1. GENERAL

• These rules are supplementary to and must be read in conjunction with the Rules of Order / Rules and Orders / Standing Orders for Council.
• For the purposes of these Rules, “virtual meetings or sittings” mean meetings or sittings conducted by any form of technology.
• These Rules shall remain in force for the period of the National State of Disaster and may be extended beyond this period by the Municipal Council.
• These Rules shall be referred to as Rules of Virtual Meetings and Sittings.

2. APPLICATION OF THE RULES

2.1       These Rules apply to virtual –

• meetings or sittings of the Municipal Council; and
• meetings of the Committees of Council.

3. NOTICE AND DOCUMENTS

• All meetings of Council or Committees of Council shall be in accordance with the Notice of Meetings as prescribed by the Rules of Order for Council.
• All documents relating to Council and Committee meetings shall be distributed by any electronic means to which Councillors have access.

4. QUORUM

4.1 The quorum requirements for Council and Committee meetings shall be a majority of the Councillors, present at the meeting.

5. DECISIONS AND VOTING

5.1 The decision-making requirements for Council and Committee meetings shall be a majority of the Councillors to be present at the meeting before a vote may be taken on any matter.

5.2 Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast by the Councillors present in the meeting, in the case of an equal number of votes, the presiding councillor shall have a casting vote.

5.3 In a Council or Committee meeting councillors shall be entitled to cast their votes either electronically or by voice.

5.4 For the purposes of voting the Municipal or City Manager of the Council shall maintain a system that is capable of verifying the votes of delegates cast either electronically or by voice.

6. MINUTES AND RECORDS

6.1 The Municipal / City Manager must maintain the minutes and records of the proceedings.

6.2 The minutes referred to in 6.1 above shall constitute the records of that Council or Committee meeting.

6.3 The correctness of the minutes of the Council or Committee meeting must be considered at its next meeting, failing which, at the following meeting.

7. HOUSEKEEPING

7.1 During video meetings Councillors must:-

• make use of the video function;
• Mute the mic when not speaking;
• Use the chat to raise a hand to engage in the dialogue; and
• Wait for the chairperson of the meeting to be called upon to speak or unmute the mic. 
  

8. POWERS, PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES

8.1 Councillors have the same powers, privileges and immunities which they ordinarily enjoy in Council and Committee proceedings.

9. FACILITATION OF PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

9.1 Subject to section 160(7) of the Constitution and the Rules of Orders, Council and /or Committees must facilitate public involvement on matters before it, by electronic means.