Abstract
Poverty reduction has been a consistent theme in South Africa since 1994. However, there is evidence of unrest, rising unemployment rates and a substantive number of people living in absolute poverty, struggling for basic needs such as access to clean water and sanitation, shelter and food. These struggles are also exacerbated by the advent of COVID-19 pandemic which has had a negative impact on the socio-economic progress of the country. Against this context, the study suggests the application of design thinking (DT) to add a human centred element to Strategic communication and community engagement. This suggestion hopes to encourage the co-design of innovative approaches with stakeholders who are faced with these complex challenges. As a design-led researcher, this study positions me as a steward for enhanced interactions between those who have the capacity to implement community development projects and the beneficiaries. The study findings support the notion that stakeholder engagement should start with the community members and end with the community members themselves as this allows research to be conducted with them as opposed to on them. Keywords: Stakeholder Engagement, Design Thinking, Service Design Thinking, Strategic Communication, Sustainable Solution.
M.A. (Corporate Communication)