Public Participation in the Integrated Development Plan: A Case of Madibeng Local Municipality, North-West Province

Abstract

This study is premised on the argument that the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) remains an integral platform for engaging local communities through inclusive participation in the planning, implementation and reviewing of service delivery priorities. When processes, as outlined in the legislative prescripts, are not rolled out accordingly, there is a risk of public officials using IDPs as a compliance tool, while local communities consequently turn it into a platform for contestation of competing development interests. This research explores the role of public participation in the IDP processes with specific attention drawn to the Madibeng Local Municipality in the North-West province. I argue that; while public participation remains an important pillar for facilitating consultative governance within local municipalities; different understandings of its purpose and processes, coupled with longstanding service delivery challenges, have turned the IDP processes into a platform for interrogating service delivery needs for communities whereas public officials view it as a compliance process despite it not yielding positive results. This is regardless of the provisions in the South African Constitution and other acts that govern municipalities that provide processes for inclusive government and obligates local government to adhere to these. Thus, continued service delivery related protests in Madibeng Local Municipality, that are over a decade old, suggest that there is a disjuncture between the service delivery priorities as articulated by community members and the actual services that are delivered on the ground by the municipality. Therefore, the argument pursued in this report suggests that democratisation of IDPs to open up for meaningful participation by allowing communities to lead the process, has an opportunity to transform IDPs into an effective process for effective service delivery and development.

The study employs an explanatory research design to understand how and why Madibeng Local Municipality reports influx of service delivery related protests when it is not exempted from the local government legislative prescript that guide the processes of inclusive governance. Evidence presented throughout the report draws from a qualitative research design that triangulates semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation as the main methods of data collection. Data was collected to interrogate the dislocation between what the legislation dictates insofar public participation in the IDP and the ensuing implementation thereof.