The recent xenophobic attack on foreigners across South Africa has brought shame and disbelief to many of our communities. The killing of innocent people, unnecessary displacement of families and the beating are really uncalled for. Such a behavior need to be condemned and stopped immediately.
Boundary Crossing adds its voice to those of others and unreservedly condemns the wave of xenophobic violence sweeping through the townships in the Gauteng province. These attacks have forcefully brought to the fore the extent of xenophobia towards specifically black foreigners in South Africa, but contrary to what many believe, attacks on foreigners are not a new phenomenon in South Africa. During the mid-1990's there were several attacks on foreigners in various parts of the country, not unlike what we are witnessing at the moment and over the years, there have also been various sporadic attacks on foreigners, particularly in the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. However, what we are seeing at the moment is a much more widespread, intense and sustained campaign of attacks concentrated in the Gauteng Province.
Whenever there have been violent attacks on foreigners, many politicians and government officials have tended to downplay the significance of xenophobia, preferring to label such attacks as opportunistic crime and 'conflicts over resources'. While crime and resource conflicts clearly play a part in provoking these attacks, it is also apparent that the attacks are targeted primarily at black foreigners, which confirms the xenophobic and racist nature of the attacks. The argument is also made that these attacks are as a result of the anger and frustration of communities 'boiling over' suggesting that they have just taken place 'spontaneously'. However, there is nothing spontaneous about these attacks. If anything, it appears that they are organized and part of a campaign that targets foreigners living in some of South Africa's poorest communities, using the argument that foreigners steal jobs, are involved in crime and are a drain on resources to whip up anti-foreigner sentiments that ultimately result in the kind of violence that we are seeing today.
Every effort must be made to stop the current wave and to prevent further violence. In particular, pro-active strategies and plans need to be put in place to prevent the violence from spreading to other parts of Gauteng and to other parts of the country, including the need for dialogue within and between government and civil society organisations to devise appropriate responses and strategies to the current situation. While we acknowledge that the task of preventing xenophobia is the responsibility of government in its entirety and in co-operation with civil society, we call on the to act swiftly and provide safety and security for all the people in the country
In the long-term and to prevent the outbreak of similar incidents in future, consideration must be given to revising South Africa's immigration policy particularly with respect to the need to articulate the rights of migrants more clearly and to promote migration as a tool for growth and development. This must be done in conjunction with ongoing public education programmes as well as human rights and counter-xenophobia training, particularly in those communities in which xenophobic violence is most likely to occur.
As a community organisation, We express our condolences to the relatives and friends of those who have been killed and our solidarity with and support for all those who have been injured and displaced. As an organisation and to the extent that it is appropriate, Boundary Crossing commits itself to participate in any initiatives that will bring an end to the violence and prevent similar incidents in future
For more information:
Director: Mpho Putu 084 836 0966
Email: mphoputu@mweb.co.za
Email Boundarycros@mweb.co.za
Projects Coordinator: Thami Thomo 072 769 0365
P. O. Box 1224 Mondeor, 2091
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Xenophobia : Kliptown seminar 22 May 2008
By: Mpho Putu
This note serves to inform the reader about the community Seminar on Xenophobia. The purpose of the discussion was to get the community to raise their concerns over the horrific violent incidents which plague our country and cities and also to look for ways to prevent such senseless activities to happen in the Kliptown Community
The meeting was organised by Boundary Crossing Meeting, held at the Sky Centre – Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa 22 May 2008:
Present
40 Residents – see registration list, 4 representatives from the CSVR, Mpho & Thami – Boundary Crossing and Lindiwe – taking notes.
Opening and introductions
The meeting opened with Mpho Putu (Boundary Crossing) welcoming the participants and briefly outlining the purpose of the meeting. Then Thami opened with a word of prayer, followed by those present introducing themselves.
Purpose of the meeting
Mpho, who also facilitated the discussion, opened discussion by first introducing Boundary Crossing and the work it does, as well as detailing the purpose of the meeting.
Stating the purpose of the meeting he mentioned the following, the urgent need;
• For a dialogue on xenophobia, following the recent attacks in Alexandra, which led to similar attacks in other parts of the country;
• To surface underlying issues and begin to think about possible short and long-term strategies to deal with this situation;
• Flowing from diverse views, to devise possible strategies and programmes to stop similar outbreaks in Kilptown
Questions posed to facilitate discussion included the following:
1. What are your thoughts on and concerns about the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in the country?
2. Have you had a personal experience of the attacks?
3. Put yourself in the shoes of a ‘foreigner’ refugee and imagine how you feel if you were them/ what would pre-occupy your mind?
4. What do you think a ‘foreigner’ is? Who do we consider as foreign?
5. Is being a foreigner a crime?
6. What do you think is the main courses of these attacks?
7. Who are the people behind these attacks? Do we know them?
8. What would happen if these attacks also happened in Kilptown?
9. What would it take and what are you prepared to do, to stop the occurrence of these attacks in Kilptown?
What are your thoughts on and concerns about the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in the country?
• Concerns were raised about the amount of blood being spilled, and number of people loosing their lives, some of the comments raised included “particularly because South Africa has a history of blood shedding which we thought was by now a thing of the past,” and “how much more black blood must be spilled?” as well as and “why can’t we learn from history and realise that killing does not achieve results”
• Concerns about the way in which these attacks contribute to the already high and escalating levels of violence in the country;
• The creation of conditions from which hate stems – (especially hatred of people with dark skins, regardless of their nationality –as one participant said “because dark skinned South Africans are also being killed”) which gives rise to the sort of violence that in the 90’s was termed ‘black on black’ this time phrased as ‘African on African’;
• The senseless selective victimisation of African foreign nationals, that betrays deep seated and internalised hatred of the self “because if you look around no one is attacking people from China, or India, or Europe”;
• Beyond this being seen as ‘black on black’ or ‘African on African’ it is also emerging as a ‘poor on poor’ – “why is it that we are targeting people as poor as ourselves?”
• Who is behind these killings “when one looks at the way the police carry on, one is tempted to believe that they are carrying out some instruction to make this worse, instead of better”
• “True enough there may be some criminal elements amongst the foreign nationals, but there are also criminals amongst South Africans also, this is no reason to ill-treat all of them”
• “What we have failed to consider is the important role played by foreign nationals (both the skilled and unskilled ones) in our communities. We fail to see just how much we really need each other. We also fail to acknowledge just how keen foreign national are to do the work that South Africans are not prepared to do”
• “Left unattended this situation can become worse. Now it’s the foreign nationals that are being targeted, how soon before it is the Zulu’s, or those from Limpopo, and if that happens, how soon before we go back to being the divided nation we once were?”
