Abstract
Background: In local government, rural communities are encouraged to participate in local economic development (LED) initiatives such as cooperative development and small-scale farming programmes. However, these communities lack the capacities to participate effectively in these LED initiatives. There is limited research on how the capacities of rural communities to effectively participate in LED initiatives can be measured.
Aim: This article aimed to assess the capacity of citizens to participate in LED initiatives in the Great Kei Municipality.
Setting: This article draws on the capability approach, human capital and social capital as analytical lenses to analyse the capacities of rural communities that participate in LED processes in the Great Kei Local Municipality (GKLM).
Methods: A qualitative case study research methodology was adopted for this research. The purposive sampling and semi-structured interview methods were used to select and collect data from 35 participants from Qumrha, Morgan Bay and Cintsa within the GKLM. The collected data were analysed by using the thematic analysis method.
Results: The findings indicate that citizens’ lack of knowledge and skills, as well as lack of access to social networks and connections for LED, affects their ability to participate; the GKLM lacks adequate financial, human and technical resources to build the capacity of rural communities to participate effectively in LED processes.
Conclusion: The article concludes that all the human, social, and institutional capital challenges are affecting the effective implementation of LED initiatives in the communities within the GKLM.
Contribution: This article contributes to LED academic and policy implementation debates by demonstrating how rural communities can be capacitated to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes of LED initiatives of the Great Kei Local Municipality.
Keywords: capabilities approach; human capital; social capital; local government; Local Economic Development; Great Kei Municipality; Eastern Cape; South Africa.
Introduction
Global and African development literature positions the capacity of rural communities to participate in Local Economic Development (LED) initiatives as fundamental to inclusive growth and poverty reduction. In the African context, limited community capacity in rural areas constrains participation, weakens decentralised development processes and reduces the effectiveness of LED interventions in responding to local development priorities (Helmsing 2003; Nel & Rogerson 2016; OECD 2015; Rogerson & Nel 2019; UNDP 2016).
In South Africa, Section 152 (1) (e) of the Constitution promotes community participation in local government, while Section 153 (a) authorises municipalities to promote the social and economic development of their communities. Municipalities promote economic development through their LED programmes. In the South African context, LED is important for job creation and for increasing income levels. It is intended to empower the most vulnerable, marginalised and the poor to be able to raise sufficient incomes to meet their basic needs and aspirations. Rural communities are expected to participate in LED programmes to access job opportunities and reduce poverty (Nel 2019; Roman & Ruiters 2020). Stakeholder participants in LED, such as rural community members, municipal officials and local authority figures, lack varied capacities to participate in these initiatives (Campbell 1992; Pakade-Yokwana 2018).
The literature reviewed focuses on the capacities of rural communities to participate in LED programmes implemented at the local government level. Local Economic Development in the South African municipal context is inherently multi-sectoral, with municipalities expected to stimulate local economic growth, reduce poverty and create employment opportunities through coordinated interventions across different parts of the economy (Koma 2012). Key sectors that contribute to LED include agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, trade, construction, finance and the creative industries, each providing distinct opportunities for local participation and enterprise development.
The concept of capacity in the public sector involves the set of skills, capabilities and resources necessary to perform policy functions, from the provision of public services to policy design and implementation (Wu, Howlett & Ramesh 2017). According to Mazzucato, Qobo and Kattel (2022), municipalities face significant capacity weaknesses, which often constrain their ability to effectively implement development initiatives and respond to community needs. These capacities include inadequate administrative capacity that led to ineffective policy implementation (Edoun & Rameetse 2023). Moreover, because of their geographical location (Local Government Sector, Education and Training (LGSETA) 2023), municipalities also struggle to attract officials who possess the necessary skills and professional competencies required to effectively manage and implement local development programmes (Khambule & Mtapuri 2018). The pool of skills and resources is found to be larger in urban areas because competent and capacitated officials tend to come from educated backgrounds and prefer to reside in urban areas (Khambule & Mtapuri 2018). Local municipalities also lack the necessary finances, resources and skills to execute the LED function (Meyer & Venter 2013). Additionally, in LED, differences in stakeholders’ resources, knowledge, influence and networks affect the willingness and ability of communities to participate effectively in LED initiatives (Campbell 1992; Pakade-Yokwana 2018).
