Towards effective planning and implementation of the local development initiatives in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The post-apartheid South African government has been promoting participatory planning and implementation of local development initiatives through the new system of developmental local governments and integrated development planning approach. The South African local authorities have been producing their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) since the 2000 local elections. However, the inadequacy in planning and implementation of IDPs hinders the efforts to achieve developmental mandates by local government. This study aims at investigating how to enhance the effectiveness in planning and implementation of IDPs in the local municipalities. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect data from Polokwane, Lepelle-Nkumpi and Aganang local municipalities in Limpopo Province. The finding indicated that the planning and implementation of IDPs has not been effectively addressed by the local municipalities. It was further discovered that the tendency of technocratic top-down approach, failure to fully address the real needs and priorities of the people, lack of mobilistion of locally available resources, difficulty in integration and coordination, poor implementation of projects, and deficiencies in the monitoring and evaluation affects the planning and implementation process of IDPs. Therefore, this study provides the strategic interventions to improve planning and implementation of IDPs. Furthermore, it proposes a framework for strengthening the existing approach to planning and implementation of IDPs. The study is of critical importance in creating a better understanding on enhancing the effectiveness in planning and implementation of IDPs as a tool for developmental local governments in South Africa.