• Concerns about possible retaliation that could worsen the situation, as one participant said “We have overlooked the potential of foreign nationals retaliating and the fact that most of them have military training, and that if they did indeed retaliate this could so easily spark of civil war”
Have you had a personal experience of the attacks?
This exercise, which was meant to collect personal narrative, and serve as basis for the next item of discussion yielded the following results
• None of the participants had had first hand experience of this kind of violence, but a number shared a couple of anecdotes from incidents they had witnessed or heard of, these included, the story of a;
o Man from the hostel: who when attacked went looking for help in a neighbouring community, but ad people close doors on him, because ‘he was from the hostel” and as such not part of greater community;
o Pregnant woman in Dobsonville: who had been beaten in full view of bystanders, who ‘in not wanting to get involved’ did not come to her aid;
o Woman’s neighbour: a foreign national, who was also a street vendor, who had not left her house to buy stock, from fear that if she went out would be subject to attack.
Put yourself in the shoes of a ‘foreigner’ refugee and imagine how you feel if you were them/ what would pre-occupy your mind?
This exercise, which was designed as an act of compassion and meant to engender a sense of empathy, yielded the following responses: If I were a foreign national:
• “Fear would creep in – and I would live my life in constant anticipation of being attacked”;
• “I would experience escalated concern about family members and friends, to the point of debilitating paranoia”;
• “My movements would be limited and would live a life no different from a person under house arrest, and even I would still be concerned about how safe I was in my own house”;
• “My livelihood would be affected, due to my inability to work or go to work, for fear of impending attack, even in my own home, where I would feel myself not guaranteed any safety”;
• “I would feel caught ‘between a rock and a hard place – and be torn between facing danger to my life whether or not I went back home or stayed in this country. This would give way for the development of suicidal thoughts”; (this statement was made in particular reference to Zimbabweans.
What do you think a ‘foreigner’ is? Who do we consider as foreign?
• A person who comes from another country;
What about those who have been here for over 10 years?
• According to the law – anyone who was not born in this country;
• A participant raised the absurdity of how this measure was applied selectively to black foreign nationals and not as much to other foreign nationals, a number of participants suggested different ways of applying the test and suggested, ‘we should start thinking more of those who are not from the continent as being foreigners, “people from this continent are our brothers and sisters”; “we should move towards crushing the boundaries in our minds, and work towards extending love and acceptance to our brothers and sisters.”
Is being a foreigner a crime?
In response to this question the responses included
• No being a foreigner is not a crime – but a clearer perspective needed to be developed in order to understand what was going on “South Africans are not fighting against ‘all foreigners indiscriminately’, they are fighting against illegal foreigners, ‘those who came into the country without papers’, – and even then not all of them, but mostly those who commit crimes against locals, with the knowledge that because they are not documented, their whereabouts and who they are can never be traced”
What do you think is the main courses of these attacks?
• False perceptions – about foreign nationals being criminals – because in reality crime is not the preserve only of foreign nationals, there are South Africans who are also criminals, the blanket criminalisation of foreign nationals as such is not a valid exercise; about foreign nationals taking jobs – because in reality foreign nationals do the work that South Africans would not want to take and do it at pay rates that South Africans would not accept;
• Jealousy: at the unity that foreign nationals are able to forge once they settle in local communities, their ability to pull their resources together and better their lives, even under the bleakest of conditions.
• Frustration at having being failed by the government: giving rise to situations where scores of people, both unskilled and those with university degrees remaining unemployed, despite claims of growth in the economy, as well as the government’s neglect of the poor by not providing enough services in communities that most need them. Inability to access opportunities (mostly economic), even though the government repeatedly states that they exist. One participant spoke about “…just how so much has been said in this country, with little actually being done, to improve people’s conditions”
Who are the people behind these attacks? Do we know them?
• Given that no such attacks have taken place in Kliptown, this is a question that could not be answered concretely;
• In instances where communities may have been incited to violence, there was no telling who they really were and no telling if they indeed came from Kliptown;
• Messages issued by the government, through the media, were also seen as partly responsible, in the way in which they could potentially ‘influence those who were looking for reasons to start similar attacks’;
• Known criminals in the township could also take advantage of this situation.
• More than ‘who’ could start these attacks, attention needed also to be given to the ‘what’ could spark them of – people need to look at the effect of the seemingly unhurtfull jokes they tell about foreigners, that allow for the festering of prejudices, that have the likelihood of sparking off attacks.
What would happen if these attacks also happened in Kilptown?
Some of the responses elicited by this question included
• There would be damage to what little property people already own – not only of that of foreign nationals, but also that of locals – due to the close proximity in which ‘houses’ stood to each other;
• There would be an increase in incidents general violence, but rape in particular;
• Criminals would take advantage of the situation and further run the community down;
What would it take and what are you prepared to do, to stop the occurrence of these attacks in Kilptown?
Some of the proposed solutions included:
• A need to look at developing pre-emptive strategies that will not only impact on Kliptown but the rest of Soweto – because, as one participant said ‘it feels like the country is waiting to take its cue from Soweto, if there was an uncontained out break in Soweto – it would only be a matter of time before the whole country was on fire”
• The need to form structures, in addition to efforts already started by a few members of the community, to go into schools and other public forums to raise consciousness about xenophobia as well as dissuade them from engaging in similar practices;
• The need to set up ongoing discussions – to ‘break the silence’ on this and other issues, so that the community of Kliptown can begin to pro-actively engage with its issues, instead of re-acting to them;
• Set up a campaign that also involves the local municipality, the short term objectives of which would be to;
o Set up a meeting with the police and local councillors to call a bigger meeting, for further discussion on xenophobia;
o Take the message to schools – directed at both students and teachers;
o Establish dialogue across people of all nationalities in the community;
o In the near future, organise a silent protest march.
o Find ways of working in other communities where attacks have already happened, to quell them and offer support to those affected;
o Elect a working committee to co-ordinate the campaign’s activities.
Appointment of a working committee: the following people were appointed to the working committee
• Muzi Shabalala ( Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation - CSVR)
• Dudu Nkothane (Kliptown Community)
• Anna Ngobeni (Kliptown Community)
• Nomalizo Matshaya (Kliptown Community
• Sindi Sibanyoni (Kliptown Community
• Mpho Putu ( Boundary Crossing)
• Lucky Mataki (Pimville Community)
• Nkululeko Shelembe (Soweto Kliptown Youth –SKY)
• Martha (Kliptown Community)
• Thami Thomo ( Boundary Crossing)
Conclusion and Way forward
The meeting gave their commitment to the process that was begun and recommended regular follow up meetings for feedback purposes, but also for the community to keep watch on itself and discuss change in strategy as they faced up to the realities of what may or may not happen in future.
