A Public Participation Modelfor Integrated DevelopmentPlanning in Local Government

Abstract

South Africa's public participation practices bear much significance due to thecountry's history of separate development and planning. Public participation inthe integrated development planning (IDP) process is regarded as instrumental topromote partnerships between local government and communities in addressinglocal development priorities and concerns. The purpose of this article is to nar-rate findings of an empirical investigation performed to investigate the current IDPpublic participation mechanisms in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality (CoM)with the purpose of supporting effective and efficient public participation mecha-nisms within their IDP process by embracing innovative and emerging methods thatwould increase public participation. Following a qualitative, case study researchdesign, the study revealed that municipalities in general struggle to adhere to theirconstitutional developmental mandate and statutory and moral obligation to fostercommunity engagement in development planning. In response, a public participa-tion model is proposed to enhance local democracy and promote engagement ofkey actors during all phases of the IDP cycle.