Have your say on the Ward Committee Rules!

Have your say on the new Ward Committee rules!

Use this letter builder to build your personal comment in response to the City of Cape Town's new draft Combined Rules on Ward Committees. DEADLINE: 31 October!
Welcome to this letter builder, which helps you create your personal comment to the City of Cape Town (CoCT)'s new Draft Combined Rules for Ward Committees.

We believe that the draft new rules are no real improvement on the old rules, and continue to exclude ordinary people from participating meaningfully in the affairs of their ward.

If you want to see more details about the new Draft Combined Rules, tick the box below to show more information. Otherwise, skip the question, look at the "How-to" infographic guide, and scroll to the first section to get started.

Don't delay! Comments close on 31 October!

Note: You can find more details on about the team that's behind this letter builder (Movement for CARE, People's Legal Centre and the Umbrella Civic 92+), at the end of this form.
Want to know more about the new rules?
Details about the Draft Combined Rules for Ward Committees
(as provided by the City of Cape Town)

The City of Cape Town has undertaken a review of the existing Rules governing Ward Committees and has developed Draft Combined Rules for public consideration. Their stated goal is "To ensure that Ward Committees continue to function effectively and in accordance with current governance requirements". In the City of Cape Town's own terms, the review seeks to:
- Consolidate existing provisions into a single, comprehensive set of Rules.
- Improve clarity, consistency, and ease of implementation.
- Address operational challenges, gaps, and ambiguities.
- Clarify roles, responsibilities, and accountability.
- Strengthen governance, transparency, and oversight mechanisms.
- Enhance the effectiveness of Ward Committees in facilitating meaningful public participation.
- Improve operational procedures and reporting obligations.
- Ensure alignment with applicable legislation, policies, and best practices.
The full draft rules can be accessed here (English only).

The City of Cape Town has also made info sheets available in English | Afrikaans | isiXhosa.
Movement For Care's position on the Ward Committee rules

You can read Movement for CARE's detailed position on the new Draft Ward Committee Rules by clicking here. (It is a 34-page document)
Section 1: Your name and email

We need these to be able to send you your draft letter.
Your name (or pseudo if you prefer to stay anonymous)
Your email

Confirmation EmailWe ask you to enter your email twice to avoid typos. Please make sure you enter a valid email address that is able to receive emails (no full inbox).

Section 2: Share something about yourself

Your personal introduction and summary statement.
Your suburb / part of Cape Town you live in currently
e.g. Sea Point, Khayelitsha, Observatory, Athlone. This will be used in the letterhead.
IMPORTANT!

For the next questions in this section, we recommend that you write FULL sentences, rather than just key words.

Remember that your answers below will become the body of your letter to the City of Cape Town.

If you write in telegraphic style in the form, remember to polish your letter after receiving the email, so that it reads well.
Write a FULL sentence to introduce yourself to the City of Cape Town.
You can share any information that you think is relevant, such as your name, age, whether you are part of a community-based organisation, etc.
Write a FULL sentence or two saying where you live (ward) and what are some of the issues in your area.
If you have information about it, include which local issues are/ are not being adequately represented in your ward committee.
Write a FULL sentence or two about your knowledge of / experience with ward committees.
For example, specify if you know anything about your ward committee, if you have ever participated in one, and if so, how inclusive their practices were in your observation.
Write a FULL sentence to indicate when and how you found out about this comment process, and how easy or hard you found it to participate.
Your preferred communication channel might be whatsapp, email, meetings, social media, etc.
We propose below a summary statement on the draft rules. If you like it, tick it. Alternatively, you can tick "Other" and write your own statement.

Ward committees are an instrument for people-centred, participatory and democratic local governance. They supplement the role of the elected councillors by creating a bridge between communities and the political and administrative structures of the municipality. Unfortunately, the current rules and the 2026 draft rules prevent ordinary residents from participating in the ward committee system in any capacity. It is also difficult, and for many residents impossible, to access information on their local committee.Other

Section 4 - Conclusion

You're nearly done! Just select your concluding statement.
Select your preferred phrasing for the conclusion, or type your own.

As they stand, the draft combined rules are not doing justice to the constitutional requirement on municipalities to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in matters of local government. To allow for genuine, broad-based community participation, it is imperative that the City of Cape Town revises these rules on the way that ward committees are constituted, and how they operate. Only then will there be room for real participatory democracy in Cape Town.Other
Section 5 - Before you submit: the POPIA stuff

Let us know what you want to happen with your data.
POPIA Consent

By ticking this box, I give permission to the Umbrella Civic 92+ to collect and store my responses and share them with Movement for CARE and the People's Legal Centre. I understand that my data will be used merely for the purpose of monitoring the success of the letter-builder, and will be deleted after the campaign has lapsed, unless I give permission to Umbrella Civic or Rent Control Group to keep my personal details.
Would you like to stay informed of the ward committees project?
Phone Number
If you enter a valid phone number, we will add you to the Ward Committee Project WhatsApp community as per your choice above. If you have a foreign number, please email us at activist_coalition_CT@proton.me to be added to the group. Format: (000) 000-0000.
View more about the team behind this letter builder:
Details about Movement for CARE (Collective Action and Racial Equity)

Movement for CARE (Collective Action and Racial Equity) (MFC) is a people-centred, municipalist movement rooted in the struggles of Black and Coloured working-class communities in Cape Town. MFC is founded on the principle that governance should be guided by care: care for people, communities and the city. It seeks to address inequality by building collective power from the ground up, strengthening grassroots participation in local governance, and ensuring that poor and working-class residents are meaningfully involved in decisions that affect their lives.
Details about the Umbrella Civic for Ward 92+

The Umbrella Civic 92+ (formerly 57+) is a progressive umbrella organisation constituted by a number of local civic and community organisations as well as individuals from the areas currently defined as being part of or directly adjacent to Ward 92 (Observatory, Salt River, Woodstock, Walmer Estate and University Estate and parts of District Six and Paarden Eiland), with the vision of creating a more informed and active community through civic engagement. To find out more, check their Instagram.
Finally, if you have any feedback about this letter builder and how we could make the process smoother next time, feel free to share your thoughts here!
Should be Empty:

Have your say on the new Ward Committee rules!

Section 1: Your name and email

Section 2: Share something about yourself

Section 3: Selecting your arguments

Section 4 - Conclusion

Section 5 - Before you submit: the POPIA stuff