The meeting agreed to meet at least once a month from the date of this meeting.
Suggestions to increase the impact of these forums
Increased publicity of future meetings: to attract the participation of as many people as possible, because as one participant stated “the few who attended this meeting cannot be held accountable for the actions of those not present”;
Broader consultation: to make sure that every one was on the same page;
Involvement of local authorities: so that they, as government can be part of whatever proposals suggested.
The Community Rally was proposed for the 24 May at the Walter Sisulu Square, Kliptown. Invitations were to be send to Community organisations, community members, Community Radio Stations (Eldos FM, Jozi FM), the Kliptown SAPS and local councillors.
Recap and evaluation of meeting
Asked if they had found the meeting at all useful and if it had shifted the way they thought about xenophobia, the meeting agreed on the usefulness of the meeting and a number of those present mentioned its usefulness in shifting their perceptions.
This note serves to inform the reader about the community Seminar on Xenophobia. The purpose of the discussion was to get the community to raise their concerns over the horrific violent incidents which plague our country and cities and also to look for ways to prevent such senseless activities to happen in the Kliptown Community
The meeting was organised by Boundary Crossing Meeting, held at the Sky Centre – Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa 22 May 2008:
Present
40 Residents – see registration list, 4 representatives from the CSVR, Mpho & Thami – Boundary Crossing and Lindiwe – taking notes.
Opening and introductions
The meeting opened with Mpho Putu (Boundary Crossing) welcoming the participants and briefly outlining the purpose of the meeting. Then Thami opened with a word of prayer, followed by those present introducing themselves.
Purpose of the meeting
Mpho, who also facilitated the discussion, opened discussion by first introducing Boundary Crossing and the work it does, as well as detailing the purpose of the meeting.
Stating the purpose of the meeting he mentioned the following, the urgent need;
• For a dialogue on xenophobia, following the recent attacks in Alexandra, which led to similar attacks in other parts of the country;
• To surface underlying issues and begin to think about possible short and long-term strategies to deal with this situation;
• Flowing from diverse views, to devise possible strategies and programmes to stop similar outbreaks in Kilptown
Questions posed to facilitate discussion included the following:
1. What are your thoughts on and concerns about the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in the country?
2. Have you had a personal experience of the attacks?
3. Put yourself in the shoes of a ‘foreigner’ refugee and imagine how you feel if you were them/ what would pre-occupy your mind?
4. What do you think a ‘foreigner’ is? Who do we consider as foreign?
5. Is being a foreigner a crime?
6. What do you think is the main courses of these attacks?
7. Who are the people behind these attacks? Do we know them?
8. What would happen if these attacks also happened in Kilptown?
9. What would it take and what are you prepared to do, to stop the occurrence of these attacks in Kilptown?
What are your thoughts on and concerns about the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in the country?
• Concerns were raised about the amount of blood being spilled, and number of people loosing their lives, some of the comments raised included “particularly because South Africa has a history of blood shedding which we thought was by now a thing of the past,” and “how much more black blood must be spilled?” as well as and “why can’t we learn from history and realise that killing does not achieve results”
• Concerns about the way in which these attacks contribute to the already high and escalating levels of violence in the country;
• The creation of conditions from which hate stems – (especially hatred of people with dark skins, regardless of their nationality –as one participant said “because dark skinned South Africans are also being killed”) which gives rise to the sort of violence that in the 90’s was termed ‘black on black’ this time phrased as ‘African on African’;
• The senseless selective victimisation of African foreign nationals, that betrays deep seated and internalised hatred of the self “because if you look around no one is attacking people from China, or India, or Europe”;
• Beyond this being seen as ‘black on black’ or ‘African on African’ it is also emerging as a ‘poor on poor’ – “why is it that we are targeting people as poor as ourselves?”
• Who is behind these killings “when one looks at the way the police carry on, one is tempted to believe that they are carrying out some instruction to make this worse, instead of better”
• “True enough there may be some criminal elements amongst the foreign nationals, but there are also criminals amongst South Africans also, this is no reason to ill-treat all of them”
• “What we have failed to consider is the important role played by foreign nationals (both the skilled and unskilled ones) in our communities. We fail to see just how much we really need each other. We also fail to acknowledge just how keen foreign national are to do the work that South Africans are not prepared to do”
• “Left unattended this situation can become worse. Now it’s the foreign nationals that are being targeted, how soon before it is the Zulu’s, or those from Limpopo, and if that happens, how soon before we go back to being the divided nation we once were?”
• Concerns about possible retaliation that could worsen the situation, as one participant said “We have overlooked the potential of foreign nationals retaliating and the fact that most of them have military training, and that if they did indeed retaliate this could so easily spark of civil war”
Have you had a personal experience of the attacks?
This exercise, which was meant to collect personal narrative, and serve as basis for the next item of discussion yielded the following results
• None of the participants had had first hand experience of this kind of violence, but a number shared a couple of anecdotes from incidents they had witnessed or heard of, these included, the story of a;
o Man from the hostel: who when attacked went looking for help in a neighbouring community, but ad people close doors on him, because ‘he was from the hostel” and as such not part of greater community;
o Pregnant woman in Dobsonville: who had been beaten in full view of bystanders, who ‘in not wanting to get involved’ did not come to her aid;
o Woman’s neighbour: a foreign national, who was also a street vendor, who had not left her house to buy stock, from fear that if she went out would be subject to attack.
Put yourself in the shoes of a ‘foreigner’ refugee and imagine how you feel if you were them/ what would pre-occupy your mind?
This exercise, which was designed as an act of compassion and meant to engender a sense of empathy, yielded the following responses: If I were a foreign national:
• “Fear would creep in – and I would live my life in constant anticipation of being attacked”;
• “I would experience escalated concern about family members and friends, to the point of debilitating paranoia”;
• “My movements would be limited and would live a life no different from a person under house arrest, and even I would still be concerned about how safe I was in my own house”;
• “My livelihood would be affected, due to my inability to work or go to work, for fear of impending attack, even in my own home, where I would feel myself not guaranteed any safety”;
• “I would feel caught ‘between a rock and a hard place – and be torn between facing danger to my life whether or not I went back home or stayed in this country. This would give way for the development of suicidal thoughts”; (this statement was made in particular reference to Zimbabweans.
