Abstract
M.A.
The complexity and nature of South Africa's socio-economic problems have
stirred the need for an innovative approach and strategy towards development.
The African National Congress's Reconstruction and Development ProgramMe
(RDP) has therefore been adopted by the Government of National Unity
in 1994 to redress injustices and imbalances in our society, many of which
have been created by apartheid.
The past saw the formation of 'homelands' and the subsequent establishment
of development corporations which were meant to drive 'development' in these
areas. The new democratic dispensation therefore calls for these institutions
to appreciate the shifts in development thinking, thus aligning themselves
with the RDP.
This study therefore looks at the role which the development corporations
can play in the implementation of the RDP. This however, does not suggest
that they are the only institutions able to do so, but that their transformation
could result in them making a positive contribution to this Programme.
Specific reference to the Northern Province, being comprised of
three former homelands, is made in the study. Much emphasis is placed upon
how the provincial development corporation (established through the merging
of the three former corporations), can apply the principles of the RDP, as
well as contribute towards the implementation of its key programmes. Strategies
and approaches are proposed in this regard.