Alternative approaches to community participation beyond formal structures: evidence from Langa within the municipality of Cape Town

Adam Andani

doi:10.5130/cjlg.v0i20.6084

Abstract

While ward committees and Integrated Development Planning (IDP) representative forums constitute formal participatory mechanisms in South Africa’s local government, little is known about the potential of local approaches in enhancing participation in municipal planning. This paper examines alternative approaches to participation based on research conducted in Langa – a township situated on the Cape Flats of Cape Town. The paper highlights approaches to residents’ participation in planning tested during the ‘interregnum’ – the period when ward committees are in abeyance due to elections. The study found that, while IDP participatory processes facilitated awareness of participation, ward councillors were crucial in operationalising participation that reflects the diversity of the community.

Highlights

Alternative approaches to community participation in South AfricaThe notion of participation has enduring currency as an institutional directive and a tool for achieving the objectives of developmental local government (Winkler 2011; Harrison et al 2008) in South Africa
Introduction and background SouthAfrica’s post-apartheid local government legislation emphasises public participation as a prerequisite for consolidating the democratic dispensation
The rationale for public participation is enshrined in and protected by the South African Constitution of 1996, as well as specific policy and legislative instruments: notably the White Paper on Local Government 1998, which mandates municipalities to work with communities to maximise socio-economic development and growth; and the Municipal Structures Act (Act 117 of 1998), which decrees local government to establish structures and modalities through which citizens and communities can participate in the planning and policymaking processes which determine the development of the municipal area

Summary

Alternative approaches to community participation in South Africa

The notion of participation has enduring currency as an institutional directive and a tool for achieving the objectives of developmental local government (Winkler 2011; Harrison et al 2008) in South Africa. Citizens, including civil society groupings such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), ratepayer associations and business organisations are invited to participate and input on local decisions and policies that are designed to promote socio-economic development in the local area These formal spaces provide opportunities for non-state actors to enforce accountability and transparency of elected or appointed local government officials and representatives. Sectional group (or ‘pocket’) meetings Pocket meetings were used by ward councillors to engage community residents and other stakeholders in key local government activities and decision-making This approach, as indicated by the councillors, provided a useful conduit both for disseminating municipal information to residents, and for gathering information on the community’s grievances, needs and priorities. Many residents in these townships continue to grapple with issues of poverty, crime and unemployment, and have poor access to proper nutrition, healthcare and decent housing

Access to basic services

Findings

Conclusion