What do you think a ‘foreigner’ is? Who do we consider as foreign?
• A person who comes from another country;
What about those who have been here for over 10 years?
• According to the law – anyone who was not born in this country;
• A participant raised the absurdity of how this measure was applied selectively to black foreign nationals and not as much to other foreign nationals, a number of participants suggested different ways of applying the test and suggested, ‘we should start thinking more of those who are not from the continent as being foreigners, “people from this continent are our brothers and sisters”; “we should move towards crushing the boundaries in our minds, and work towards extending love and acceptance to our brothers and sisters.”
Is being a foreigner a crime?
In response to this question the responses included
• No being a foreigner is not a crime – but a clearer perspective needed to be developed in order to understand what was going on “South Africans are not fighting against ‘all foreigners indiscriminately’, they are fighting against illegal foreigners, ‘those who came into the country without papers’, – and even then not all of them, but mostly those who commit crimes against locals, with the knowledge that because they are not documented, their whereabouts and who they are can never be traced”
What do you think is the main courses of these attacks?
• False perceptions – about foreign nationals being criminals – because in reality crime is not the preserve only of foreign nationals, there are South Africans who are also criminals, the blanket criminalisation of foreign nationals as such is not a valid exercise; about foreign nationals taking jobs – because in reality foreign nationals do the work that South Africans would not want to take and do it at pay rates that South Africans would not accept;
• Jealousy: at the unity that foreign nationals are able to forge once they settle in local communities, their ability to pull their resources together and better their lives, even under the bleakest of conditions.
• Frustration at having being failed by the government: giving rise to situations where scores of people, both unskilled and those with university degrees remaining unemployed, despite claims of growth in the economy, as well as the government’s neglect of the poor by not providing enough services in communities that most need them. Inability to access opportunities (mostly economic), even though the government repeatedly states that they exist. One participant spoke about “…just how so much has been said in this country, with little actually being done, to improve people’s conditions”
Who are the people behind these attacks? Do we know them?
• Given that no such attacks have taken place in Kliptown, this is a question that could not be answered concretely;
• In instances where communities may have been incited to violence, there was no telling who they really were and no telling if they indeed came from Kliptown;
• Messages issued by the government, through the media, were also seen as partly responsible, in the way in which they could potentially ‘influence those who were looking for reasons to start similar attacks’;
• Known criminals in the township could also take advantage of this situation.
• More than ‘who’ could start these attacks, attention needed also to be given to the ‘what’ could spark them of – people need to look at the effect of the seemingly unhurtfull jokes they tell about foreigners, that allow for the festering of prejudices, that have the likelihood of sparking off attacks.
What would happen if these attacks also happened in Kilptown?
Some of the responses elicited by this question included
• There would be damage to what little property people already own – not only of that of foreign nationals, but also that of locals – due to the close proximity in which ‘houses’ stood to each other;
• There would be an increase in incidents general violence, but rape in particular;
• Criminals would take advantage of the situation and further run the community down;
What would it take and what are you prepared to do, to stop the occurrence of these attacks in Kilptown?
Some of the proposed solutions included:
• A need to look at developing pre-emptive strategies that will not only impact on Kliptown but the rest of Soweto – because, as one participant said ‘it feels like the country is waiting to take its cue from Soweto, if there was an uncontained out break in Soweto – it would only be a matter of time before the whole country was on fire”
• The need to form structures, in addition to efforts already started by a few members of the community, to go into schools and other public forums to raise consciousness about xenophobia as well as dissuade them from engaging in similar practices;
• The need to set up ongoing discussions – to ‘break the silence’ on this and other issues, so that the community of Kliptown can begin to pro-actively engage with its issues, instead of re-acting to them;
• Set up a campaign that also involves the local municipality, the short term objectives of which would be to;
o Set up a meeting with the police and local councillors to call a bigger meeting, for further discussion on xenophobia;
o Take the message to schools – directed at both students and teachers;
o Establish dialogue across people of all nationalities in the community;
o In the near future, organise a silent protest march.
o Find ways of working in other communities where attacks have already happened, to quell them and offer support to those affected;
o Elect a working committee to co-ordinate the campaign’s activities.
Appointment of a working committee: the following people were appointed to the working committee
• Muzi Shabalala ( Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation - CSVR)
• Dudu Nkothane (Kliptown Community)
• Anna Ngobeni (Kliptown Community)
• Nomalizo Matshaya (Kliptown Community
• Sindi Sibanyoni (Kliptown Community
• Mpho Putu ( Boundary Crossing)
• Lucky Mataki (Pimville Community)
• Nkululeko Shelembe (Soweto Kliptown Youth –SKY)
• Martha (Kliptown Community)
• Thami Thomo ( Boundary Crossing)
Conclusion and Way forward
The meeting gave their commitment to the process that was begun and recommended regular follow up meetings for feedback purposes, but also for the community to keep watch on itself and discuss change in strategy as they faced up to the realities of what may or may not happen in future.
The meeting agreed to meet at least once a month from the date of this meeting.
Suggestions to increase the impact of these forums
Increased publicity of future meetings: to attract the participation of as many people as possible, because as one participant stated “the few who attended this meeting cannot be held accountable for the actions of those not present”;
Broader consultation: to make sure that every one was on the same page;
Involvement of local authorities: so that they, as government can be part of whatever proposals suggested.
The Community Rally was proposed for the 24 May at the Walter Sisulu Square, Kliptown. Invitations were to be send to Community organisations, community members, Community Radio Stations (Eldos FM, Jozi FM), the Kliptown SAPS and local councillors.
Recap and evaluation of meeting
Asked if they had found the meeting at all useful and if it had shifted the way they thought about xenophobia, the meeting agreed on the usefulness of the meeting and a number of those present mentioned its usefulness in shifting their perceptions.
Boundary Crossing Profile
Boundary Crossing
Create - Connect - Communicate
Boundary Crossing Community Development Organisation is an independent, registered non profit organisation in South Africa, governed by a Board of Directors with the organizational base in Johannesburg. Boundary Crossing was established in 2007 by individuals from various communities including faith movements interested in making a difference by promoting local democracy, participatory governance, educating citizens and advocating for economic and social change. Current members of our Board of Trustees include prominent figures in the different sectors of our communities
Boundary Crossing is a notion that purport citizen leaders’ ability to work from the multi group perspective – one that not only fully understand each others needs, but also successfully bridges these need and move towards the goal of producing a greater good for every one. It refers to a leader’ s ability to work across the boundaries – race, ethnicity, class, religion, sector, geography , sexual orientation – that have traditionally divided communities.
