Abstract
The study investigated the involvement of traditional leaders in the integrated development
planning and implementation processes within the context of the Bushbuckridge Local
Municipality. Traditional leaders in South Africa remain instrumental, positively impacting rural
areas and the broader nation (Koenane, 2017:1). Employing a qualitative approach, the
research sought to elucidate the experiences of seven traditional leaders through face-to-face
semi-structured interviews. In terms of theoretical underpinnings, stakeholder and
collaborative planning theories were adopted to explore stakeholder engagement and
integrated development planning in municipalities. Thematic analysis was applied to scrutinise
the gathered data. Findings uncovered a deficiency in the participation of traditional leaders
in the municipality's integrated development planning and implementation processes.
Consequently, a misalignment emerged between the municipality's IDP document and the
authentic needs of the community, negatively impacting the delivery of municipal services to
rural areas. Traditional leaders are only informed and consulted when the municipality is on
the verge of executing a service delivery project in their areas. The study also identified the
necessity for enhanced communication between traditional leaders and the municipality,
pointing out the ineffectiveness of the communication channels utilised by the municipality for
disseminating information to traditional leaders. The study recommends the establishment of
an engagement space, resembling a forum, to facilitate direct input from traditional leaders at
all stages of the IDP. Importantly, the study's findings are not generalizable to other
municipalities, given the restricted sample, which exclusively focused on one municipality.
Key Words
Traditional Leaders, Integrated Development Planning, Stakeholder Engagement,
Implementation Processes and Engagement of Traditional Leaders.