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Co-operatives Act, 2005 (Act No. 14 of 2005)

Chapter 6 : Capital Structure

44. Patronage proportion

 

(1) A co-operative may allocate and credit or pay to its members a portion of the surplus that is not transferred as a reserve to a indivisible reserve in terms of section 3(1)(e) and such a portion must be allocated in proportion to the value of transactions conducted by a member with a co-operative during a specified period.

 

(2) For the purpose of subsection (1), the board of directors must, when determining the amount of business done by each member with a co–operative in a financial year, take into account—
(a) the quantity, quality, kind and value of things bought, sold, handled, marketed or dealt with by the co–operative; and
(b) the services rendered—
(i) by the co-operative on behalf of or to the member; and
(ii) by the member on behalf of or to the co-operative.

 

(3) A co-operative may provide in its constitution that the whole, or a part, of the patronage proportion of a member, determined by the board in respect of a financial year, must be applied to purchase membership shares in the co-operative for the member.

[Section 44(3) substituted by section 32(a) of Notice No. 558, GG 36729, dated 5 August 2013]

 

(4) If the provisions of subsection (3) apply, the constitution must further provide for—
(a) giving notice to each member of the number of shares purchased or to be purchased for the member;
(b) the manner of issuing or transferring of shares; and
(c) if applicable, issuing and forwarding of share certificates to members.

 

(5)        The surplus that is—

(a) not set aside in a reserve in terms of section 3(1)(e);
(b) not set aside in any additional reserve required by any other applicable law or the constitution of the co-operative; or
(c) not used in the purchase of membership shares in terms of section 44(3),

may be placed in such fund or funds and used for such purposes as are authorised by the constitution.

[Section 44(5) inserted by section 32(b) of Notice No. 558, GG 36729, dated 5 August 2013]