.