EThekwini Municipality's economic developmentrelated capital programmes: Improving the prospects of the urban poor?

Abstract

Considerable attention has been focused on post-apartheid urban development challenges facing local government in South Africa. Much of this attention has reflected the national priority areas of basic needs and housing-related delivery priorities. However, there is a growing body of research and writing which examines the local economic development agendas and activities of local government in South Africa's cities. This paper examines one such city, namely Durban. The intention of the paper is to understand the policy intent underlying the design of local government-funded, economic-oriented capital investments that have been managed within the context of municipal local economic development programmes. The paper also provides some preliminary reflections on impacts.