Moreover, local government capacity deficiencies are linked to the absence of clarity of purpose (Meyer-Stamer 2005) and the absence of clarity on the origins of capacity in the public sector (Mazzucato & Kattel 2020). Moreover, many municipalities are unclear about the meaning of LED and how to implement it. The key role players, such as the national government, provinces, municipalities, civil society and the private sector, are unclear about how to participate in LED, resulting in different players having different understandings and interpretations of the LED policy (Meyer-Stamer 2005).
Literature reveals that communities with limited capacity are less likely to get organised and engage in community issues such as LED (Imbaya et al. 2019; Lovell et al. 2015). Community capacity is:
[T]he interaction of human, organisational and social capital existing within a given community that can be leveraged to solve collective problems and improve or maintain the well-being of a community. (Chaskin 2001:4)
Consequently, community capacity is a crucial factor in enhancing community participation and for effective implementation of LED interventions (Atinga, Agyepong & Esena 2019; Howard-Grabman et al. 2017; Laverack 2014). It further reveals that community participation influences community capacity (Aref & Redzuan 2009; Laverack 2014; Lovell et al. 2015; Moreno, Noguchi & Harder 2017). Atinga et al. (2019) argue that community capacity determines the communities’ abilities to mobilise, network and collectively participate in LED, while weak community capacity can result in poor access to resources, a lower sense of community and weaker community connections (Imbaya et al. 2019; Lovell et al. 2015).
The authors above indicate that there are significant capacity weaknesses at the local government level, which include inadequate administrative capacities, resources to enhance capacities, failure to attract competent officials and differences in stakeholders’ capacities. These weaknesses affect the promotion and implementation of LED in rural communities. Literature also revealed that community participation influences community capacities. In light of the above local government weaknesses, Nel (2019) argues that there is little research that explores community capacity and the current public participation processes on LED initiatives. He further argued that most local municipalities, if not all, in South Africa would benefit from research that provides insights into how communities use their capacities to participate in LED initiatives. This study contributes to the existing knowledge by providing insights into the existing capacities of rural communities and how they can be enhanced and insights into how existing community capacities affect their involvement in LED processes and initiatives. Having discussed these elements, we discuss in the following section the theoretical framework that helps to theoretically understand the capacities of rural communities.
The article theoretically draws from Amartya Sen’s capability approach, human capital, social capital and participatory development as the conceptual lens to understand the capacities of rural communities to participate in LED initiatives in the Great Kei Local Municipality (GKLM). The capabilities approach acknowledges the centrality of a diversity of economic, social, financial and other material capabilities in realising the well-being of individuals and communities on one hand (see Nussbaum 2011; Sen 1983, 1989). The capability approach helps to understand the capacities and incapacities of people to actively participate in decision-making processes in the LED initiatives. Human capital refers to skills and capabilities that are of immediate value in the workforce (Sweetland 1996:356). Human capital theory is used to analyse the skills and knowledge (Bowles & Gintis 1975) of rural communities to participate in LED initiatives. Human capital can also be combined with other forms of capital, such as social capital, as is the case in this article. Putman (1995) explains that social capital is civic engagement created through participation in voluntary associations and an aspect of social structure that facilitates forms of action and cooperation (Coleman 1988). Social capital thrives on social networks, and these networks link people to each other and to their community and society (Falk & Kilpatrick 2000). Social capital is used to analyse how rural community networks assist in enhancing the capacities to participate in LED initiatives. Participatory development is about ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of formal development programmes in a community by involving local and external actors to work together on a particular project (Mohan 2007). Participatory development is used to analyse whether human and social capital contribute to enhance participation of rural communities in their LED initiatives.
