Understanding exactly who does what in your local government – and how to contact them –  is a must for fighting for a municipality that delivers. 

Your Ward Councillor

You elect a ward councillor to represent the specific area or ward where you live. Ward councillors are your direct link to the municipal council. They are responsible for raising residents’ concerns, helping resolve service delivery issues, and keeping residents informed about municipal progress and decisions. Ward councillors are meant to be accessible, to act on your problems, and to ensure that the voices of people in their ward are heard. Watch this short video by the Civic Academy SA to get a good summary. 

Find the contact details for your ward councillor here, and more about how to hold them accountable here. 

Proportional Representative (PR) Councillors

PR councillors are elected to serve in your local municipal council, but not for a specific area or ward. They are appointed by political parties based on the number of votes each party earns in the municipal election. PR councillors vote on council decisions and are expected to engage in meaningful public participation and bring community concerns to the council.  

Your Mayor and the Mayoral Committee

The mayor is a councillor elected to be the political head of a municipality. Their role is to lead the municipal council and provide oversight, especially in policy-making and important decisions. You can find your mayor's contact here.

Metros and most larger municipalities are led by Executive Mayors. The mayor holds significant executive powers and is responsible for key decisions, although they are supported by a mayoral committee made up of councillors. The executive mayor is the main decision-maker, with the committee providing advice and support.

In Collective Executive Systems, executive power is shared among a group of councillors who form the executive committee. The mayor is one of these members and chairs the committee, but decisions are made collectively, usually by majority vote. No single person has executive authority. This system is common in smaller municipalities. 

Council Committees

Each municipal council forms committees of up to 10 councillors who are tasked with tackling and overseeing specific issues. Municipalities typically have specific committees for different aspects of service delivery, like water and sanitation. Contacting the councillors working on a committee related to an issue in your neighbourhood can be a way to push for action on an issue. An especially important committee is the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), which is tasked with making sure public funds are spent as they should be. Committees are required to meet at least 4 times a year. Contacting your councillor is the easiest way to connect with a council committee.    

The Speaker of the Municipal Council

The speaker is a councillor who is also responsible for organising council meetings, helping to set the agenda, overseeing debates, and ensuring that discussions follow the rules. Along with the mayor, the speaker must ensure that council documents are made publicly available. The speaker also enforces the councillors’ Code of Conduct, so they play a vital role in holding councillors accountable. You can find your speaker’s contact here.  

Whips

Each political party in your municipality’s council is led by a party whip. Whips keep councillors in line with party positions and policies, and encourage everyone in the council to work well together. They use their authority to both encourage and discipline councillors. If your councillor is not being responsive to you, you can contact the party whip to take action. Party whips are led by a chief whip in the council. You can find your chief whip’s contact here.

Your municipal manager

The municipal manager is the appointed head of the local government administration. They must take action on decisions made by the council and manage the day-to-day functions of municipalities, like service delivery. Municipal managers are supposed to manage staff, coordinate departments, and ensure that your municipality is running well. You can find the contacts for municipal managers here. 

Heads of local government departments

Each local municipality has dedicated departments like Water and Sanitation Services, Community and Social Development Services and Waste Management. The specific departments vary from municipality to municipality. The heads of these departments are appointed, not elected. Each of them manages staff who do the work of service delivery. You can use fixlocal’s Report tool to contact specific departments.

Here is a short video by the Civic Academy SA that goes into greater depth.

Acknowledgments

Material adapted from Activist's Guide to Making Local Government Work.

Photo by Gauta Nkwe on Unsplash