Boundary crossing is especially relevant today as communities in South Africa face rapid demographic changes, increased political tension, poverty, unemployment, a widening gap between the poor and the rich. Compounded by the government policies that increasingly encroach upon the rights of the poor, lack of service delivery, crime, HIV, these trends challenge the citizen leader to coordinate collaboration among marginalized groups to develop a stronger, more visible and more unified voice and agenda. The approach is based on “the citizens at the centre”, identifying their problems, searching for meaning and looking for solutions instead of relying on government and experts.
Boundary Crossing aim at working with Citizens, communities and community organizations focusing on the four areas:
• Citizen leadership development, including youth leadership and women health leadership
• HIV and AIDS, advocacy and lobbying training
• Gender equality and mainstreaming
• Democracy and Governance
Mission
Our missions is to empower underdeveloped citizens and communities towards social change by creating and facilitating new approaches to learning and education, encouraging participatory democracy, developing citizen leadership and tackling the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Democracy education is at the centre of the organisation
Goals.
To promote and strengthen democracy and participatory governance in local communities,
To work on gender and gender mainstreaming through research, training and advocacy
To contribute to the HIV and AIDS decline by educating citizens
To increase the numbers of people in communities having a sustainable livelihood, access to essential services, equal rights and status, and physical security
To contribute to citizen leadership development
Programmes
Democracy education
Establish Study circles to educate and encourage democracy. Establish Community Dialogue Forums
Gender Studies
Gender equality training. Gender based violence awareness.
HIV and AIDS Education
Understanding HIV and AIDS , and its impact
Leadership
Citizen Leadership development and training . Next Generation leadership
For more information:
Director: Mpho Putu 084 836 0966
Email: mphoputu@mweb.co.za
Email Boundarycros@mweb.co.za
Projects Coordinator: Thami Thomo 072 769 0365
P. O. Box 1224 Mondeor, 2091
Create - Connect - Communicate
Boundary Crossing Community Development Organisation is an independent, registered non profit organisation in South Africa, governed by a Board of Directors with the organizational base in Johannesburg. Boundary Crossing was established in 2007 by individuals from various communities including faith movements interested in making a difference by promoting local democracy, participatory governance, educating citizens and advocating for economic and social change. Current members of our Board of Trustees include prominent figures in the different sectors of our communities
Boundary Crossing is a notion that purport citizen leaders’ ability to work from the multi group perspective – one that not only fully understand each others needs, but also successfully bridges these need and move towards the goal of producing a greater good for every one. It refers to a leader’ s ability to work across the boundaries – race, ethnicity, class, religion, sector, geography , sexual orientation – that have traditionally divided communities.
Boundary crossing is especially relevant today as communities in South Africa face rapid demographic changes, increased political tension, poverty, unemployment, a widening gap between the poor and the rich. Compounded by the government policies that increasingly encroach upon the rights of the poor, lack of service delivery, crime, HIV, these trends challenge the citizen leader to coordinate collaboration among marginalized groups to develop a stronger, more visible and more unified voice and agenda. The approach is based on “the citizens at the centre”, identifying their problems, searching for meaning and looking for solutions instead of relying on government and experts.
Boundary Crossing aim at working with Citizens, communities and community organizations focusing on the four areas:
• Citizen leadership development, including youth leadership and women health leadership
• HIV and AIDS, advocacy and lobbying training
• Gender equality and mainstreaming
• Democracy and Governance
Mission
Our missions is to empower underdeveloped citizens and communities towards social change by creating and facilitating new approaches to learning and education, encouraging participatory democracy, developing citizen leadership and tackling the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Democracy education is at the centre of the organisation
Goals.
To promote and strengthen democracy and participatory governance in local communities,
To work on gender and gender mainstreaming through research, training and advocacy
To contribute to the HIV and AIDS decline by educating citizens
To increase the numbers of people in communities having a sustainable livelihood, access to essential services, equal rights and status, and physical security
To contribute to citizen leadership development
Programmes
Democracy education
Establish Study circles to educate and encourage democracy. Establish Community Dialogue Forums
Gender Studies
Gender equality training. Gender based violence awareness.
HIV and AIDS Education
Understanding HIV and AIDS , and its impact
Leadership
Citizen Leadership development and training . Next Generation leadership
For more information:
Director: Mpho Putu 084 836 0966
Email: mphoputu@mweb.co.za
Email Boundarycros@mweb.co.za
Projects Coordinator: Thami Thomo 072 769 0365
P. O. Box 1224 Mondeor, 2091
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Boundary Crossing ' s constitution
CONSTITUTION
Registration number: 2008 / 002494 / 08
Contact Person:
Mpho Putu (, BA, Bed, M. P&DM )
Director
Boundary Crossing
P.O.Box 1224
Mondeor
2110
Gauteng
Email: mphoputu@mweb.co.za
Mobile: 084 836 0966
1. NAME
1.1 The organisation hereby constituted will be called BOUNDARYCROSSING COMMUNITY ORGANISATION.
1.2 The organisation shall:
• Exist in its own right, separately from its members.
• Continue to exist even when its membership changes and there are different office bearers.
• Be able to own property and other possessions.
• Be able to sue and be sued in its own name
2. OBJECTIVES
2.1 The organisation’s main objective is: to empower disadvantaged citizens and communities towards social change by creating and facilitating new approaches to learning and education, encouraging participatory democracy, developing citizen leadership and tackling the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
2.2 The organisation’s secondary objectives will be to:
To promote and strengthen democracy and participatory governance in local communities,
To work on gender and gender mainstreaming through research, training and advocacy
To increase the numbers of people in communities having a sustainable livelihood, access to essential services, equal rights and status, and physical security
To contribute to citizen leadership development
3. INCOME AND PROPERTY
3.1 The organisation will keep a record of everything it owns.
3.2 The organisation may not give any of its money or property to its members or office bearers. The only time it can do this is when it pays for work that a member or office bearers has done for the organisation. The payment must be a reasonable amount for the work done.
3.3 A member will only get the money back from the organisation for expenses that he or she has paid for or on behalf of the organisation.
3.4 Members or office bearers of the organisation do not have rights over properties that belong to the organisation.
4. MEMBERSHIP AND GENERAL MEETINGS
4.1 Membership of the organisation is open to anyone willing to serve the interests of the organisation.
4.2 Members of the organisation must attend its annual general meetings. At the annual general meetings members exercise their right to determine the policy of the organisation.
