Council and committees department

UNTIL the council restructuring in 2006. the Speaker had responsibility for the oversight of ward committees and Section 79 standing committees, while the executive mayor and mayoral committee oversaw the Section 80 portfolio committees.

However, this hindered the responsibility of mayoral committee members to account for their portfolios, as the same councillors chaired their respective portfolio committees.

Under the new arrangement, an ordinary councillor rather than the mayoral committee member chairs portfolio committees, with all committees being constituted as Section 79 committees.

The City currently has the following committees:

Portfolio committees

• Finance and economic development
• community development
• Infrastructure and services
• Development planning and urban management
• Housing
• Health
• Environment
• Transport
• Safety
• Corporate service and administration

Standing committees

• Rules
• Ethics / disciplinary
• Programming
• Petitions and public participation
• Public accounts

• Inner city committee
• Soweto development committee