Verbatim text
(a) makes decisions concerning the exercise of all the powers and the performance
of all the functions of the municipality;
(b) must elect its chairperson;
(c) may elect an executive committee and other committees, subject to national
legislation; and
(d) may employ personnel that are necessary for the effective performance of its
functions.
(2) The following functions may not be delegated by a Municipal Council:
(a) The passing of by-laws;
(b) the approval of budgets;
(c) the imposition of rates and other taxes, levies and duties; and
(d) the raising of loans.
(3) (a) A majority of the members of a Municipal Council must be present before a
vote may be taken on any matter.
(b) All questions concerning matters mentioned in subsection (2) are determined
by a decision taken by a Municipal Council with a supporting vote of a majority
of its members.
(c) All other questions before a Municipal Council are decided by a majority of the
votes cast. Chapter 7: Local Government
80 (4) No by-law may be passed by a Municipal Council unless—
(a) all the members of the Council have been given reasonable notice; and
(b) the proposed by-law has been published for public comment.
(5) National legislation may provide criteria for determining—
(a) the size of a Municipal Council;
(b) whether Municipal Councils may elect an executive committee or any other
committee; or
(c) the size of the executive committee or any other committee of a Municipal
Council.
(6) A Municipal Council may make by-laws which prescribe rules and orders for—
(a) its internal arrangements;
(b) its business and proceedings; and
(c) the establishment, composition, procedures, powers and functions of its
committees.
(7) A Municipal Council must conduct its business in an open manner, and may close
its sittings, or those of its committees, only when it is reasonable to do so having
regard to the nature of the business being transacted.
(8) Members of a Municipal Council are entitled to participate in its proceedings and
those of its committees in a manner that—
(a) allows parties and interests reflected within the Council to be fairly
represented;
(b) is consistent with democracy; and
(c) may be regulated by national legislation.
Privilege
What this means
- The index files this text under article 160 of the Constitution of South Africa.
- The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 6 — PROVINCES”.
- The passage runs to about 367 words.
The row’s stored title is a body fragment, not a heading (“(1) A Municipal Council—”), so it is not used as the provision’s title here.
The index gives this passage an article number but stores a body fragment where a heading would be, so the number could not be cross-checked against the text. Check it against the official Constitution before relying on it in a citation.
No rights vocabulary from our fixed word list appears in this passage, so no plain-language reading is offered for it.
This is a mechanical reading aid generated from the text above by matching words in it. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer’s interpretation, and not a substitute for the provision itself.
How to cite this
Constitution of South Africa, article 160, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/16ded448-9ac1-4b9a-a0f5-1250d2c36bc9 (accessed 25 October 2026).
Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/16ded448-9ac1-4b9a-a0f5-1250d2c36bc9
Accessed 25 October 2026.
Link to the canonical URL above, not to a #section-… fragment on the jurisdiction page — the fragment is a scroll position, this URL is the provision.
Machine-readable versions