By-Laws you need to comply with when planning an event

Hosting an event in cities and townships come with procedures that must be followed plus several forms to be filled and submitted to the relevant offices once completed.

The mission of the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) is to make sure that all events held are safe and that the event organisers comply with all the By-Laws and Regulations, as well as per the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act no. 2 of 2010. As per the new Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act, it is now a legal requirement for all Events with 2000 and more participants/spectators/audience to have Event Plans thereof submitted by the Event Organisers to the National Commissioner of SAPS, a month before the event, for Risk Grading purposes.

These events range from major ones such as music festivals to domestic ones such as weddings in townships. (joburg.org.za).

Here is a list of some documents you need to fill out at least a month prior the event:

Events JOC Checklist
You complete this form 30 days prior the event and you notify the Events Compliance Office of your event. It is issued by the SAPS for the organiser to give operational plans.
Application to host an event
You complete this form and notify the Events Compliance Office of your proposed event 30 days before the event. Also note that three weeks before the event takes places, you will be required to compile a JOC file to present to the committee.
Deed of Indemnity form
This is a contract you sign to hold the municipality harmless of any damage that may occur at your event.
Application for Service Delivery
In this form you include the type of event you are hosting and how many attendees you are expecting. You will be required to indicate your waste management plan, toilets, structural plan, liquor licence. You may also use this form to require services from the Metro Police and include who you have appointed to be marshals for crowd controlling/ route indication.
Application to Conduct Open-Air Music (if applicable to your event)
You apply to conduct an open-air musical festival. You will be required to provide the venue of the event and the date. Amongst other conditions, you will be given conditions about the noise level and making the residents aware.
Application for Food Acceptability (if applicable to your event)
You need reliable people to sell food at your event because one bad vendor could easily impair your event. Also, your attendees’ health should be your priority. This form is issued by the department of health to certify the wellness of the food that will be sold at the event. The vendor gives details of the food they will be sold and the type of food premises (building, vehicle, stall, caravan etc) plus the address where the food can be inspected. This is to also check if the vendor has sanitary facilities, cleaning facilities, handwashing facilities and preparation premises.