CONSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE (U3A) JOBURG EAST

NAME

The name of the ASSOCIATION shall be the University of the Third Age (U3A) Joburg East, hereinafter referred to as the ASSOCIATION.

WHO WE ARE

Helen Popplewell helenpopplewell@gmail.com Chair
Helen Popplewell helenpopplewell@gmail.com Lecture coordinator
Coral Wilder coralwilder@gmail.com Short courses and interest groups
Barbara Burnett barbburnet27@icould.com Secretary
Jenny Thornton-Smith jenny.t-s@outlook.com Website co-ordinator
Norma Lipshitz norma@headlinespr.co.za Treasurer
Libby Huggett hugs2@iafrica.com Technical coordinator

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the ASSOCIATION are to

  • provide a forum for people of mature age who are retired or semi-retired in eastern Johannesburg and its environs for informal learning programmes in a friendly environment.
  • enable social contact among 3rdAge people.
  • encourage the maintenance of intellectual capacity by
  • offering intellectually stimulating programmes by experts in their fields.
  • offering short courses and interest groups run by members to cater for a variety of interests.

 

POWERS

In furtherance of its objectives the ASSOCIATION:

  • May purchase, take on lease or in exchange, hire and otherwise acquire and sell or dispose of movable and immovable property, and any rights and privileges which the ASSOCIATION may think necessary for the promotion of the objectives, subject to such authorization as may be required by law.
  • May publish pamphlets, reports, leaflets, journals, books, films, videos and instructional matter.
  • May run lectures, courses, interest groups, seminars, and conferences.
  • May receive sponsorship fees, donations, endowments, subscriptions and legacies from persons desiring to promote any of the objectives of the ASSOCIATION and to hold funds in trust for the same.
  • May do all such other lawful things as may be necessary for the attainment of the above objectives.
  • Shall have power to issue appeals for donations. Any money raised and received may be retained by the ASSOCIATION and be used at the discretion of the Committee, provided that the ASSOCIATION shall at all times remain a non-profit body and its assets shall not inure for the private benefit of any one or more or all of its individual members.
  • May sue and be sued in its own name in respect of debts owing to or by the ASSOCIATION.
  • Shall have perpetual succession.

MEMBERSHIP

  • Persons wishing to be members of U3A Joburg East should submit application forms together with their subscriptions annually.
  • The Committee may on application, admit as members mature persons who:
    • Pay the current annual membership subscription and
    • Accept provisions of this Constitution.
  • The Committee may terminate the membership of any member who the Committee considers to have acted in a way which is prejudicial to the ASSOCIATION or to have bought it into disrepute. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a final decision is made.

ADMINISTRATION

  • A Committee shall administer, manage, and control the affairs and property of the ASSOCIATION.
  • The election of the Committee shall be held at the Annual General Meeting of the ASSOCIATION.  Written nominations for election to the Committee indicating acceptance by the nominee shall be proposed and seconded and delivered to the Committee at a date prior to the date of the general meeting specified by the Committee in the notice convening the meeting.
  • The newly elected Committee shall take office at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.
  • The Committee shall consist of at least five and not more than ten members, apart from any who may be co-opted.
  • The Committee and its constituent members shall remain in office until the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ASSOCIATION, when a new Committee shall be elected. Previously serving members shall be eligible for re-election.
  • The Committee may allocate particular functions to its constituent members.
  • Not more than four (4) ordinary members may be co-opted to the Committee. They shall have full voting rights and their term of office shall expire at the following Annual General Meeting.
  • Persons with specific expertise may be invited by the Committee to attend meetings for a specific purpose.
  • There shall be no less than four (4) Committee meetings per year.
  1. Committee members may resign office by submitting their notice in writing. The Committee has powers to co-opt additional members to fill vacancies from the membership.  Such appointees shall serve until the Annual General Meeting when they shall be eligible for election to the Committee.
  2. At Committee meetings matters shall be decided by a simple majority of votes of Committee members present.
  3. The quorum for any Committee meeting shall be four (4) members.
  4. Committee meetings shall be scheduled for the year and the agenda for each meeting shall be given to all Committee members seven days prior to the meeting.
  5. The Committee may appoint sub-Committees for a specific purpose when necessary. The sub-Committees are accountable to the Committee.
  6. The Committee shall ensure that:
    1. Proper books of account are kept and maintained up to date and checked annually.
    2. Minutes of all general meetings, meetings of the Committee and resolutions passed shall be taken and a proper record thereof shall be maintained.

