THE City of Cape Town has signed a co-operative agreement with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) and the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) to promote access to information and transparency.
The agreement will promote public access to information held by these two spheres of government, as well as a greater level of transparency in official affairs. It will ensure that everyone has the right of access to any information held by these organs of State in order to exercise and protect their rights, and that a culture of transparency and accountability in public bodies is fostered.
City Manager Achmat Ebrahim signed the agreement on the City's behalf at a ceremony in the Civic Centre.
Ebrahim said the City is happy to meet the requirements in the agreement. "Transparency such as this is essential for any healthy democracy. We thus look forward to the greater access to information which this agreement will encourage."
The agreement will ensure that:- There is an active promotion of a society in which the people of the Western Cape have effective access to information to enable them to more fully exercise and protect their rights
- The City has demonstrated and will develop a culture of municipal governance which is participatory in respect of the community it serves
- Provincial Government is required by legislative and other measures to support and strengthen municipalities within its area of jurisdiction
- These matters will be pursued on a non-political party basis
The City was a recent recipient of the Openness and Responsiveness Award for best practice by a public institution (local government) in its application of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, and has already established a number of protocols to promote access to information, which it will share with the other spheres.
The measures include centralised access to information within the Legal Department to ensure the City delivers an effective service to its citizens, and benchmarking best practice in terms of promoting access to information.
In terms of the agreement, the City will allow ODAC access to its procedures and practices in terms of access to information, as well as provide assistance in identifying City procedures that are effective and can be replicated by other public bodies.
The City will also assist ODAC and the PGWC in the implementation of suitable procedures in other municipalities within the province ODAC is a non-governmental institution that aims to promote open and transparent democracy; foster a culture of corporate and government accountability; and assist the people of South Africa in realising their human rights. This organisation will play a key role in ensuring that the points of the agreement are followed.
Source: Cape Town
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