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PLUG - Constitution

INTERPRETATION


"Pretoria Linux Users Group" shall mean all members of the Group.


"Member" shall mean any person who has complied with the requirements for

membership of the Group.


"Committee Member" indicates a member of the Committee, who has been duly

elected in terms of this constitution, including any member of the Group

who has been co-opted by the Committee in terms of this constitution.


Except where otherwise stated words denoting the plural shall include the

singular.


CONSTITUTION, NAME AND MEMBERSHIP


2.1 This Constitution shall govern the Group and all its members.


2.2 The body shall be constituted as the Pretoria Linux Users Group,

hereinafter

referred to as the "Group". The Group shall be an association of

members pursuing

the same objectives and purposes without pecuniary gain of any of

its members. The Group

shall be constituted as a separate legal entity with its own assets

and liabilities.


2.3 Membership of the Group is open to all persons interested in

furthering

the purposes of the Group and more specifically the "Objectives"

enumerated

below.


MISSION STATEMENT


3.1 The mission of the Group is the promotion of and the fostering of

interest

in Linux and open source software.


OBJECTIVES


4.1 The Group shall advocate the use of Linux by:


4.1.2 Serving as a source of information regarding Linux.


4.1.3 Compiling and maintaining a database of regionally available Linux

expertise and resources.


4.1.4. Liasing with the press and co-ordinate press releases relating

to Linux.


4.1.5 Maintaining a close working relationship with other LUG 's in South

Africa, Africa and internationally.


4.1.6 Providing support to persons and institutions wishing to use Linux.


4.1.7 Assisting in the further development of Linux and open source

software generally.


4.1.8 Educating its members and the public regarding various aspects of

Linux.


4.1.9 Supporting community organisations especially in disadvantaged

communities.


4.1.10 Organising social functions for its members.



COMMITTEE


5.1 The Committee shall be the governing body of the Group.


5.2 The Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, Deputy-Chairperson,

Secretary,

Treasurer, and three members elected at the Annual General Meeting.

The Committee may co-opt up to three other members deemed necessary

to fulfill

the purports of the Group.


5.3 The Committee shall consist only of natural persons.


5.4 The Committee may establish Sub-committees and/or Working Groups to

facilitate the achievement of the aims and objectives of the Group.

Such

Sub-committees and Working Groups may consist of members of the

Committee

and members of the Group.


COMMITTEE MEETINGS


6.1 A quorum for Committee meetings shall be 50 percent of the members

of

the Committee.


6.2 The Committee shall try to decide all matters by consensus. In the

event

of consensus not being reached a matter will be decided by means of

a majority

vote. In the event of an equal split in the votes, the Chairperson

(or

acting Chairperson) may exercise a casting vote.


6.3 Minutes of all meetings of the Committee will be kept and made

available

to members of the Committee before the following meeting.


FUNCTIONS OF OFFICE BEARERS


7.1 The Chairperson shall:


7.1.1 Decide all matters relating to order and execute the other customary


duties of a Chairperson.


7.2 The Deputy-Chairperson shall:


7.2.1 Assist the Chairperson in the governance of the Group and may act

in the stead of the Chairperson at his or her request.


7.3 The Secretary shall:


7.3.1 Be responsible for the taking and distribution of minutes of the

meetings.


7.4 The Treasurer shall:


7.4.1 Administer the banking account in the name of the Group.


7.4.2 Keep all books of account of the Group and present these, upon

reasonable

request, to any member.


7.4.3 Present a financial report at every Annual General Meeting.


7.4.4 Disburse all moneys authorized by the Committee in accordance with

the provisions of this constitution and account for such

disbursement to

the Committee at the following meeting.


7.4.5 Keep the financial affairs of the Group separate at all times to

those

of any of its members and ensure there is no conflict between the

interests

of the Group and any members. In the event of such conflict, the

Treasurer

shall report the matter to the Committee immediately.


7.4.6 Shall ensure that all legal requirements of audit are met.


7.5 Additional Members shall:


7.5.1 Be responsible for executing any duties assigned to them by the

Committee.


ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS


8.1 Committee members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting by

means of a process of nomination. If more than one person is

nominated,

the members shall determine by majority vote which nominee shall

fill the

post.


8.2 Any Committee member so elected will hold office for a period of one


year commencing from the day of the AGM.


DISQUALIFICATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS


9.1 Any Committee member who uses his position to furher his or her own

interest

to the exclusion of any other in the Group shall be disqualified.


9.2 A Committee member who is guilty of general misconduct shall be

disqualified

by a majority vote of two-thirds of the whole Committee.


9.3 A Committee member who is absent from three consecutive Committee

meetings

may be relieved of his or her duties.


MEETINGS


10.1 General Members Meetings of the Group shall be held monthly, unless

otherwise

specified by the Committee


10.2 There shall be an AGM, and notice and the agenda thereof shall be

posted

to all members at least twenty one days before the date of such a

meeting.


10.3 The quorum for taking a decision at a General Members Meeting shall

be

ten percent of the group or 10 members, whichever is the lesser.


The quorum for the AGM shall be thirty percent of the Group or 20

members, whichever is the lesser.


For the purposes of determining a quorum only those members normally

resident

in the Pretoria area will be counted.

MEMBERS


12.1 Members are natural persons who:

(a) Subscribe to the Group's Internet mailing list; and,

(b) Have attended at least one meeting of the Group; and,


(c) Have paid a membership fee, if any, as determined by the

Committee.


11.2 The Committee may determine a membership fee subject to approval by

a General

Members Meeting.


11.3 Membership may be revoked by the Committee if it can be shown that

a member acts in any way detrimental to the interests of the Group.

Grounds

for revocation of membership include, but are not limited to:

(a) Breaching the rules of ethics for the mailing list as set

about in the

information sheet sent to new subscribers and available from

any member of

the Commitee;

(b) Any marketing e-mail being sent to the mailing list without

the prior

approval of the mailing list manager;

(c) Any actions at meetings, on the mailing list or in the

capacity of the group

which constitute a crime under any South-African law.


(d) Making public statements or representations on behalf of the

Group

without the consent of the Committee.



11.4 Any member whose membership is under consideration shall be notified


of possible revocation by means of a correspondence sent not less


than seven days prior to the meeting at which such decision is to be

taken.

Any member who is so notified shall have the right to appear at

the meeting and present a defense. The Committee is obliged to

consider

any reasons given for why the membership should not be revoked.


ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT


12.1 This Constitution shall be adopted by a vote more than fifty per

cent

of all members attending the first AGM.


12.2 This Constitution may be amended by a majority of two thirds of all

members attending an AGM. Such amendment includes the temporary

waiver of

any provisions, the inclusion or removal of any clauses and the

dissolution

of the Group.