Examining the role played by civil society organisations in the Amatole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province: opportunities and constraints

Abstract

This paper is an assessment of challenges faced by civil society organisations (CSO) over time in Amathole District Municipality, which mostly deal with vulnerable groups. A significant amount of effort and money has been channelled by South African civil society to assist vulnerable groups in society to protect their interests, and to establish and implement programs and strategies to help them. The study investigated the role of civil society organisations in the delivery of services, with a particular reference to six civil society organisations. The study used a form of case study with data obtained from the six selected CSOs using semi-structured interviews conducted by the researcher himself, as well as record analysis to complement methods of data collection. The study results showed that SCOs have a major role to play in public spaces as well as assisting the government in enforcing policy despite poor support.