Deconstructing the barriers for sustained local economic development-within the countryside : a case study of the uMzumbe Phunghase sub-region in the uMzumbe local municipality.

Abstract

The rationale for the adoption and the promotion of Local Economic Development (LED) strategies within rural areas is largely based on the premise that South Africa is a developmental state with a dual economy - where the impacts of the countrys’ historical legacy of inequality and poverty is rife, especially in rural areas. In this regard, the implementation of successful Local Economic Development programmes within the countryside has the potential to remedy the injustices of the past and to help with the upliftment of the lives and socio-economic standards of rural dwellers. Thus, this dissertation has sought to deconstruct the barriers for sustained Local Economic Development within the countryside. It argues that a number of factors hinder this process include; the lack of a clear understanding of Local Economic Development concept, coupled with policy confusion as well as the roles of the different sectors in government, infrastructural backlog, inadequate or shortage in skills and resources, lack of communication and guidance from government and stakeholders that are key role players in Local Economic Development, mal-administration and the duplication of projects. These factors amongst others have been found to be the most profound in preventing the realization of sustained Local Economic Development within Umzumbe-Phungashe Sub-Region located in southern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal.