![]() |
|
DECLARATION OF INTENT MISSION STATEMENT 1. STATUS OF THE ASSOCIATION 2. OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS 3. MEMBERSHIP 3.2 Individual Membership may be granted to people who have an interest in museums and museology. 4. ACQUISITION OF MEMBERSHIP 5. DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP 6. MEMBERSHIP FEES 7. THE COUNCIL · 7.4.2 the Vice-President shall then succeed as President for the next term of office. · 7.5.1 the Vice-President and Councillors shall be elected every two years coincident with an Annual General Meeting of the Association; · 7.5.2 only members of the Association who are in good standing shall be eligible for election. Branch representatives elected in terms of section 7.7 shall not be eligible for election as Councillors. · 7.6 Nomination and election procedure: · 7.6.1 only members of the Association who are in good standing on the date that the nominations close shall be entitled to nominate and to vote; · 7.6.2 nominations for Vice-President and Councillors shall be submitted by post; · 7.6.3 the nomination paper must make clear that: · 7.6.3.1 the member may nominate only one candidate for election to the position of Vice-President; · 7.6.3.2 the member may nominate a maximum of six candidates for election as Councillors; · 7.6.3.3 the member and the nominee shall both sign the nomination paper and a separate paper shall be submitted for each nomination; · 7.6.3.4 the nomination paper shall be returned to the Administrator/Secretary before or on a specific date; · 7.6.3.5 in the event of any of the above stipulations not being complied with, the nomination paper shall be deemed invalid; · 7.6.4 the Administrator/Secretary shall post such nomination papers to all members who are entitled to vote at least twelve weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting; · 7.6.5 election of Councillors shall take place by secret ballot; · 7.6.6 the voting paper must make clear that: · 7.6.6.1 the voter has a total of six votes; · 7.6.6.2 the voting paper shall be returned to the Administrator/Secretary not later than the time scheduled for the counting of the votes at the Annual General Meeting; · 7.6.6.3 in the event of any of the above stipulations not being complied with, the voting paper shall be deemed invalid; · 7.6.7 the Administrator/Secretary shall post such voting papers to all members who are entitled to vote at least four weeks before the Annual General Meeting; · 7.6.8 at the opening of the Annual General Meeting, three scrutineers shall be appointed by the Chairperson to count the votes, whereafter the results of the election shall be announced by the Chairperson; · 7.6.9 in the event of a tie for the sixth post of Councillor, the Chairperson shall draw lots; · 7.6.10 the newly elected Council shall elect by secret ballot the Vice-President from those who have accepted nomination for this position. Should the elected Vice-President be one of the six elected Councillors, the unselected nominee for Councillor with the highest number of votes shall then be elected as Councillor; · 7.6.11 a member elected as Councillor may hold office for a maximum of two terms in succession after which he/she shall be ineligible for election to the same position for one term. 7.7 Election of Branch Representatives: · 7.7.1 each regional branch shall be represented by its duly elected Chairperson; · 7.7.2 the Branch Chairperson is elected by the members of the branch in accordance with the constitution of the branch as per section 9.1.14; · 7.7.3 these elections should not be held more than one year prior to the election of Councillors and the Administrator/Secretary should be informed in writing of the result. · 7.8.1 President: the Vice-President shall become the President for the remainder of the term of office as well as for the succeeding term of office; · 7.8.2 Vice-President: the Council shall elect one of the elected Councillors or Branch Representatives for the remainder of the term of office; · 7.8.3 Councillors: the Council shall co-opt a new Councillor for the remainder of the term of office; · 7.8.4 Branch Representatives: the vacant Branch Chair shall be filled in accordance with the constitution of the regional branch; · 7.8.5 Representative of ICOM SA: this position shall be filled in accordance with the rules of ICOM SA; · 7.8.6 positions filled in terms of sections 7.3, 7.8.2 and 7.8.3 shall be able to stand for nomination and election for any position on the Council at the end of the term of office. · 8.1 The Executive shall consist of: · 8.1.1 the President and Vice-President; · 8.1.2 two Councillors, elected or co-opted, appointed by the Council at its first meeting; · 8.2 vacancies shall be filled in accordance with section 7.8. 9. