Indigenous knowledge and participatory rural development in Mabheleni, Umzumbe Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the contribution of indigenous knowledge to participatory rural development in Mabheleni, a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Drawing from the lenses of deliberative democracy, the study explored the role of indigenous knowledge in participatory rural development in Mabheleni; identified the challenges impeding the use of indigenous knowledge to stimulate rural development in Mabheleni; identified the opportunities for effective use of indigenous knowledge to promote rural development in Mabheleni and, explored the strategies used by people living in Mabheleni to preserve their indigenous knowledge. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted with 20 participants in Mabheleni. All participants were selected through a purposive sampling technique and data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The results indicate that although indigenous knowledge is deemed crucial for the development in Mabheleni, it is not effectively used in rural development initiatives. While local people in Mabheleni use their indigenous knowledge to sustain their livelihoods at a household level, their indigenous knowledge is overlooked in rural development initiatives. This problem is attributed to two main reasons: first, Western scientific knowledge is given priority in informing rural development in Mabheleni. Second, government officials often use a top-down approach in decision making about rural development initiatives in Mabheleni, a practice which excludes indigenous people in their development. Thus, the role of indigenous knowledge in rural development in Mabheleni remains unclear and minimal.