"co-operative principles"
means—
| (a) | Voluntary and Open Membership requiring co-operatives to be voluntary organisations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language or birth; |
| (b) | Democratic Member Control requiring co-operatives to be democratic organisations controlled by their members through— |
| (i) | members actively participating in setting their policies and making decisions by majority vote; |
| (ii) | men and women serving as elected representatives and being accountable to the members; |
| (iii) | equal voting rights in Category A and B primary cooperatives (one member, one vote); and |
| (iv) | a democratic organisation for voting in Category C primary, secondary and tertiary co-operatives and the national apex co-operative; |
| (c) | Member Economic Participation requiring members to contribute equally in amounts proportionate to their membership shares and democratically control the capital of their co-operative usually by— |
| (i) | retaining part of the capital as common property of the co-operative; |
| (ii) | giving members limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership; |
| (iii) | allocating surpluses to the reserves required in terms of section 46 and any additional reserves required by the co-operative’s constitution or considered necessary or desirable by the members; |
| (iv) | benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the co-operative; and |
| (v) | supporting other activities approved by the members; |
| (d) | Autonomy and Independence requiring co-operatives to be autonomous, self-help organisations controlled by their members and if co-operatives enter into agreements with other organisations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they should do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their co-operative autonomy; |
| (e) | Education, Training and Information requiring co-operatives to provide appropriate education and practical training for their members, elected representatives and employees so that they can contribute effectively to the development of their co-operatives and are able to inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of co-operation; |
| (f) | Co-operation among Co-operatives requiring co-operatives to serve their members as effectively as possible and strengthen the co-operative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures where possible; and |
| (g) | Concern for Community requiring co-operatives to work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members; |
[Definition substituted by section 1(j) of Notice No. 558, GG 36729, dated 5 August 2013]