4.3 The Management Committee may admit further members from time to time:
1. Subject to due compliance with any conditions of membership (including payment of any membership fees) which the Management Committee may stipulate from time to time; and
2. The Management Committee may suspend or terminate the membership of any member provided that:
• At least (14) fourteen days prior written notice is given to all members of the Management Committee of the intention to terminate a membership; and
• At least (14) fourteen days prior written notice is given to the member concerned. The notice shall invite the member to make written or verbal representations to the meeting as the member may consider appropriate.
• The decision of the Management Committee to admit an applicant to membership, or to suspend or terminate a membership shall lapse unless confirmed by a resolution of two thirds of the members of the Association present at the next General Meeting.
• Neither the Management Committee nor the Association
• shall be required to give reasons for their decisions with respect to membership
5. MANAGEMENT
5.1 The Management Committee
The management committee will be made up of not less than 6 members. They are the office bearers of the organisation.
5.2 Powers
• The affairs of the Association shall be controlled and managed by the Management Committee. Subject to the terms of this constitution and to the resolutions of members in General Meeting, the Management Committee may exercise all the powers of the Association.
• In General Meeting, the organisation may review, approve or amend any decision taken by the Management Committee but no such resolution of the organisation shall invalidate any prior action taken by the Management Committee in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
5.3 Office bearers will serve for one year, but they can stand for re- election for another term in office after that. Depending on what kind of services they give to the organisation, they can stand for re- election again and again. This is so long as their services are needed and they are ready to give their services.
5.4 If a member of the management does not attend three management committee meetings in a row, without having applied for and obtaining leave of absence from the management committee, then the management committee will find a new member to take that person’s place.
5.5 The committee will meet at least once a month. More than half of members need to be at the meeting to make decisions that are allowed to be carried forward. This constitutes a quorum.
5.6 Minutes will be taken at every meeting to record the management committee’s decisions. The minutes of each meeting will be given to the management committee members at least two weeks before the next meeting. The minutes shall be confirmed as a true record of proceedings, by the next meeting of the management committee, and shall thereafter be signed by the chairperson.
5.7 The organisation has the right to form sub-committees. The decision that sub-committees take must be given to the management committee. The management committee must decide whether to agree to them or not at its next meeting. This meeting should take place soon after the sub- committee’s meeting. By agreeing to decisions the management committee ratifies them.
5.8 All members of the organisation have to abide by decisions that are taken by the management committee.
5.9 Election
The members of the first Management Committee shall be elected at the General Meeting at which this Constitution is adopted, and shall hold office until the first Annual General Meeting after such appointment, when all of them shall resign. At the first Annual General Meeting, a new Management Committee shall be elected. Thereafter, a new Management Committee shall be elected at each succeeding Annual General Meeting.
6. POWERS OF ORGANISATION
The management of the organisation may take power and authority that it believes it needs to be able to achieve the objectives that stated in point number 2 of this constitution. Its activities must abide by the law.
6.1 The management committee has the power and authority to raise funds or to invite and receive contributions.
6.2 The management committee does, however, have the power to buy, hire or exchange for any property that it needs to achieve its objectives.
6.3 The management committee has the power to make by-laws for proper management, including procedure for application of membership.
6.4 The organisation will decide on the powers and functions of the office bearers.
7. Composition
The Management Committee shall comprise at least 6 but not more than 10 members. The membership of the Management Committee shall comprise:
• the Chairperson;
• The Vice-Chairperson;
• the Treasurer
• The Secretary;
• at least three (3) other persons.
7.1 The Management Committee may co-opt up to three additional non-voting members as it may consider appropriate from time to time. The co-opted members shall serve for such period as the Management Committee considers appropriate.
7.2 Management Committee Member Vacating Office, The office of a Management Committee member shall be vacated if a member:
• Resign
• would be disqualified, in terms of the Companies Act or equivalent legislation in force from time to time, from acting as a Director of a Company; or
• is removed by the Management Committee, by resolution adopted by at least three-quarters (3/4) of its members in office from time to time, being not less than the required minimum of 3. The Management Committee shall not be obliged to furnish reasons for its decision/s regarding removal except to the member removed and to the members of the Association in General Meeting.
7.3 Should a position on the Management Committee fall vacant, the Management Committee, by resolution adopted at least two-thirds (2/3) of its members, may (and if the vacancy reduces the number of members to less than seven [7], shall) co-opt a member/s to fill the vacancy/ ies. The office of any person so co-opted as member of the Management Committee shall lapse unless confirmed by resolution of members at the next General Meeting.
7. 4. Procedure at Management Committee Meetings
The Management Committee shall conduct its meetings and regulate its proceedings as it finds convenient, provided that:
• The Chairperson, or in his or her absence, the Vice-Chairperson, shall chair all meetings of the Management Committee which he or she attends. In the absence of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, the remaining members of the Management Committee shall elect a chairperson from those attending.
• The Chairperson shall convene a meeting of the Management Committee, monthly and at the written request of any two (2) members of the Management Committee and may convene such a meeting at any other time.
• The quorum necessary for the transaction of any business by the Management Committee shall be two-thirds (2/3) of the Management Committee members serving at any given time.
• At meetings of the Management Committee each member shall have one (1) vote. When necessary, the management committee will vote on issues. If the votes are equal on an issue, then the chairperson has either a second or deciding vote.
• Questions arising shall be decided by a majority of votes. Should there be an equality of votes the Chairperson shall have a casting or second vote. Proper minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of the Management Committee, and a record of the persons present at each meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the member who chairs the meeting, and shall be available at all times for inspection or copying by any member of the Management Committee, and on two (2) days’ notice to the Secretary or his or her deputy, by any member of the Association.
• A resolution signed by all members of the Management Committee shall be as valid as if passed at a duly convened meeting of the Management Committee.
7.5 The Management Committee may delegate any of its powers to any of its members, or to a special purpose committee. The member, committee, employee or agent to whom such delegation is made shall conform to any regulations and procedures that may be stipulated by the Management Committee from time to time.
7,6 The Management Committee may appoint a Chairperson and other officers and employees as it may consider necessary from time to time upon such terms and conditions as it may consider appropriate.
7.7 If the management committee thinks it is necessary, then it can decide to set up one or more sub-committees. It may decide to do this to get some work done quickly. Or it may want a sub- committee to do an inquiry, for example. There must be at least three people on a sub-committee. The sub-committee must report back to the management committee on its activities. It should do this regularly.
8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The annual general meeting must be held once every year, towards the end of the organisation’s financial year.
The organisation should deal with the following business, amongst others, at its annual general meeting:
• Agree to the items to be discussed on the agenda.