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE EXECUTIVE · 9.1 The Council: · 9.1.1 shall be the executive authority of the Association and shall represent the Association in all external relations; · 9.1.2 is charged with the promotion of the interests of the Association and may take such action as it deems fit for the execution of section 2 of the constitution; · 9.1.3 may award Honorary Membership and Fellowship with due observance of the stipulations in sections 3.4 and 4.3. It may also confer suitable recognition on people who have successfully completed training programmes endorsed by the Council, or who have rendered distinguished service to the Association or to museums in general; · 9.1.4 shall empower the Executive to handle any such business as it deems necessary; · 9.1.5 shall determine when it shall meet provided that at least two meetings are held annually; · 9.1.6 may co-opt a Secretary and a Treasurer if necessary; · 9.1.7 may appoint and discharge employees if necessary and determine duties, conditions of service and emoluments; · 9.1.8 may terminate if necessary, as per section 5.1, the membership of any member by a majority vote of at least two-thirds of the Council members; · 9.1.9 may appoint standing committees; · 9.1.10 shall convene an Annual General Meeting every year and a National Conference at least once every two years. If it is unable to carry out this clause it must inform the members of the Association as soon as possible; · 9.1.11 shall control the finances of the Association and shall ensure that: · 9.1.11.1 proper accounts are kept; · 9.1.11.2 all cheques are signed by at least two signatories authorised by the Council; · 9.1.11.3 surplus funds are invested; · 9.1.11.4 auditors are appointed; · 9.1.11.5 audited financial statements are laid before each Annual General Meeting for approval; · 9.1.12 shall decide on the procedures at any General Meeting of the Association and its own meetings; · 9.1.13 may nominate Patrons of the Association; · 9.1.14 shall establish and dissolve branches of the Association as per section 14 and approve the constitutions of such branches in so far that they are not in conflict with the constitution of the Association; · 9.1.15 shall appoint one of its members to the Executive Board of ICOM SA in accordance with section 7 of the Rules of ICOM SA; · 9.1.16 shall promote co-operation between the Association and associate bodies, entering into any arrangements that comply with both the constitution of the Association and that of the associate body; · 9.1.17 the quorum at any meeting of the Council shall be seven members present; · 9.1.18 members of the Council shall not be absent from two consecutive meetings without a valid reason; · 9.1.19 the Chairperson at any meeting of the Council shall be the President who shall be replaced by the Vice-President if absent. Should they both be absent the members present shall elect a Chairperson; · 9.1.20 minutes of all Council, Executive and General Meetings shall be taken and approved at the next meeting; · 9.1.21 the President shall submit an annual report on the activities of the Association to the Annual General Meeting. · 9.2 The Executive: · 9.2.1 shall control any business of the Association as approved by the Council in terms of section 9.1.4. All decisions taken by it shall be regarded as valid and shall be approved by the Council at its next meeting in terms of section 9.1.20; · 9.2.2 shall meet as many times as it deems necessary; · 9.2.3 the quorum at any meeting of the Executive shall be three; · 9.2.4 the Chairperson shall be the President, or in his/her absence, the Vice-President. · 9.3 The Council and the Executive may conduct business by correspondence. Any decision taken in this manner shall be recorded in the minutes of the next Council and Executive meetings. · 10.1 The Council may appoint committees to execute any particular functions of the Association every second year and a member shall hold office for a maximum of two terms in succession, after which he/she shall be ineligible for appointment in the same capacity for one term. · 10.2 The composition, powers, duties and quorums of such committees shall be determined from time to time by the Council or the Executive. · 10.3 Committees shall, unless otherwise authorised by the Council or the Executive in its place, conduct their correspondence with outside bodies through the National office only. · 10.4 The President of the Association shall automatically be a member of all committees. 11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS, VOTING RIGHTS AND NATIONAL CONFERENCE · 11.1 Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be the legislative authority of the Association. · 11.2 The Annual General Meeting shall: · 11.2.1 be convened by the Council in terms of section 9.1.10 and 12; · 11.2.2 conduct the election of the Council in terms of section 7.6.8; · 11.2.3 receive, consider and approve reports from the Council on the activities and finances of the Association during the preceding financial year; · 11.2.4 receive, consider and approve reports from the Council and Committees on instructions given by a previous Annual General Meeting or Council meeting; · 11.2.5 consider matters submitted by members, committees, sectional meetings, regional branches or the Council; · 11.2.6 transact such other business as may be determined by the Council. · 11.3 Extraordinary General Meetings shall: · 11.3.1 be convened by the Council in terms of section 12.4 within ninety days of receipt of a request in writing clearly specifying the reasons therefore and signed by at least 25 members. · 11.3.2 deal only with those matters for which they have been convened. · 11.4 The Chairperson at any General Meeting shall be as per section 9.1.19. · 11.5 Voting rights: · 11.5.1 thirty members personally present shall be a quorum at any General Meeting; · 11.5.2 members who are in good standing and who are present shall have the right to vote; · 11.5.3 subject to the provision in section 11.5.4 the members of all categories of membership of the Association shall have exactly the same vote; · 11.5.4 each member institution or