Assessment of the Democratic Oversight and Governance Mechanisms of Municipal Community Safety Councils

• The concept of non-governmental representation is often not well understood.

• With  the  exception  of MCSCs  receiving  external  support,  there  is  limited  public outreach by the MCSCs.

• MCSCs are currently receiving ongoing mentoring, training and funding to develop initiatives towards more social involvement.

• There  is  occasionally  limited  interest  in  cooperation  between  officials  of  local  and central level.

• There is weak top-bottom and bottom-up coordination between central and local level.

• Weak strategic planning.

• There are limited working dynamics within the MCSCs.

• In most of the municipalities there is a lack of clear internal working methodology.

• There is under-representation of marginal and professional groups, and poor representation of women and youth, including minorities.

• The current legal framework on MCSCs needs to be reviewed.

• Lack of financial resources written into municipal budgets is an issue.

• Partial implementation of administrative instructions is evident.

• In some cases there is confusion about the MCSCs’ responsibilities and roles, this is reflected in different interpretations of the MCSCs’ role and mandate