The GKLM forms part of the Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province. It is the smallest of the six municipalities in the district. The municipality covers an area of 1421 square kilometres and has a population of about 38 991 (GKLM 2021). The GKLM is a category B municipality (i.e. one or two small towns with the majority of the municipal area being rural in nature) (Municipalities of South Africa 2021). This research focused on the rural side, which included areas like Komga (now Qumrha), as shown in the map in Figure 1. Thus, data were collected from participants who are rural residents serviced by the GKLM.
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FIGURE 1: Great Kei Municipality in the Eastern Cape Map (Amathole District Municipality, 2021). |
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This article aimed to assess the capacity of citizens to participate in LED initiatives in the Great Kei Municipality.
Research design and methodology
This study employed a qualitative exploratory case study to allow for the use of a variety of evidence from different sources, such as documents and interviews (Creswell 2009). The researchers used qualitative sampling techniques to make sampling choices that enable them to deepen their understanding of whatever phenomenon is under study (Creswell 2009). The study used a purposive sampling method, which is selected based on characteristics of a population and the objective of the study (Creswell 2009). The case studied was the GKLM, which is divided into six wards. The study participants were drawn from three wards, namely ward three under Qumrha (previously referred to as Komga on the above map), ward five under Morgan Bay and ward six under Chintsa. The GKLM was chosen because of its significant number of LED initiatives that promote public participation. Local Economic Development is one of the critical initiatives included in the objectives of local government and hence forms part of the important functions of municipalities (Municipal Structures Act 1998). Semi-structured interviews were used to allow the interviewing process to be as flexible as possible (Collins 2010) to get adequate unstructured information on LED in the GKLM. The researchers used semi-structured interviews with 30 local community members and five key informants who are involved in LED. The key informants were one chief, one economic development practitioner, one public participation officer and two ward councillors. Key informants were purposively identified based on their institutional roles, responsibilities and direct involvement in, or influence over, LED processes in the GKLM. Individuals occupying positions with strategic knowledge of LED policy implementation, community engagement and governance were deliberately selected to ensure access to informed and authoritative perspectives. After gathering data through semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis was applied as it is more applicable to the qualitative research methodology. The researchers systematically collected and analysed interview transcripts to gain a better understanding of the phenomena. Different themes that were related to the main research question were coded and classified to easily answer the research question and address the objectives of the research. These themes are presented in Figure 2.
Ethical considerations
An application for full ethical approval was made to the Rhodes University Human Ethics Committee and ethics consent was received on 23 November 2020. The ethics approval number is 2020-1653-4820. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in the study.
Results
This article aimed to assess the capacity of citizens to participate in LED initiatives in the Great Kei Municipality. The article focused on community capacities to participate in LED. In this article, community capacity is the connection between human, social and institutional capitals existing in rural communities, which should be leveraged to solve collective problems and improve the LED of rural communities (Chaskin 2001). The article analyses how age, human, social and institutional capitals existing in the studied rural communities within the GKLM contributed to rural community participation in LED initiatives implemented by the GKLM. Figure 2 presents themes and sub-themes that emerged from the data analysis. At a community level, the themes were human and social capital, and the sub-themes were age, level of education, skills and knowledge for participation in LED. At the municipal level, the themes were institutional and human capital, and the sub-themes were knowledge gaps in LED, inadequate resources in LED and inadequate knowledge and skills. The findings in relation to these themes and sub-themes are presented in Figure 2.
