National Certificate: Local Government Councilor Practices NQF LEVEL 3 SAQA ID 58578

Purpose of the qualification

The purpose of the qualification is to enable qualifying learners to apply the relevant competences required to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a Local Government councilor and therein:

• Act as representatives of the community they serve.
• Provide leadership roles in a council.
• Act as custodians or guardians of public finances.

The learning outcomes contained in this qualification are based on the competencies required to contribute to municipal processes from a councilor perspective. These competences relate to:

• Demonstrating an understanding of the interests of the people in a municipality.
• Demonstrating an understanding of the main issues in their municipality.
• Providing the link between the public and the council and ensuring primary loyalty to the public.
• Participating in policy making.
• Participating in decision-making pertaining to local government matters.
• Passing by laws.
• Giving direction to the related administration.

Learners entering this qualification may come from various backgrounds and will generally be persons, elected for the purpose of serving as a Local Government councilor in order to achieve municipal objectives.

Rationale:

The qualification is aimed at learners in a Local Government context who facilitate democratic relations between the community, Local Government and various stakeholders that impact on Local Government democratic processes. The qualification provides key competences to councilors to fulfill their mandate in respect of improving the lives of all people in their municipalities. It provides the learner with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes required to be a proactive link between the public and the council. The councilors play a critical role in achieving the objectives of Local Government, including giving a practical meaning and substance to the basic political commitment that ‘the People Shall Govern’. The councilors play a critical role in the facilitation of proper communications between various parties within Local Government and the community to ensure that Local Government objectives are achieved in a proactive and democratic manner. The typical learner enrolled for this qualification will be a council member, wishing to improve his competencies related to the fulfillment of the requirements of his/her role as a council member. In addition persons seeking future employment in the Local Government sector may choose to complete the qualification.

This qualification is part of the learning pathway in Local Government administration, management and governance. The learning pathway includes learning opportunities in administration and finance, local economic development and leadership in Local Government, and integrated development planning. The learning pathway provides varied opportunities for a learner wishing to embark on a career within local government and are also complementary to other qualifications within the public sector.