The functions of the mayor and councillors are set by the Municipal Structures Act.

The mayor is elected by the municipal council to co-ordinate the work of the municipality. The mayor is the political head of the municipal executive and is assisted by the executive committee or the mayoral committee.

The Executive or Mayoral Committee

There are two systems for the appointment of an executive:

• The executive mayor is elected by the council and he/she appoints a mayoral committee
• The mayor works with an executive committee (exco) elected by the council

So, ‘the executive’ refers to the executive mayor and the mayoral committee OR the mayor plus the executive.

The executive or mayoral committee is made up of councillors with specific portfolios which match the departments within the municipal administration, for example, health. The executive and the mayor oversee the work of the municipal manager and department heads. The executive proposes policy and presents budget proposals and implementation plans to the whole council. The executive is accountable to the council and has to get approval from the council. Once policies, budgets and implementation plans are approved by council, the executive is responsible for ensuring that the municipal administration implements them.

Councillors play a monitoring and oversight role in this process.