corporation is entitled to one representative who shall take part in the deliberations of the Association and vote on behalf of the institution or corporation. Should such a person be a member as well, that person would also be entitled to one vote in a personal capacity; · 11.5.5 the Chairperson of all General Meetings shall, apart from a deliberative vote, also have a casting vote; · 11.5.6 the Chairperson of the Council, Executive, and any other committee meetings shall have a casting vote as well as a deliberative vote during such meetings; · 11.5.7 during all meetings voting shall be by show of hands and motions shall be decided by a majority of members in good standing present, except in the case of changes to the Constitution as per section 16. If the meeting should so decide, voting shall be by secret ballot; · 11.5.8 non-members of the Association may attend the Annual General Meeting but may not vote. · 11.6 A National Conference of the Association shall be convened by the Council in terms of section 9.1.10 and 12 and may include the Annual General Meeting as part of the programme; · 11.6.1 the organisation and management of the conference shall be controlled by a Conference Committee as approved by the Council or the Executive in its place; · 11.6.2 on registration, all delegates and observers to the Conference shall pay a Conference fee as determined by the Conference Committee. 12. ORGANISATION OF A NATIONAL CONFERENCE, ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS · 12.1 At each National Conference and/or Annual General Meeting the venue of the following National Conference and/or Annual General Meeting shall be determined. · 12.2 A notice of the venue and date of the Annual General Meeting shall be posted by the Administrator/Secretary to every member not later than three months before the Meeting. · 12.3 A notice with the particulars of the venue, date and time of the Annual General Meeting, accompanied by the agenda, shall be posted by the Administrator/Secretary to every member not later than four weeks before the Meeting. · 12.4 The venue for an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be determined by the Council. Notification of the date and venue shall be posted by the Administrator/Secretary not later than thirty days before the meeting. · 12.5 All correspondence regarding a National Conference shall be undertaken by the Conference Committee providing that the venue, dates, theme and registration forms are sent to the members of the Association not later than three months before the opening day of the Conference. · 13.1 The Council, or Executive in its place, may divide the transactions of the Annual General Meeting into sectional meetings. · 13.2 A sectional meeting shall elect its own committee and office bearers and may from time to time define the size and powers of its committees whose term of office shall correspond with that of the Council. · 13.3 The Council, or in its place the Executive, and the Annual General Meeting may refer any matter or proposal to a sectional meeting provided that all resolutions involving matters of policy are subject to confirmation by members present. · 13.4 Any member in good standing may attend any sectional meeting, participate in the discussion and vote. · 13.5 A sectional meeting may make any recommendations to the Council in connection with the appointment of a committee to undertake a specific investigation and may recommend members of such a committee. 14. REGIONAL BRANCHES OF THE ASSOCIATION · 14.1 The Council may grant authority for the establishment of a regional branch as per section 1.4 on receipt of an application of a sufficient number of any categories of members in good standing from a specific geographical area who could, in the opinion of the Council, operate as a viable branch subject to the provisions of section 9.1.1. · 14.2 The Council may dissolve a regional branch at the request of the respective branch committee, or if after investigation the Council finds that the dissolution is in the best interests of the Association. · 14.3 On the dissolution of a branch, the Council must assume all the responsibilities, assets and liabilities of the branch or may request that these be assumed by another branch. · 14.4 A branch shall be empowered: · 14.4.1 to draft its own constitution as per section 9.1.14. This shall take effect after its adoption by the members of the branch and after approval by the Council or the Executive in its place; · 14.4.2 to elect a branch committee, responsible to the members in the branch, as stipulated in its own constitution, whose term of office shall run concurrently with that of the Council. These elections should not be held more than one year prior to the election of the Council; · 14.4.3 to organise and hold a Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting of its members, other meetings and other activities on its own or in co-operation with other branches or organisations; · 14.4.4 to control all the finances and assets of the Association within the geographical area of the branch, to collect membership fees as per section 6.3, to negotiate with provincial or local authorities or persons in the interests of the Association, or to investigate and report on specific issues on behalf of the Council or the Executive in its place; · 14.4.5 to submit reports and resolutions to the Council and to the Annual General Meeting in terms of section 11.2.5. · 14.4.6 to elect a Chairperson, responsible to the members of the branch, who shall serve as the branch representative on the Council in terms of section 7.7; · 14.4.7 to receive a portion of each ordinary and institutional membership fee paid by members in the geographical region which it serves. This portion shall be determined by the Council as per section 6.3. 