13 July 2000
Legal notices formally establishing the 284 newly demarcated municipalities will be promulgated in time to enable the Minister for Provincial and Local Government, Mr Sydney Mufamadi, to announce a date for the municipal elections by the end of August, it was announced yesterday.
A statement released by the Ministry for Provincial and Local Government indicated that Provincial MEC's responsible for Local Government are expected to publish notices formally establishing the newly demarcated municipalities during August 2000.
"Once the new municipalities are formally established in terms of notices to be published by the Provincial MECs responsible for Local Government before the end of August, we will announce the date of the election".
"I would, therefore, like to urge all South Africans to prepare themselves to get their green bar-coded identity documents so that they can register and vote in the forthcoming municipal elections. These elections will close the chapter of the negotiated phase of Local Government transition".
Already a major milestone in the preparation for the forthcoming municipal elections was achieved on Monday, 10 July 2000, when the Municipal Demarcation Board finalised the new outer boundaries of municipalities and ward boundaries.
A joint meeting of the Municipal Elections Political Co-ordination Committee, (made up of the ministers for Provincial and Local Government and of Home Affairs and the chairpersons of the Election Commission and Demarcation Board), held on Monday, 10 July 2000, also discussed the responsibilities and time frames for the municipal elections. The meeting concluded that all processes are on track for the holding of an election in 2000.
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY FOR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
For further information, please call
Fred Barron, Director Communication and Information Services,
Department of Provincial and Local Government on 082 456 7545