Municipal Demarcation Board

The Municipal Demarcation is an independent authority responsible for the determination of the municipal boundaries. The status of the Board as an independent authority is protected by section 3 of the Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, 1998, and various judgments by the Constitutional Court. By legislation, the Board is mandated to declare district management areas; delimit wards for local elections; assess the capacity of municipalities to perform their functions; and the determination and re-determination of municipal boundaries. The President of South Africa appoints members of the Board who remain in office for a 5 year term. Only the Chairperson of the Board serves on a full time basis; all other Board members are part time. Parliament annually administers funds to the Board. Supporting the Board is a lean administration comprising of: a Finance Cluster, an Administration and Human Resources cluster, a GIS cluster and a Research Cluster.