BCM STAKEHOLDERS TAKEN THROUGH THE DELIMITATION OF MUNICIPAL WARDS PROCESS
On Friday, 26 July, Municipal Demarcation Board convened a workshop where Buffalo City councillors presented their suggestions for redrawing ward boundaries for the 2024-2025 financial year, in preparation of the 2026 local government elections at the Orient Theatre in East London.

Ward delimitation refers to the process of dividing a municipal or local government area into wards or electoral districts, typically for the purpose of holding elections or allocating representation. 

The process involves redrawing the boundaries of existing wards or creating new ones to ensure that each ward has a relatively equal population and representation.

The workshop drew a diverse audience, including representatives from ward committees, community development workers and traditional leaders, who engaged with the presentations on ward boundary revisions. Giving a presentation on the delimitation of municipal wards, Municipal Dermacation Board representative Ayanda Ntamo said the session at Orient Theater will be followed by an extensive process of consultation between stakeholders within Buffalo City. 

“In this session we are only here to give you information on how the process will be done  as well as make the stakeholders aware of what the board is planning regarding to the dermacation of wards in Buffalo City,” said Ntamo. 

The Board will meet with the Metro's Geographical Information System Unit to create a draft map, which will then be followed by a consultation process with ward councillors, the community as well as the traditional leaders in March 2025. Ntamo said that after the first consultation the feedback and  recommendations and feedback will be incorporated into the revised draft. 

“This will be followed by another round of consultation with the Metro in July 2025, ensuring that all stakeholders' inputs are incorporated into the final map in October 2025,” said Ntamo.

2024-07-29