Exploring the implementation and impact of developmental local government projects on socio-economic well-being of Sweetwaters Community uMsunduzi Local Municipality.

Abstract

In South Africa, since 1994, when the democratic government came into power, the development issue has been raised as one of the government's priorities. The government promised to transform the citizens' livelihoods through development and provide quality, effective and efficient services. Rural development was identified as one of the government's priorities to ensure community well-being. As a result, local governments were mandated to ensure rural development and provide quality service delivery to improve communities' living conditions and inclusion. However, rural communities still face challenges of exclusion and non-implementation of development programmes in South Africa. Therefore, this study explored the impact of local government developmental programmes or initiatives on the socio-economic and well-being of the Sweetwaters community in the uMsunduzi local municipality. The research methodology adopted in this study was a qualitative approach. Therefore, fifteen (N=15) participants, including community leaders and senior community members, participated using in-depth semi-structured interviews. In addition, NVIVO computer software was used for data analyses. The study's findings revealed a high level of exclusion when developmental projects are implemented. Further, the issue of corruption from the community leaders also came up. The result also suggested that the local government does not contact communities to understand which project should be prioritized. Further, local governments implement what they feel is right and exclude the community in decision-making, resulting in no improvement or resentment from the community.