• Write down who is there and who has sent apologies because they cannot attend.
• Read and confirm the previous meeting’s minutes with matters arising.
• Chairperson’s report.
• Treasure’s report.
• Changes to the constitution that members may want to make.
• Elect new office bearers.
• General.
• Close the meeting.
9. FINANCE
9.1 An accounting officer shall be appointed at the annual general meeting. His or her duty is to audit and check on the finances of the organisation
9.2 Bank Account
The Management Committee shall open a bank account in the name of the organisation with a registered Bank or Building Society. The Management Committee shall ensure that all monies received by the organisation are deposited in the abovementioned bank account as soon as possible after receipt.
9.3 The treasurer’s job is to control the day to day finances of the organisation. The treasurer shall arrange for all funds to be put into a bank account in the name of the organisation. The treasurer must also keep proper records of all the finances.
9.4 Signatures
All cheques, promissory notes and other documents requiring signature on behalf of the organisation shall be signed by two (2) of the Management Committee members.
9.5 The financial year of the organisation ends on 31 March of each year.
9.6 The organisation’s accounting records must be ready and handed to the Director of Nonprofit Organisations within six months after the financial year end.
10. CHANGE OF CONSTITUTION
10.1 The constitution can be change by the resolution. The resolution has to be agreed upon and passed by not less than two thirds of the members who are at the annual general meeting or special general meeting. Members must vote at his meeting to change the constitution.
10.2 Two thirds of the members shall be present at a meeting (the quorum) before a decision to change the constitution is taken. Any annual general meeting may vote upon such a notion, if the details of the changes are set out in the notice referred to in 8 bullet three.
10.3 A written notice must go out not less than 14 days before the meeting at which the changes of the constitution are going to be proposed. The notice must indicate the proposed changes to the constitution that will be discussed at the meeting.
10.4 No amendments may be made which would have the effect of making the organisation cease to exist.
11. DISSOLUTION/WINDING UP
11.1 The organisation may close down if at least two thirds of the members present and voting at a meeting convened for the purpose of considering such matter, are in favour of closing down.
11.2 When the organisation closes down it has to pay off all its debts. After doing this, if there is property or money leftover it should not be paid or given to members of the organisation. It should be given in some way to another nonprofit organisation that has similar objectives. The organisation’s general meeting can decide what organisation this should be.
Registration number: 2008 / 002494 / 08
Contact Person:
Mpho Putu (, BA, Bed, M. P&DM )
Director
Boundary Crossing
P.O.Box 1224
Mondeor
2110
Gauteng
Email: mphoputu@mweb.co.za
Mobile: 084 836 0966
1. NAME
1.1 The organisation hereby constituted will be called BOUNDARYCROSSING COMMUNITY ORGANISATION.
1.2 The organisation shall:
• Exist in its own right, separately from its members.
• Continue to exist even when its membership changes and there are different office bearers.
• Be able to own property and other possessions.
• Be able to sue and be sued in its own name
2. OBJECTIVES
2.1 The organisation’s main objective is: to empower disadvantaged citizens and communities towards social change by creating and facilitating new approaches to learning and education, encouraging participatory democracy, developing citizen leadership and tackling the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
2.2 The organisation’s secondary objectives will be to:
To promote and strengthen democracy and participatory governance in local communities,
To work on gender and gender mainstreaming through research, training and advocacy
To increase the numbers of people in communities having a sustainable livelihood, access to essential services, equal rights and status, and physical security
To contribute to citizen leadership development
3. INCOME AND PROPERTY
3.1 The organisation will keep a record of everything it owns.
3.2 The organisation may not give any of its money or property to its members or office bearers. The only time it can do this is when it pays for work that a member or office bearers has done for the organisation. The payment must be a reasonable amount for the work done.
3.3 A member will only get the money back from the organisation for expenses that he or she has paid for or on behalf of the organisation.
3.4 Members or office bearers of the organisation do not have rights over properties that belong to the organisation.
4. MEMBERSHIP AND GENERAL MEETINGS
4.1 Membership of the organisation is open to anyone willing to serve the interests of the organisation.
4.2 Members of the organisation must attend its annual general meetings. At the annual general meetings members exercise their right to determine the policy of the organisation.
4.3 The Management Committee may admit further members from time to time:
1. Subject to due compliance with any conditions of membership (including payment of any membership fees) which the Management Committee may stipulate from time to time; and
2. The Management Committee may suspend or terminate the membership of any member provided that:
• At least (14) fourteen days prior written notice is given to all members of the Management Committee of the intention to terminate a membership; and
• At least (14) fourteen days prior written notice is given to the member concerned. The notice shall invite the member to make written or verbal representations to the meeting as the member may consider appropriate.
• The decision of the Management Committee to admit an applicant to membership, or to suspend or terminate a membership shall lapse unless confirmed by a resolution of two thirds of the members of the Association present at the next General Meeting.
• Neither the Management Committee nor the Association
• shall be required to give reasons for their decisions with respect to membership
5. MANAGEMENT
5.1 The Management Committee
The management committee will be made up of not less than 6 members. They are the office bearers of the organisation.
5.2 Powers
• The affairs of the Association shall be controlled and managed by the Management Committee. Subject to the terms of this constitution and to the resolutions of members in General Meeting, the Management Committee may exercise all the powers of the Association.
• In General Meeting, the organisation may review, approve or amend any decision taken by the Management Committee but no such resolution of the organisation shall invalidate any prior action taken by the Management Committee in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
5.3 Office bearers will serve for one year, but they can stand for re- election for another term in office after that. Depending on what kind of services they give to the organisation, they can stand for re- election again and again. This is so long as their services are needed and they are ready to give their services.
5.4 If a member of the management does not attend three management committee meetings in a row, without having applied for and obtaining leave of absence from the management committee, then the management committee will find a new member to take that person’s place.
5.5 The committee will meet at least once a month. More than half of members need to be at the meeting to make decisions that are allowed to be carried forward. This constitutes a quorum.
5.6 Minutes will be taken at every meeting to record the management committee’s decisions. The minutes of each meeting will be given to the management committee members at least two weeks before the next meeting. The minutes shall be confirmed as a true record of proceedings, by the next meeting of the management committee, and shall thereafter be signed by the chairperson.
5.7 The organisation has the right to form sub-committees. The decision that sub-committees take must be given to the management committee. The management committee must decide whether to agree to them or not at its next meeting. This meeting should take place soon after the sub- committee’s meeting. By agreeing to decisions the management committee ratifies them.