 

ANNUAL AND SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held once in each year and not later than fifteen months after the preceding Annual General Meeting. At least twenty-one days’ notice shall be given to all members.  A quorum shall be 50 members in good standing.
  2. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall include:
  • Receiving and approving the Chairperson’s report.
  • Receiving and approving the financial statements.
  • Electing members of the Committee.
  • Appointing an examiner of the accounts.
  • Considering proposals to alter the Constitution.
  • Considering any other business which has been published in the agenda.
  1. A Special General Meeting of the ASSOCIATION may be convened at any time by a resolution of the Committee and shall be so convened upon a requisition signed by 20% or more of the members in good standing stating the objective of the meeting. Such a meeting shall be called giving all members in good standing fourteen days’ notice specifying the time, venue and proposed business of the meeting.  A quorum shall be 30% of members to whom notice shall have been given.
  2. The Chairman of meetings shall be elected by the Committee and shall chair all meetings. Should the Chairperson be unavailable, a person present at the meeting shall be nominated to chair the meeting by those present at the meeting.

FINANCE

  • All the income and property of the ASSOCIATION shall be applied solely in furtherance of its objects.
  • A bank account shall be opened in the name of the ASSOCIATION and operated on the signature of two Committee members duly authorized thereto.
  • The financial year of the Association shall end on the last day of May each year and not more than 3 months later the Annual General Meeting shall be convened for the purpose of receiving the annual reports and examining accounts.
  • The Committee may appoint persons who are not members of the Committee as employees either permanently or on a fixed term contract, and may fix their terms and conditions of employment.
  • All proper costs, charges and expenses incidental to the management of the ASSOCIATION may be defrayed from its funds.
  • The Treasurer (being the individual to whom the functions of that office is allocated) shall on behalf of the Committee keep accounts of all the monies received and expended on behalf of the ASSOCIATION and shall prepare and publish such accounts duly examined at the Annual General Meeting. All monetary transactions shall be made through – Committee.
  • No Committee member shall be chargeable or responsible for loss caused by:-
  • any thing or act done or omitted to be done by him/her or any agent employed by him/her or by any other Committee member, provided reasonable supervision be exercised over any such agent,
  • reason of any mistake or omission made in good faith by any Committee member
  • any reason or any other matter or thing other than wilful and individual fraud or wrongdoing or wrongful omission on the part of the Committee member who is sought to be made liable.

 

ALTERATION TO THE CONSTITUTION

The provisions of this Constitution may be amended with the assent of not less than 75% of members of the ASSOCIATION, who shall have been given twenty-one clear days’ notice, stating the intention to put forward such a resolution.  Any notice emailed or posted to the last known address of a member shall be deemed to have been received five days after the sending/posting.  Any member to whom notice has been given or is deemed to have been given notice not attending the meeting shall be deemed to have assented to the resolution of which notice has been given.

DISSOLUTION

The ASSOCIATION may at any time be dissolved by a resolution passed by a three-quarter majority of those present and voting at any meeting of the ASSOCIATION of which at least twenty-one days’ notice stating the intention to put forward such a resolution shall have been sent to all members of the ASSOCIATION. If any assets remain after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities such assets held by or in the name of the ASSOCIATION shall be transferred to an organization with similar aims and objectives.

The University of the Third Age (U3A) Joburg East adopted this Constitution on the 14th day of July 2006.  It was revised on 6 October 2015 and passed at a meeting on 8 March 2016.

U3A Joburg East (C) 2024