Abstract
Land Use Management Systems and their accompanying regulations were historically been utilised by the apartheid government as a tool to divide South African communities both ethnically and spatially. South Africa after the apartheid has come under tremendous stress to revitalise cities and promote harmony and inclusivity among the nation's communities. The post-apartheid government has implemented several legislative frameworks and land use management systems to correct erstwhile spatial and administrative inequalities and create new urban spaces to meet the above developmental objectives. Every municipality in the Republic has been obligated to abide by the provisions of the Municipal Systems Act (MSA) and the Spatial Planning and Land Use Managent Act (SPLUMA) which, among other things, impose requirements for the creation of a spatial development framework (SDF), which must comprise the provision of fundamental guidelines for the municipality's land use system. SPLUMA stipulates that each local municipality develop a land use plan that encompasses the entire municipal area. However, land use management systems and regulations do not come without challenges, and there are always grounds for improvement. Implementing and enforcing land use management systems is typically more difficult for rural municipalities, especially in R293 townships. Rigid land use management enforcement in townships is almost impossible except where other laws exists, which makes it unfeasible to achieve something without first obtaining municipal approval. Land use schemes that seek to control and manage developments in most townships only came in as part of SPLUMA requirements, but irregular land use activities have been practiced from the establishment of these townships for over 30-50 years. This study examined the efficiency of land use management systems and regulaions in the R293 townships. The main aim of this paper was to determine what planning and development legislation the post-apartheid administration enacted to change the economic conditions in townships. The study used qualitative research techniques like interviews and questionnaires to address the issue.