Abstract
M.A. (Public Management and Governance)
In an effort to correct the injustices of the past, particularly the exclusion of the majority, the South African Government has developed scores of policy frameworks in order to address equity and redress, of which municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and the emphasis on public participation in these processes is central. The IDP forms the statutory basis for a municipality’s policy framework and is also aligned with other resources, including the municipality’s capacity to implement the plan. Although the IDP has been criticised and referred to as a ‘wish list’ in that it supposedly obliges municipalities to make unrealistic plans, it is nonetheless the corner stone of municipal plans, even if only in theory in some municipalities.
Against this background, the question that the research seeks to answer is: What was the level of public participation in Midvaal Local Municipality’s 2011/12 Integrated Development Plan? This qualitative research made use of as questionnaire and individual interviews in order to interpret the phenomena of public participation in the IDP process. Although public participation is useful, there is no ‘one size fits all’ and as a result there is a need for a differentiated approach to its application.
South Africa has an excellent regulatory and policy framework governing public participation and largely strives to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of local government affairs. However, even with such a comprehensive framework, legislation has at times proven to be inadequate in practice and the same can be said with the ‘credibility’ of the IDP.
The research found that the most effective mechanism for public participation in Midvaal was the use of flyers and posters which were provided by the municipality, a method which was also reflected as effective and popular in the literature. To ensure people were fully representative, the municipality held consultations in all but one ward and provided the community with transport to get to the venues; however even with such measures the attendance was very low. Furthermore, it can be said that for public participation to be more effective Midvaal municipality needs to develop strategies to encourage affluent communities to attend meetings and also a need to ensure that the people that do attend the meeting understand what they are about and that they are not platforms for complaining. The research therefore recommends that: there should be enhance public participation mechanisms, the structure of the meeting should be better structured and there should be a focus on public education about the IDP process.