Empowering democracy: a conceptual framework for meaningful public participation in south african local government

Trends in South Africa since 1994 indicate that the country has transitioned into an era of coalition governments. Since 2016, coalition governments have been formed by most metropolitan councils. Be as it may, the studies have revealed the shortcomings of these coalition governments, especially when it comes to providing services to the poor. Owing to this, the South African government recently, has created a space for discussions as part of their increased focus to the topic of coalition governments. That being said, it has become apparent that public participation in local government needs to be strengthened. The article made use of a qualitative research design to look into ways to promote public participation. In order to determine its theoretical foundation, the Public Participation Ladder and the New Ladder of Public Participation were examined. The findings show that in order for public participation in democratic processes to be regarded as "participation" in any meaningful or functional sense, power must be distributed. Moreover, legislative and legal framework findings appear to indicate that public participation in all spheres of government in South Africa is limited to public information, consultation, and involvement. In light of these and other findings, the study recommends a conceptual framework that suggests that public participation should start at the partnership level in order to achieve meaningful participation.