Exa Examining ining Boun oundari daries of Elec of Electoral - PDF document

Exa Examining ining Boun oundari daries of Elec of Electoral toral Wards in ards in Kwa Kwa-Zul ulu Nat u Natal: al: Delim elimit itati ation on Re Requirem uiremen ents and Sp and Spati atial Com al Complianc liance Ntobeko Masondo _______________________________________________________________________________ Abstrac tract Spatial dimensions of electoral wards should match population growth and its spatial distribution. A key requirement of a ward delimitation process is that it should create wards that contain approximately equal numbers of people, areas that are contiguous and geographically compact. Currently, the number and size of South African wards is solely based on the voters roll. In order to examine electoral ward boundaries against these requirements spatial analyses were done in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to, firstly assess the compliance of electoral wards in terms of voter parity, population equity and eligible voter equity; and secondly to measure the degree to which electoral wards fragment communities. The main finding is that ward boundaries of KZN are not fully compliant with the ward delimitation requirements. 1. Introduct Introduction ion The three critical characteristics of electoral wards are population equity, contiguity and geographic compactness. 1 In other words, electoral wards should contain approximately equal numbers of people, areas that are contiguous and geographically compact. Compliance with these three critical characteristics creates wards that facilitate fair representation of citizens and it also enhances participatory democracy. 2 The South African ward delimitation criteria, laid out in the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act of 1998, prescribes ward delimitation which creates wards that have the three critical characteristics. Schedule 4, section 4(a) and (b) of the Municipal Structures Act stipulate that wards must contain approximately equal numbers of registered voters. Moreover, wards must not fragment communities. 3 A study was undertaken to measure the degree to which electoral wards of KwaZulu-Natal are adhering to the delimitation requirements as laid out in the Municipal Structures Act. This paper is a concise report of that study. The hypothesis of this paper is that the geographic structure and composition of electoral wards in KwaZulu-Natal does not reflect the ideal process or factors that need to be considered, as prescribed in the ward delimitation criteria. The study presented herein will shed some light on

2 the process for determining boundaries of electoral wards in KwaZulu-Natal. The province of KZN was chosen as a case study because KZN has the most number of wards in the country (828 wards) followed by Eastern Cape with 715 wards. Moreover, KZN consists of diverse settlements, as all settlement types in the country are represented in the province (National Urban Development Framework Steering Committee 2009). This paper is based on two interrelated research activities. The first activity was an extensive literature study aimed at identifying the theoretical, legal and technical aspects pertaining to the delimitation of electoral ward boundaries. The second research activity was a technical exercise aimed at assessing ward boundaries of KZN against the legal requirements. The main aim of the study was to examine the ward delimitation process, to assess KZN wards against the delimitation criteria, and to investigate the degree of fragmentation of human settlements caused by wards. To achieve this aim the first objective of the study was to critically discuss the South African ward delimitation process against the backdrop of international norms and standards. Secondly, technical methods and procedures for determining electoral boundaries were explored as part of the literature study. Thirdly, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and statistical techniques were applied to test whether KZN wards consist of approximately equal numbers of people, registered and eligible voters. This was done through three GIS-based scenarios. Scenario 1 is an assessment of wards for compliance with voter parity. Scenarios 2 and 3 are assessments of wards for compliance with population equity and eligible voter equity respectively. Lastly, GIS techniques were applied to quantify the degree of the fragmentation of human settlements caused by electoral ward boundaries. The theoretical, legal and technical requirements for electoral ward delimitation are contained in the literature study. Details of the South African ward delimitation process are discussed under section two. Section three contains methods employed to achieve the objectives of the study. Data used in the study as well as the relevant spatial and statistical analyses are discussed. The first component of the spatial analysis focused on measuring whether KZN wards contain approximately equal numbers of registered voters, as stipulated in Schedule 4, section 4(a) of the Municipal Structures Act. Further exploratory analyses were conducted to measure whether wards contain approximately equal populations and numbers of eligible voters. A correlation and regression analysis was performed to complement the findings of the first component of the analysis. The second component of the spatial analysis focused on measuring the degree to which electoral wards comply with the second requirement of the ward delimitation criteria. This

3 requirement is contained under Schedule 4, section 4(b) of the Municipal Structures Act of 1998, and it stipulates that ward boundaries must not fragment communities. Non-fragmented communities are an indication that wards comprise contiguous and geographically compact areas. Section four contains results of the spatial analyses, and a discussion of such results. Policy implications of the findings, the limitations of the study and recommendations for further research are summarised in the conclusion. 2. Lit . Literature Study erature Study An electoral ward is the basis for political representation for citizens in a democracy. 4 Elected representatives are accountable to people in a spatially defined area, i.e. ward as a geographic entity. 5 Thus, wards are an important component of the electoral process. Democratically elected councillors and ward committees allow citizens an opportunity to be represented in local government. 6 Local government uses wards as a basis to plan and implement service delivery in response to concerns raised by citizens at ward level. 7 Electoral wards serve the purpose of organising voting during elections, the appointment and functioning of ward committees, and the planning, implementation and monitoring of service delivery. 8 Furthermore, wards offer political parties the means to maximise their control over municipal councils. Winning the most wards usually means greater control of the municipal council. In the South African context, wards are the smallest geographic entity as far as administrative boundaries are concerned. Unlike the aggregated national and provincial election outcomes, ward-based election results indicate variations of support across different territories. Outcomes of ward-based local government elections offer political parties the means to gauge their support in different parts of the country. Wards that consistently have low voter turnout and frequent service delivery protests indicate citizen s’ dissatisfaction. 9 For politicians and their respective parties, the purpose of having wards is to maximise political control. On the other hand, for citizens, wards are for choosing representatives who are expected to voice citizens’ concerns and interests in local government. 10 Thus, any ward delimitation process needs to create wards that will ensure that both purposes are equally served. Ward boundary changes that might negatively affect the advancement of the citizens ’ interests usually result in protest action. For instance, during the month of June 2015,