The Role of Ward Committees in Enhancing Participatory Local Governance and Development in South Africa: Evidence from Six Ward Committee Case Studies

This booklet, written by Terence Smith & Prof Jaap de Visser, focuses on the legislative and policy provisions for ward committees; a review of key issues and challenges and findings of the ward committee case studies, as well as a comparative analysis of the findings. The report ends with some reflections on the implications of the findings and some policy and practical recommendations for improving the functioning of ward committees.

The mention of ward committees typically solicits quite negative views. Supporters of these structures claim that they provide an important channel for citizens to have their voices heard at local level (especially in a context where there are few existing alternatives for citizens to be involved in governance at local level). However, most observers appear to be critical of ward committees, arguing that most committees in the country are not functioning as intended and that rather than enhancing the environment of participatory governance ward committees have actually undermined it by displacing many other former channels for public participation. Moreover, ward committees are usually viewed as highly partisan structures aligned to party political agendas.

[excerpt taken from the Introduction]