14.5 A branch committee shall approve or reject applications for membership as provided for in section 4. 15. ASSOCIATE BODIES OF THE ASSOCIATION · 15.1 Relevant bodies should apply to the Council in writing to become associate bodies. · 15.2 It is not necessary that all associate bodies enjoy equal status with regard to the Association and they need not be subservient to the Association. The exact relationship should be spelt out in the clauses dealing with the Association. 16. AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION · 16.1 If in the opinion of the Council, or the Executive in its place, a proposal is put forward to amend the constitution which does not deal with contentious matters on which the entire membership should be consulted, such a proposal may be put to the vote at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting convened in terms of sections 11.2 and 11.3 and on condition that: · 16.1.1 any resolution affecting such amendment is clearly motivated and reaches the Administrator/Secretary at least six weeks prior to an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting; · 16.1.2 all members are notified at least four weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting at which it is to be considered; · 16.1.3 such amendment be approved by at least two thirds of the members voting. · 16.2 Notwithstanding the provisions in other sections and if in the opinion of the Council, or the Executive in its place, a proposal to amend the constitution is put forward which deals with contentious matters and is signed by at least 25 members in good standing, the Council or the Executive in its place, may conduct a postal vote among all categories of the broader membership. A Polling Officer and three scrutineers shall then be appointed to open and count the votes. In the event of at least two-thirds of the membership voting in favour of the proposal, the constitution shall be so amended and the membership informed thereof. Any proposals affecting such amendment shall be clearly motivated and voting papers drawn up in such a way that it is quite clear to any voter that: · 16.2.1 the member votes for or against the proposed amendment; · 16.2.2 the voting paper shall be returned to the Polling Officer on or before a specific date; and · 16.2.3 in the event of these conditions not being complied with, the voting paper shall be deemed invalid. 17. DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION · 17.1 A special meeting of the Council shall be called for this purpose. Notification of the venue and date thereof shall be sent by registered post by the Administrator/Secretary to every member of the Council not later than thirty days before such a special meeting. · 17.2 Notwithstanding any other stipulation in this constitution, the Council members present at such a special meeting shall constitute a quorum. If this meeting is conducted by post, the number of voting papers returned by Council members before or on the thirtieth day after mailing the voting papers to them, shall constitute a quorum. A resolution to proceed with the dissolution of the Association shall be valid if passed by not less than two thirds of such a quorum. · 17.3 Notification of such a decision to proceed with the dissolution of the Association shall be posted by the Administrator/Secretary to every member in good standing not later than fourteen days after the decision of the Council has been taken. This notification shall contain: · 17.3.1 the exact wording of the decision taken by the Council; · 17.3.2 a summary of the reasons for the decision taken by the Council; · 17.3.3 a statement explaining the debts and liabilities of the Association as well as the assets and the value thereof; · 17.3.4 alternative suggestions on how any assets which might remain after payment of all debts and liabilities shall be disposed of; · 17.3.5 a voting paper drawn up in such a way that it is quite clear that the voter: · 17.3.5.1 may vote for or against the dissolution of the Association; · 17.3.5.2 may vote for or against the suggestions on how any remaining assets may be disposed of; · 17.3.5.3 must return the voting paper to the Administrator/Secretary no later than thirty days after the date on which the notification of the decision taken by the Council was posted to each member in good standing; · 17.3.5.4 will have his or her voting paper declared invalid in the event of any of the above stipulations not being complied with. · 17.3.6 Notwithstanding any other stipulation in this constitution, the number of voting papers returned to the Administrator/Secretary before or on the date specified in section 17.3.5.3 shall be considered to represent a quorum of the voters and a resolution to dissolve the Association shall be valid only if passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes received. Any remaining assets of the Association shall be disposed of in such a manner as may be determined by a majority of the votes received. |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|||||
© Copyright South Africans Museums Association 2007. All rights reserved. |