Gauteng consultation on draft electoral wards to commence

The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) says wards are to be delimited in all metropolitan and local municipalities to lay the foundation for the delivery of free and fair 2021 Local Government Elections.

Gauteng's public consultation sessions on the draft electoral wards will commence on 12 March.

The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) says wards are to be delimited in all metropolitan and local municipalities to lay the foundation for the delivery of free and fair 2021 Local Government Elections.

"Subsequent to the public consultation sessions, the MDB will consider all public proposals received and delimit wards. The wards will be published in provincial gazettes for objections by May 2020. Any aggrieved person will have 14 days to object," said the MDB.

The MDB will consider all objections and publish its final decisions in provincial gazettes by July 2020. The MDB will then handover the final ward boundaries to the IEC in August 2020 to start preparing for the 2021 Local Elections.

"We encourage citizens to seize this opportunity to express their views on how their wards should be configured. Communities and municipalities are encouraged to consult among themselves and reach a consensus.

"Their proposal should be aligned to the criteria forward delimitation. They can then present their proposal when the MDB meets with them. However, they can still do so in writing after the sessions by no later than 30 April 2020."

All the sessions will commence at 9 am.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)