Skip to content

Search

Menu

 

 

The City Council<ul> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-MxAYRg9es?si=Tx0B8fsBI6_dV6Ng" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br> <h2 class="sectHeading">What does Council do?</h2><p>The City Council is the executive body of the City and is responsible for making top-level decisions about how Cape Town is governed. The Council is also the legislative body of the City and makes and implements by-laws, which are local laws specifically created for Cape Town. Council sets the <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/local%20and%20communities/meet-the-city/the-city-budget/city-wide-tariffs">City tariffs</a> for rates and services in Cape Town, decides what the <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Local%20and%20communities/meet-the-city/the-city-budget">City’s budget​</a> is and how it will be spent, and enters into service level agreements with private agencies that do business with the City.</p><p>Council also debates local government issues, ratifies or rejects proposals and disposes of capital assets. When the City Council makes its decisions, it is guided by the <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Meet-the-City/Our-vision-for-the-City/cape-towns-integrated-development-plan-%28idp%29">Integrated Development Plan (IDP)</a>, a framework that outlines how the City plans to reach its goals. The by-laws and policies that Council decides on are monitored by the Portfolio Committees, or ‘Section 79’ committees.</p><p>Council also elects the Executive Mayor, the Executive Deputy Mayor and the Speaker and appoints the City Manager.The City’s Executive Management Team is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the City Council’s decisions.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">Who makes up the membership of Council?</h2><p>Council is made up of 231 members. This membership comprises 116 ward councillors, and the other 115 members are proportional representative (PR) councillors. PR councillors are members of political parties. They are given positions in Council based on the percentage of votes their political party received in the local elections. The members of Council serve for a term of five years.</p><p> <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20Home/meet-the-city/city-council/the-city-council/parties">View the number of Council seats held by each political party</a>.</p><p>The members of Council provide a vital link between the communities they serve and the City’s governance structures. Councillors are responsible for promoting the needs and interests of the people they represent, regardless of whether these people voted for the councillor or not. Although not all councillors are employed by the City on a full-time professional basis, they are all bound by a Code of Conduct.<br><br>Councillors are also required to sign a <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/_layouts/15/CouncillorsOnlineDeclarations.UI/declarations.aspx">Declaration of Interests</a> document.</p><p> <b>The Executive Mayor</b><br>The <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Meet-the-City/Our-Mayor/Meet-the-Mayor">Executive Mayor</a> is the elected leader of local government in Cape Town and has specific roles and responsibilities derived from legislation, as well as decision-making authority as delegated by Council.</p><p> <b>The Executive Deputy Mayor</b><br>The Executive Deputy Mayor exercises the powers and performs the duties of the Executive Mayor if absent.</p><p> <b>The Speaker</b><br>The main function of the Speaker is to preside at Council meetings as chairperson and to determine when Council will convene. The Speaker also enforces the <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Code_of_Conduct_for_Councillors%5b1%5d.pdf" target="_blank">Code of Conduct</a> for all councillors.</p><p> <b>The Chief Whip</b><br>The Chief Whip is a member of Council whose function is to build and maintain relationships with all party whips. The Chief Whip assists the Speaker to maintain order in the Council Chamber with the assistance of the party whips. In addition, the Chief Whip ensures that all of the political parties are represented on the various committees of Council.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">Council committees<br></h2> <span> <div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info note">​​​</i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Please note</h4><p> <b>Council committees page under construction:</b> The information on Council committees is currently being finalised and will be available shortly. We apologise for the inconvenience and will make the information available as soon as possible.</p></div></div> </span> <p>See the <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Forms%2c%20notices%2c%20tariffs%20and%20lists/MEMBERSHIP%20LIST%20-%20ALL%20COUNCIL%20COMMITTEES.pdf" target="_blank">Membership List Of All Council Committees</a>.</p><h2 class="sectHeading">Council meetings</h2><p>Council meets to consider municipal affairs on average once per month and is empowered to take decisions regarding all matters within its sphere of jurisdiction. Items for consideration by Council are added to the agenda and, where no consensus exists, these items are debated and put to the vote. All decisions of Council are recorded in the minutes of the meeting and any further action is authorised to be carried out by the relevant line department or other responsible party. Minutes of all Council meetings open to the public are available on this website via the <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/meet-the-city/city-council/Meeting-calendar">meeting calendar</a>.</p><p>In order to reduce the demand on Council, certain decision-making authority has been delegated to other municipal structures via its <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Councils%20System%20of%20Delegations.pdf" target="_blank">System of Delegations</a>.</p><p>All Council meetings are open to the public and we also livestream Council proceedings. <br></p></ul> <br>GP0|#da290605-59d5-4213-babd-9db2b52d7955;L0|#0da290605-59d5-4213-babd-9db2b52d7955|The City Council;GTSet|#ef3a64a2-d764-44bc-9d69-3a63d3fadea1;GPP|#481bffa1-ad2b-438b-8f7f-90392d02d0e8;GPP|#2ad5ede6-473c-4550-a932-aabda12143b1;GPP|#245ec7aa-a528-4cd3-bcac-597c292db711;GP0|#ed49f70b-738a-4362-be2e-d544efef3590;L0|#0ed49f70b-738a-4362-be2e-d544efef3590|The City Council;GPP|#502e0421-6918-421b-a789-87c777489801;GPP|#d3f3e0bd-5b83-4c1f-845c-7e13f8f4e17d;GPP|#af370586-9ba3-404a-9d6e-02066ca42752;GP0|#93e7a289-66fd-4d3a-b019-ee97acaaca8c;L0|#093e7a289-66fd-4d3a-b019-ee97acaaca8c|The City Council;GPP|#54fd5f60-e11c-46b7-b35e-0154e5b30248;GPP|#fdaaa5aa-bac4-497d-b6ea-347f228ec59d;GPP|#e88ff549-973f-4e3c-a46c-cfbe61bd6a24The City Council is the executive body of the City and is responsible for making top-level decisions about how Cape Town is governed. 0

 

 

Code of Conduct for Councillors210385GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2000-11-19T22:00:00Z
Council Rules of Order (English)262164GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2019-12-04T22:00:00Z
Council Rules of Order (isiXhosa)276887GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2019-12-05T10:00:00Z
Council Rules of Order For Virtual Meetings (Afrikaans)214168GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2020-06-29T22:00:00Z
Council Rules of Order For Virtual Meetings (English)159395GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2020-06-29T22:00:00Z
Council Rules of Order For Virtual Meetings (isiXhosa)238047GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2020-06-29T22:00:00Z
Council's System of Delegations23227086GP0|#e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b;L0|#0e814022c-2e45-4465-887b-b6cd814e158b|Regulation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e2023-07-27T10:00:00Z

 

 

You have disabled JavaScript on your browser.
Please enable it in order to use City online applications.