Age groups of participants
Out of 30 community members who participated in this study, 12 (40%) were aged between 31 and 40 years, followed by nine (30%) who were in the age group of 40 to 50 years. Six community members were aged between 21 and 30 years, representing 20% of the total participants, while the remaining three participants, accounting for 10%, fell within the 51–60 age group. The findings indicate that most participants involved in LED initiatives are between the ages of 31 and 50, while a smaller proportion of participants are under the age of 31. This outcome suggests that LED participation is largely driven by individuals in their economically active years. For LED processes, it is important that participants across these age groups leverage existing social networks and intergenerational connections to enhance their knowledge of LED and to access opportunities that may be more familiar to other age cohorts. One of the participants had the following to say about social trust, networks and social connections:
‘In our communities, we value honesty, reliability and integrity in our dealings with one another. Trust is reinforced through acts of kindness, keeping one’s word, and demonstrating genuine concern for the well-being of others. Our social networks and shared norms serve as a safety net during difficult times. Knowing that you have a community to lean on provides a sense of security and resilience. Whether it is during difficult economic times, coping with natural disasters or navigating personal crises, the support and solidarity of our community help us overcome challenges together.’ (Participant 7, 52, Female)
The quote reveals that there is a strong sense of trust and social networks in the GKLM communities. However, they have not been used to the communities’ advantage to enhance participation in LED.
Level of education, skills and knowledge of participants
Table 1 reveals the level of education of the study participants who participate in their LED projects. Table 1 shows that the level of education was one of the socio-economic variables that determined the capacity of the study participants’ performance in LED initiatives of the GKLM.
| TABLE 1: Educational information of the research participants (N = 30). |
Table 1 shows that the participants have different levels of education, while the majority have matric as the highest academic qualification. This group is followed by 30% who indicated that they had qualifications below matric level. Of the participants, 20% indicated that they had obtained certificates after matric, while 10% had diplomas. Considering the number of participants who had at least a matric certificate and above as their highest level of qualification, we can assume that the study participants had basic education. This conclusion implies that their access to knowledge is at a basic level and that it influences their ability to participate in LED.
Table 1 shows that the highest qualification of the participants was matric, which is basic education. Additionally, this fact has also been noted by Participant 1 as follows:
‘From my perspective, there is a noticeable gap in the skills and qualifications required for effective economic development in rural areas. Many communities do not have individuals with formal education or training in economic development practices. Access to education and training programs is a significant challenge. Many rural areas lack institutions offering relevant courses or workshops.’ (Participant 1, 38, Male)
The above quotes explain that basic education is inadequate to make a meaningful contribution to LED. Participants 4 and 7 also share the same sentiments. Participant 4 said:
‘There is limited access to quality education and training programs is a significant challenge. Many rural areas lack educational institutions or vocational training centres offering courses relevant to economic development.’ (Participant 4, 41, Male)
Additionally, Participant 7 said:
‘Many individuals in these communities lack training in accessing local resources and identifying viable economic opportunities. Additionally, skills in project management, financial planning and stakeholder engagement are often deficient.’ (Participant 7, 52, Female)
The findings from the above quotations by Participants 4 and 7 correlate with the findings in Table 1, which showed that only 3% of the study participants have a diploma as their highest qualification. Diplomas equip people with expert knowledge and training, which would enhance the community members’ ability to meaningfully participate in LED.
