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The City will table the draft 2020/21 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the draft Medium-Term Budget (MTB) at its first-ever virtual Council meeting on Friday, 29 May at 10am.
This is in-line with regulations gazetted by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, which require meetings of municipal councils be hosted through virtual platforms.
The move is meant to enable councils to continue to execute various legislative functions, including the adoption of the critically important IDPs, despite the lockdown.
Council proceedings will be streamed live on CoJ Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Legislature is committed to ensuring Council observes the regulations and, most importantly, that social distancing is practised to eliminate any possibility of spreading the virus.
“We have had mock virtual council meetings in preparation for this historic council sitting. This a new normal. All of us need to get used to it. Working together with all stakeholders, it is possible,” said Nonceba Molwele, the Speaker of Council.
The City has more than 260 councillors and a substantial number of them participated in the mock meetings. Only a few councillors were not able to connect due to various reasons.
“We have made an undertaking to work together with all those affected to alleviate the challenges. Critical matters such as voting methods were discussed thoroughly to protect the integrity of the council process,” Molwele said.
She’s thanked the City’s IT department and other key stakeholders for working around the clock to resolve technical glitches.
