Gauteng approves report on ward delimitation

JOHANNESBURG Aug 18 Sapa

The Gauteng cabinet has approved the Demarcation Board's report
on the delimitation of wards in various local authorities in the
province, it was announced on Friday.

The approval would put the province in a better position to
deliver the elections on November 1 and had brought an end to the
board's "mammoth task", a statement from the Gauteng government
said.

Political party candidates and those running as independents
would now be able to determine which wards they were standing in,
while voters could find out in which wards they had to vote.

In terms of the board's report, each specific area falling
under the jurisdiction of Gauteng would be allocated a number of
seats. Each area falling under a substructure will be broken
down into a number of wards, Gauteng local government MEC
Dan Mofokeng said in a statement.

For example, the area falling under the Greater Johannesburg
Metropolitan Council has been allocated 50 seats. Thirty will be
divided among northern, southern, eastern and western
sub-structures and the remaining 20 will be reserved as seats
awarded on the basis of proportional representation.

A massive voter education campaign had begun, the statement
said, and more than 100 voter education officials had been trained
in Johannesburg, Pretoria and the Vaal Triangle. More were
undergoing training elsewhere.

The board had tried to have maximum consultation in its
meetings, the statement said. This had included media campaigns to
inform interested persons where its sittings were taking place.