Most study participants said that the English language has been a barrier to their participation in the LED initiatives because the municipal documents are written in English, and LED stakeholders’ meetings organised by the municipality are conducted in English. Table 1 showed that 30% of the participants have less than matric and 40% are with matric, which means that their command of English was basic. In the words of Participant 7:
‘On several occasions, I have encountered situations where language differences made it difficult to communicate effectively with municipal officials or access essential services. Whether it’s filling out forms, understanding regulations written in English or seeking assistance, the language barrier often creates frustration and confusion.’ (Participant 7, 52, Female)
Additionally, Participant 16 said:
‘English affects what we hear in stakeholder meetings and affects our participation. It makes us feeling small and making it harder for community members like myself to fully engage with our government or exercise our rights as citizens.’ (Participant 6, 56, Female)
The above quotes from Participants 7 and 16 reveal how language incapacitated the rural community members in LED. Moreover, a community member noted that she had never participated in LED initiatives as a result of a lack of knowledge of what to contribute to the LED projects, ‘I haven’t been educated on decision-making process on LED projects; hence, I feel like I do not have necessary skills’ (Participant 14). Another concurred with her sentiment and said that she is unfamiliar with how to contribute her views on LED initiatives:
‘Truly speaking, I don’t know what ideas to contribute towards LED initiatives, I just see those who are graduates and skilled contributing, especially the public officials who happen to know about the local economic development projects.’ (Participant 15, 35, Male)
Social networks and trust in rural communities within Great Kei Local Municipality
The findings show that people in these communities are connected. For instance, Participant 13 said:
‘In our community, we are connected. We have close-knit relationships that extend beyond immediate families to neighbours, friends and even acquaintances. Much of our interaction happens face-to-face, whether it is at community events, local gatherings or simply while running errands in our community.’ (Participant 13, 43, Male)
This quote confirms the existence of social capital in the GKLM rural communities. The presence of social capital is also emphasised by Participant 12 as follows:
‘Our social networks and shared norms serve as a safety net during difficult times. Knowing that you have a community to lean on provides a sense of security and resilience. Whether it is during difficult economic times, coping with natural disasters or navigating personal crises, the support and solidarity of our community help us overcome challenges together.’ (Participant 12, 36, Female)
The above quotes by Participants 13 and 12 indicate that there are existing strong social networks, which should be leveraged to enhance meaningful participation of GKLM rural communities on LED.
Knowledge gaps in local economic development for Great Kei Local Municipality
All the practitioners interviewed in GKLM indicated that there is a lack of understanding of the local economy and LED and how to implement it. For instance, the LED practitioner said:
‘One of the main challenges we face is a lack of comprehensive understanding of our local economy and its dynamics. Without accurate data and analysis, it’s difficult to identify key sectors for growth, assess market demand or evaluate the impact of our interventions. This lack of knowledge hampers our ability to make informed decisions and prioritise investments effectively.’ (Participant 17, 33, Male)
The quote denotes a lack of understanding of the local economies and of LED. The quote further shows the implication of inadequate knowledge on local economies and LED in decision-making and LED prioritisation.
Inadequate municipal resources on local economic development
The findings indicate that LED in GKLM has inadequate resources to achieve their goals. Their resource gaps include a lack of knowledge, research incapacity and financial constraints. For instance, the LED practitioner said:
‘We try to gather as much information as we can through surveys, consultations with local businesses and collaborations with regional economic development agencies. However, our resources are often stretched thin, and we don’t always have the expertise or capacity to conduct in-depth research or analysis. As a result, our understanding of the local economy remains somewhat fragmented and incomplete. If we continue to operate with inadequate knowledge and resources, we risk missing out on opportunities for economic growth and development.’ (Participant 16, 33, Male)
This further reveal that the GKLM need to come up with and create ways of enhancing resource capacity and knowledge (i.e. human capital) as these factors directly influence its ability to implement LED effectively. It is not only human capital that has weakened in the GKLM but also financial capital, because financial constraints affect GKLM’s ability to acquire expertise on research. According to the LED Practitioner:
‘Budgetary limitations restrict our ability to fund initiatives, hire specialised staff or invest in infrastructure and capacity-building programs. Without adequate resources, it is challenging to implement comprehensive strategies or respond effectively to emerging economic opportunities or challenges.’ (Participant 17, 33, Male)
The LED practitioner recommended how the GKLM can enhance their resource constraints as follows:
‘One approach could involve strengthening partnerships and collaboration with other stakeholders, such as academic institutions, research organisations or private sector firms. By pooling resources and expertise, we can leverage external knowledge and capabilities to supplement our own efforts. Additionally, advocating for increased funding and support from higher levels of government could help alleviate some of the resource constraints we face.’ (Participant 17, 33, Male)
The quote above resonates with the acquisition capacities through social capital and speaks to the need for the GKLM to establish social networks and connections with academic institutions, with research institutes to close the knowledge gaps and with the private sector to access financial investors. The GKLM networks and connections with academic and research institutes ensure that the GKLM gets expert knowledge on local economies and LED. This network can include academic institutions participating in engaged research in rural communities within GKLM to enhance the communities’ understanding of the English language, computer literacy and how to apply for LED funding for cooperatives and LED in general.
