This paper reports the results of a study conducted in several former homeland towns in South Africa aimed at assessing the nature of urban growth constraints. The methodology involved an analysis of the spatial development framework (SDF) of the main homeland towns, the use of recent statistics on population size and reference to annual reports of individual local municipalities in which these towns are located. The findings indicate that current land use allocations often depart from expectations of conventional development planning; that growth is constrained by problems of urban land access, location, investment, state policy, a non-conducive legislative environment, the collapse of the manufacturing sector, capital flight, a small working middle class, gross mismanagement and corruption in urban governance structures, failure to provide and maintain infrastructure, poor social services, large scale net out-migration of people from the rural countryside to the largest cities. What are imposed on this platform are shortcomings in political leadership and management capacity cumulatively paralysing the growth potential of most homeland towns. © Kamla-Raj 2011