Petition for Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Expenses For Ward Committees

We, the ward committees of City of Tshwane, Region 2, are submitting this petition to request suitable reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred while performing our duties.

Background

As ward committees, we are guided by the Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Section 73 (5) (a) (b) (d)), which states that municipalities must fund out-of-pocket expenses for ward committee members. These expenses include transportation, cellular, airtime, meal allowances, and internet access.

Challenges Faced

Despite the clear guidelines, we are not receiving monthly reimbursements as outlined in the policy. We are forced to use our personal funds for expenses such as airtime, and are told that we are volunteering, which hinders our abilities to perform our duties.

Request

We urge the municipality to:

- Provide suitable reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses

- Pay these expenses as a monthly allowance to avoid administrative burdens

- Link payments to performance management systems to ensure accountability

We believe that this reimbursement is essential to enable us to perform our functions, exercise our roles, and facilitate development in our wards.

Thank you for considering our petition.

Sincerely,