Discussion
The key findings above also touched on the importance of age in LED, which enabled community members to create social networks and maintain generational connections (i.e. social capital) to enhance their knowledge of LED and to access opportunities that may be more familiar to other age cohorts. The literature agrees that increasing social networks and connections can improve community well-being through LED (Chaskin 2001) and help them access resources (Atinga et al. 2019; Imbaya et al. 2019).
The findings also focused on the education of participants showing that most of them had matric as the highest qualification. This denotes the existence of human capital within GKLM. Even though the majority had matric as the highest qualification, English was a barrier for participation on others. According to Sen (1992), education is a critical socio-economic determinant of individuals’ capacity to participate in development processes. This was evident in the way study participants engaged with the LED initiatives of the GKLM, as their understanding of LED concepts influenced both the depth and quality of their participation. The findings demonstrate the need to enhance capacities of community members to improve their participation on LED. Chaskin (2001) also argues that enhanced community capacity can improve the well-being of a community and they are a crucial factor for effective implementation of LED interventions (Atinga et al. 2019; Howard-Grabman et al. 2017; Laverack 2014).
The findings above on the English language as a barrier for LED are confirmed in the literature, which indicates that language barriers limit the capacity of rural communities to engage in LED (Imbaya et al. 2019; Lovell et al. 2015). Additionally, community capacity determines the communities’ abilities to network and collectively participate in LED (Atinga et al. 2019), and this factor means that those who are not proficient in English can struggle to create LED networks and connections (Imbaya et al. 2019) with unilingual English speakers. The English language weakened the rural communities’ capacities, resulting in poor communication skills to access resources (Lovell et al. 2015). Additionally, the English language barrier indicates that the limited education of some community members affects networking abilities for LED. The GKLM context shows how human capital can affect social capital, while social capital thrives on social networks (Falk & Kilpatrick 2000).
The participants quoted in the findings admitted that their English proficiency affected their confidence in participation. Therefore, improving English proficiency is one of the capacities that are necessary for community members to engage with municipal officials and contribute to LED initiatives in a more informed and constructive way (Mokoena & Molepo 2024; Moschidis & Ismyrlis 2018). The South African national policy frameworks emphasise that strengthening human capacity at the local level is essential for improving LED outcomes, particularly in rural municipalities in which skill shortages limit community engagement (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) 2023). This GKLM study agrees with CoGTA (2023) and with Bardales-Cárdenas et al. (2024), who argue that when local people are better equipped with the right skills and knowledge, their participation becomes substantive and contributes to more responsive and inclusive development processes.
The limited access to capacitation opportunities is one of the key constraints affecting community participation in LED in the GKLM. Therefore, community capacitation is a necessary at GKLM to enhance participation for effective implementation of LED interventions (Atinga et al. 2019; Howard-Grabman et al. 2017; Laverack 2014). This move will enable community members to have a voice in decision-making processes and implementation of LED initiatives, as articulated by Bardales-Cardenas et al. (2024).
The findings indicated that there are knowledge gaps in the form of a lack of understanding of the local economy and LED and how to implement it. The findings are similar to an argument by Meyer-Stamer (2005) that many municipalities are unclear about the meaning of LED and how to implement it. This lack of clarity also affects LED stakeholders’ understanding and interpretations of the LED policy (Koma 2012; Mazzucato & Kattel 2020).
The findings denote that GKLM has inadequate resources, including a lack of knowledge, research incapacity and financial constraints. This finding implies that GKLM is experiencing institutional capital challenges. The literature substantiates that GKLM is not the only municipality with financial constraints; rather, other local municipalities also lack the necessary finances, resources and skills to execute the LED function (Meyer & Venter 2013; Modise 2025). Additionally, the literature showed that rural municipalities tend to find it hard to attract skilled people because of their geographical location and because competent and capacitated officials prefer to reside in urban areas (Khambule & Mtapuri 2018; Mthiyane, Wissink & Chiwawa 2022).
Conclusion
This article assessed the capacity of citizens to participate in LED initiatives in the Great Kei Municipality. The findings revealed that there are inadequate human and social capital for the GKLM communities. They are lacking capacities in the form of knowledge, skills, English language, social network, social connections. Additionally, there are inadequate institutional capacities from the GKLM as they currently have financial, human resources, knowledge and research constraints. All these human, social and institutional capital challenges are affecting the effective implementation of LED initiatives in the communities within the GKLM. The article contributes to knowledge in LED by providing insight into existing community capacities for participation in local economic development initiatives. It also shows existing municipality capacities to implement LED in rural communities and capacities for facilitating community participation in LED. The article further reveals weaknesses in human and social capital during the implementation of LED initiatives in rural communities. This article recommends that the GKLM to partner with Civil Society Organisations and embark on skills training programmes for both council officials and the communities to ensure the capacitation of every stakeholder in the decision-making process and the implementation of the developmental projects. Municipalities must channel sufficient resources towards public participation processes to help educate and conscientise citizens to participate. The study recommends that the GKLM strengthen and expand its social networks and strategic partnerships with academic institutions, research organisations, and the private sector. Collaborations with academic and research institutes are essential to provide expert knowledge on local economies and local economic development and help address existing knowledge gaps. Engagement with the private sector is also recommended to enhance access to financial investors and other key resources, supporting more sustainable and effective local economic initiatives. This can include academic institutions participating in engaged research in rural communities within GKLM to enhance the communities understanding of the English language, computer literacy, how to apply for LED funding for cooperatives and local economic development in general. Lastly, we recommend that the GKLM communities leverage the existing social capital to improve enhance their community participation for effective implementation of LED interventions and to increase their networking so that they can access resources elsewhere.
Acknowledgements
This article is based on research originally conducted as part of Ayanda Sondara’s master’s thesis titled Public participation processes in local economic development initiatives. The case study of the Great Kei Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, submitted to the Faculty of Humanities in the Department of Sociology, Rhodes University in 2022. The thesis was supervised by Dr Lungile Penxa. The manuscript has since been revised and adapted for journal publication. The original thesis is available at: (http://hdl.handle.net/10962/486149).
The authors wish to extend their sincere gratitude to the Municipal Manager of GKLM for granting permission to conduct interviews with municipal officials. This support was instrumental in facilitating access to critical institutional insights necessary for the study. We further acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Public Participation Unit, whose coordination and logistical assistance ensured smooth engagement with community stakeholders. Special thanks also go to the LED practitioners, who provided detailed and practical perspectives on local development planning and implementation processes. Lastly, we are deeply appreciative of the residents and community members of GKLM, who participated in the study. Their lived experiences, thoughtful reflections and willingness to engage in open dialogue enriched the research findings and added depth to the community-based aspects of the study.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
CRediT authorship contribution
Ayanda Sondara: Conceptualisation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Visualisation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Lungile Penxa: Conceptualisation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Visualisation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.
Funding information
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available because of the inclusion of confidential information obtained through interviews with municipal officials and community members. However, non-sensitive portions of the data may be made available from the corresponding author, Ayanda Sondara, upon reasonable request and subject to approval by the relevant institutional and municipal authorities.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and are the product of professional research. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated institution, funder, agency, or that of the publisher. The authors are responsible for this article’s results, findings, and content.
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