This presupposes that for development to be meaningful, such development must be based on a realistic understanding of people's needs. In order for these local government structures to implement development programs, they must be fully aware of the challenges and needs of their constituencies. The government has put in place mechanisms that determine how the process of changing and improving people's lives should unfold.
More specifically, the communicative aspects of such processes form the cornerstone of this study, which has therefore meant that the focus is more on the integrated development plan as outlined in Chapter 4 of the Municipal Systems Act of 2000. This thesis further focuses on an analysis of Among other things, communication processes within the framework of local development, and this will be within the wider framework of the integrated development plan as outlined in the municipal legislation. Information flows have been cited as one of the key elements for the success of developmental or transformative processes.
The South African government saw institutions of local government as very important structures in terms of the provision and delivery of services to the people in various communities. This suggests, in the context of local government, that there can be no success in program or service delivery without the involvement of the people and their leaders, in a structured process of communicative interaction. The vast majority of the literature under review is material developed through qualitative research methods.
The introduction of the new municipal institutions has therefore given the author the opportunity to engage in legislation on the various key provisions on the role of municipalities in promoting development in local communities.
Local Government: Municipal Structures Act
One of the main principles behind this development concept is that there must be an active involvement of the local communities in the form of development planning and implementation. The law stipulates that the local communities must be involved in the development of the municipality's central performance indicators and targets. Under the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, it is mandatory for all municipalities to develop their own integrated development plans.
The participation of the people in the citizen movement must then have been a self-actualization process, as Freire had in mind. Local economic development, as one of the components of the IDP, is therefore crucial and very important. There is also an analysis of the integrated development planning processes of the municipalities of Ugu and Kgalagadi.
The transformation of the institutions of local government led to the establishment of even larger municipalities with very large populations. The IDP process in the eThekwini Municipality began with the formulation of the Long Term Development Framework (LTDF) in May 2001 when the Municipality believed that. The emphasis on people's participation in all processes related to IDP indicates the underlying philosophy that characterizes governance in South Africa.
This vision of the eThekwini Municipality emphasizes the principles outlined in the IDP that citizens must participate in their development. As for the beneficiaries, he argues that "people's participation has to be empowered. I come from an NGO background where there was a lot of community involvement in the project mainly around capacity building.
The final Integrated Development Plan also provided for the management of the municipality's performance in relation to the implementation of the IDP. This is a clear indication of the importance of the Integrated Development Planning process to ensure and promote community participation. In the case of the eThekwini Municipality, some of the areas incorporated into its jurisdiction were severely lacking in infrastructure.
The population distribution in Msunduzi municipality is such that "60% of the town's residents live in the Edendale and Vulindlela areas" (Msunduzi 2002: 25). However, there seems to be some difference of opinion regarding the degree of community involvement in the IDP process of Msunduzi municipality.
Other Perspectives On Msunduzi Municipality
The existence of development committees in the rural areas of the municipality delayed the formation of these neighborhood committees. The resistance from traditional leaders in the area is an indication of the need for more cooperation with the traditional leadership institution to ensure that development becomes a reality. One of the main issues that emerged is the need for training and development of counselors so that they can contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities.
Participation levels in Msunduzi Municipality are also linked to the historical division of areas. All stakeholders were involved in the process to identify their needs, but private sector involvement was somewhat limited. Especially in the municipality of Kgalagadi, the involvement of white, large and wealthy companies was largely absent.
There was also a restriction on the participation of large numbers of people and many other civil society groups. The establishment of departmental committees was one of the mechanisms that enabled people's participation in the IDP process. The active involvement of citizens in the IDP process has also meant that people are informed of everything they should expect in terms of the nature and quality of services they should expect from their local authorities or municipalities.
One of the key issues highlighted in the Environmental Assessment Unit's research concerns the very limited revenue base for some municipalities. The church would therefore need the ability to listen to the needs of the people as they deal with the daily realities of their lives. This is in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Structure Act and the Municipal System Act, which prescribe community participation.
The community participation mechanisms created by eThekwini and Msunduzi municipalities differed greatly, mainly because they were two different structures in terms of categories of municipalities as defined in the Municipal Structures Act. On the one hand, eThekwini municipality does not have district committees, while in Msunduzi municipality, these structures are the foundation of the municipality. Public participation mechanisms did not address differences in terms of people's level of trust.
The limitation of these mechanisms to the affluent communities is due to the lack of access to such facilities in the working class communities due to the cost implications. Community participation is therefore a catalyst for meaningful development, which meets the needs of the people.
