Community driven development in South Africa, 1990-2004

South Africa has a rich history of community-based development which provides a strong foundation for community-driven development (CDD). With the advent of the democratic era in 1994, Government has pursued an explicit strategy to formulate public policy, plan and establish fiscal frameworks that are directly supportive of community empowerment. The frameworks that have been put in place to allow the local sphere to support community empowerment are impressive. Local councils are subject to validation through regular access to free and fair elections. Local government jurisdictions now cover 100 percent of South Africa's land area and all residents of the country, and the 284 local governments are explicitly tasked with responding to most service and infrastructure demands of communities. The planning process of the public sector is driven by Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) that are intended to be based on extensive consultation with communities. The country's medium term planning process plays out in all local government jurisdictions and affords all citizens the opportunity to influence the allocation of public resources to meet community demands. The intergovernmental fiscal framework supports both the governance structure and the IDP process by making predictable and transparent allocations of both unconditional and conditional grants to local governments to meet community demands. The objective of this study was therefore to analyze CDD in South Africa since 1991, the year in which the race-based Group Areas Act was rescinded. The study covers the history, the development of the supporting institutions of decentralization, the degree of community empowerment and capacity development already achieved within that framework, and the obstacles still standing in the way of fully accountable community empowerment and scaling up. The analysis identifies the key policy constraints to improving the implementation of service delivery and development programs across sectors and spheres of government.