5.8 All members of the organisation have to abide by decisions that are taken by the management committee.
5.9 Election
The members of the first Management Committee shall be elected at the General Meeting at which this Constitution is adopted, and shall hold office until the first Annual General Meeting after such appointment, when all of them shall resign. At the first Annual General Meeting, a new Management Committee shall be elected. Thereafter, a new Management Committee shall be elected at each succeeding Annual General Meeting.
6. POWERS OF ORGANISATION
The management of the organisation may take power and authority that it believes it needs to be able to achieve the objectives that stated in point number 2 of this constitution. Its activities must abide by the law.
6.1 The management committee has the power and authority to raise funds or to invite and receive contributions.
6.2 The management committee does, however, have the power to buy, hire or exchange for any property that it needs to achieve its objectives.
6.3 The management committee has the power to make by-laws for proper management, including procedure for application of membership.
6.4 The organisation will decide on the powers and functions of the office bearers.
7. Composition
The Management Committee shall comprise at least 6 but not more than 10 members. The membership of the Management Committee shall comprise:
• the Chairperson;
• The Vice-Chairperson;
• the Treasurer
• The Secretary;
• at least three (3) other persons.
7.1 The Management Committee may co-opt up to three additional non-voting members as it may consider appropriate from time to time. The co-opted members shall serve for such period as the Management Committee considers appropriate.
7.2 Management Committee Member Vacating Office, The office of a Management Committee member shall be vacated if a member:
• Resign
• would be disqualified, in terms of the Companies Act or equivalent legislation in force from time to time, from acting as a Director of a Company; or
• is removed by the Management Committee, by resolution adopted by at least three-quarters (3/4) of its members in office from time to time, being not less than the required minimum of 3. The Management Committee shall not be obliged to furnish reasons for its decision/s regarding removal except to the member removed and to the members of the Association in General Meeting.
7.3 Should a position on the Management Committee fall vacant, the Management Committee, by resolution adopted at least two-thirds (2/3) of its members, may (and if the vacancy reduces the number of members to less than seven [7], shall) co-opt a member/s to fill the vacancy/ ies. The office of any person so co-opted as member of the Management Committee shall lapse unless confirmed by resolution of members at the next General Meeting.
7. 4. Procedure at Management Committee Meetings
The Management Committee shall conduct its meetings and regulate its proceedings as it finds convenient, provided that:
• The Chairperson, or in his or her absence, the Vice-Chairperson, shall chair all meetings of the Management Committee which he or she attends. In the absence of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, the remaining members of the Management Committee shall elect a chairperson from those attending.
• The Chairperson shall convene a meeting of the Management Committee, monthly and at the written request of any two (2) members of the Management Committee and may convene such a meeting at any other time.
• The quorum necessary for the transaction of any business by the Management Committee shall be two-thirds (2/3) of the Management Committee members serving at any given time.
• At meetings of the Management Committee each member shall have one (1) vote. When necessary, the management committee will vote on issues. If the votes are equal on an issue, then the chairperson has either a second or deciding vote.
• Questions arising shall be decided by a majority of votes. Should there be an equality of votes the Chairperson shall have a casting or second vote. Proper minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of the Management Committee, and a record of the persons present at each meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the member who chairs the meeting, and shall be available at all times for inspection or copying by any member of the Management Committee, and on two (2) days’ notice to the Secretary or his or her deputy, by any member of the Association.
• A resolution signed by all members of the Management Committee shall be as valid as if passed at a duly convened meeting of the Management Committee.
7.5 The Management Committee may delegate any of its powers to any of its members, or to a special purpose committee. The member, committee, employee or agent to whom such delegation is made shall conform to any regulations and procedures that may be stipulated by the Management Committee from time to time.
7,6 The Management Committee may appoint a Chairperson and other officers and employees as it may consider necessary from time to time upon such terms and conditions as it may consider appropriate.
7.7 If the management committee thinks it is necessary, then it can decide to set up one or more sub-committees. It may decide to do this to get some work done quickly. Or it may want a sub- committee to do an inquiry, for example. There must be at least three people on a sub-committee. The sub-committee must report back to the management committee on its activities. It should do this regularly.
8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The annual general meeting must be held once every year, towards the end of the organisation’s financial year.
The organisation should deal with the following business, amongst others, at its annual general meeting:
• Agree to the items to be discussed on the agenda.
• Write down who is there and who has sent apologies because they cannot attend.
• Read and confirm the previous meeting’s minutes with matters arising.
• Chairperson’s report.
• Treasure’s report.
• Changes to the constitution that members may want to make.
• Elect new office bearers.
• General.
• Close the meeting.
9. FINANCE
9.1 An accounting officer shall be appointed at the annual general meeting. His or her duty is to audit and check on the finances of the organisation
9.2 Bank Account
The Management Committee shall open a bank account in the name of the organisation with a registered Bank or Building Society. The Management Committee shall ensure that all monies received by the organisation are deposited in the abovementioned bank account as soon as possible after receipt.
9.3 The treasurer’s job is to control the day to day finances of the organisation. The treasurer shall arrange for all funds to be put into a bank account in the name of the organisation. The treasurer must also keep proper records of all the finances.
9.4 Signatures
All cheques, promissory notes and other documents requiring signature on behalf of the organisation shall be signed by two (2) of the Management Committee members.
9.5 The financial year of the organisation ends on 31 March of each year.
9.6 The organisation’s accounting records must be ready and handed to the Director of Nonprofit Organisations within six months after the financial year end.
10. CHANGE OF CONSTITUTION
10.1 The constitution can be change by the resolution. The resolution has to be agreed upon and passed by not less than two thirds of the members who are at the annual general meeting or special general meeting. Members must vote at his meeting to change the constitution.
10.2 Two thirds of the members shall be present at a meeting (the quorum) before a decision to change the constitution is taken. Any annual general meeting may vote upon such a notion, if the details of the changes are set out in the notice referred to in 8 bullet three.
10.3 A written notice must go out not less than 14 days before the meeting at which the changes of the constitution are going to be proposed. The notice must indicate the proposed changes to the constitution that will be discussed at the meeting.
10.4 No amendments may be made which would have the effect of making the organisation cease to exist.
11. DISSOLUTION/WINDING UP
11.1 The organisation may close down if at least two thirds of the members present and voting at a meeting convened for the purpose of considering such matter, are in favour of closing down.
11.2 When the organisation closes down it has to pay off all its debts. After doing this, if there is property or money leftover it should not be paid or given to members of the organisation. It should be given in some way to another nonprofit organisation that has similar objectives. The organisation’s general meeting can decide what organisation this should be.
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