Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000)Chapter 4 : Community Participation16. Development of culture of community participation |
| (1) | A municipality must develop a culture of municipal governance that complements formal representative government with a system of participatory governance, and must for this purpose— |
| (a) | encourage, and create conditions for, the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality, including in— |
| (i) | the preparation, implementation and review of its integrated development plan in terms of Chapter 5; |
| (ii) | the establishment, implementation and review of its performance management system in terms of Chapter 6; |
| (iii) | the monitoring and review of its performance, including the outcomes and impact of such performance; |
| (iv) | the preparation of its budget; and |
| (v) | strategic decisions relating to the provision of municipal services in terms of Chapter 8; |
| (b) | contribute to building the capacity of— |
| (i) | the local community to enable it to participate in the affairs of the municipality; and |
| (ii) | councillors and staff to foster community participation; and |
| (c) | use its resources, and annually allocate funds in its budget, as may be appropriate for the purpose of implementing paragraphs (a) and (b). |
| (2) | Subsection (1) must not be interpreted as permitting interference with a municipal council's right to govern and to exercise the executive and legislative authority of the municipality. |